By JASON KNAVEL, Elon Associate AD for Strategic Communications
Elon kept undefeated William & Mary out of the end zone, and the Phoenix scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to stun The Tribe 14-6 Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium.
With the win, Elon takes over sole possession of first place in the CAA Football standings at 3-0 (3-2 overall). William & Mary falls to 4-1 on the season and 2-1 in conference play.
The game was played in front of 12,705 fans, the third-most in Rhodes Stadium history. Elon has now won a stadium record eight consecutive home games dating back to the 2021 season. The Elon community has now contributed to two of the six largest attendances in stadium history during the first two home games of 2023 after 11,275 packed in for North Carolina A&T two weeks ago.
The victory was Elon’s second over a top-5 ranked program in school history. The Phoenix defeated No. 2 James Madison on the road in 2018.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- William & Mary punted on its first possession of the game but an Elon turnover set the Tribe up with an opportunity to go ahead early.
- William & Mary drove to the Elon 1-yard line but Caleb Curtain pushed running back Malachi Imoh out of bounds just shy of the goal line to keep the game scoreless.
- With a pair of second quarter field goals, William & Mary took a 6-0 lead into the halftime break.
- Elon missed a third quarter field goal but that was the only real scoring opportunity for either team to open the second half.
- Jaidyn Denis intercepted a Darius Wilson pass with 1:49 left in the third quarter and returned it 21 yards to the William & Mary 30. As the fourth quarter began, Elon drove inside the red zone. On third-and-9 from from the 16, Matthew Downing found Chandler Brayboy for a touchdown that put the Phoenix on top 7-6 with 13:33 to play.
- William & Mary punted on its next drive and downed the ball at the 6-yard line. Facing third-and-two from the 14, Downing again connected with Brayboy, this time over the top for 76 yards. Elon scored three plays later as Downing hit Jamarien Dalton for an 8-yard scoring strike.
- William & Mary had one last chance and drove inside the Elon red zone. On fourth-and-three from the 12, Wilson scrambled and Cazeem Moore and Denis tackled him two yards shy of a first down. Elon kneeled down twice to end the game.
NOTES AND STATS
- Matthew Downing went 14-of-20 for 187 yards and two fourth quarter touchdown passes.
- Jalen Hampton led the Phoenix rushing attack with 13 carries for 74 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry.
- Chandler Brayboy had the first 100-yard receiving game of the season for an Elon player, finishing with four catches for 109 yards.
- Caleb Curtain and Marco Patierno each had a career-high 11 tackles. Curtain added a sack and Patierno had 1.5 tackles for loss.
- Marvin Pearson had six tackles, a sack and three quarterback hurries.
- Arthur Nwandu had 1.5 tackles for loss and Brandon Tyson had a forced fumble.
- Kyle Romenick averaged 47.0 yards on four punts, including one inside the 20.
- William & Mary ran for 307 yards but had just 12 yards passing. Elon was much more balanced with 115 yards rushing and 187 passing.
- William & Mary finished with just three points on three trips into the red zone.
- Elon Head Coach Tony Trisciani improved to 23-22 as a head coach.
- Elon now has eight wins over ranked opponents in Tony Trisciani‘s five years leading the program
- The win is Elon’s seventh straight CAA victory dating back to 2022
- Elon is now 14-5 in last 19 CAA games and has the most conference wins in the CAA since the start of the 2021 season.
UP NEXT
- Elon returns home to host another ranked team Saturday. The Phoenix welcomes No. 15/13 North Carolina Central to Rhodes Stadium for a 2 p.m. kick.
