ELON, N.C. – Elon football’s first season under head coach Rich Skrosky will come to a close this Saturday as the Phoenix pays a visit to 17th-ranked James Madison for a noon bout that will air live on the American Sports Network (ASN).
The ASN telecast will feature Mike Gleason handling play-by-play duties and Andy Gresh serving as the analyst. Those who do not receive a station carrying the game will be able to watch the game through CAA.TV’s simulcast.
Fans unable to attend the game can also listen to the game on WPCM 95.1 FM and 920 AM or at elonphoenix.com. The radio broadcast will start at 11 a.m. Fans can also listen to all Elon football games via the TuneIn Radio app. This app is free to download to your smartphone.
CONNECTIONS:
• Elon DB Julius Moore and JMU P/K Ryan Maglio both attended Cosby High (Va.).
• A total of 53 players on JMU’s roster hail from the state of Virginia. Elon’s roster sports seven Virginians – Bo Hartman (Centreville), Julius Moore (Chesterfield), Demetrius Oliver(Portsmouth), Matt McClary (Smithfield), Zach Duprey (Stanardsville), Kelly Brooks-Muse(Vienna) and Justin Snavely (Wytheville).
• JMU has five North Carolinians on its roster – Hunter Etheridge (Clayton), Ryan Etheridge (Clayton), Vad Lee (Durham), Taylor Woods (Havelock) and Marcell Johnson (Knightdale).
A NEW HOME:
After spending the past 11 seasons as a member of the Southern Conference, Elon has joined the Colonial Athletic Association and CAA Football. The Phoenix officially transitioned to CAA Football on July 1, 2014.
The CAA geographic footprint provides an attractive match with Elon’s student and alumni populations. Elon draws a large proportion of its enrollment from mid-Atlantic and New England states where many CAA teams are located. About 1,850 current students came to Elon from areas close to CAA member schools. Alumni populations in CAA cities are equally strong, with about 5,300 Elon alumni living within 50 miles of CAA member schools.
ELON VS. JAMES MADISON:
• Elon and James Madison have met twice before, both in Harrisonburg.
• The teams first met on Sept. 26, 1998 with JMU edging Elon 19-12.
• The last meeting came on Sept. 1, 2001, a 42-21 JMU victory.
BLOCK PARTY
Over the past four weeks the Phoenix, which totaled five blocked kicks from 2011-13, has blocked six kicks (three punts and three field goals). Chris Blair got it started by blocking a punt against Richmond. The following week at Towson Jeremy Gloston blocked a punt and Alexander Dawson got his hand on a field goal. At William & Mary, Marquise Wright blocked two field goals. Last Saturday against Maine, Gloston knocked down another punt.
Elon’s six blocked kicks rank sixth nationally and second in the CAA.
FLAGS ARE FEW
When it comes to penalties, Elon has done an outstanding job of avoiding flags. The Phoenix leads the CAA in fewest penalties (45), fewest penalties per game (4.09), fewest penalty yards (360) and fewest penalty yards per game (32.73).
In fact, the maroon and gold’s 32.73 penalty yards per game are the second fewest in the nation. The next CAA team in those rankings is William & Mary. The Tribe’s 38.36 penalty yards per game rates fourth nationally.
HIGHLY RANKED
This weekend’s game with James Madison marks Elon’s fifth against a top-25 opponent. The Phoenix has faced three or more top-25 teams in five consecutive seasons, but this is the first time since 2010 that five top-25 foes have appeared on the slate.
TACKLING MACHINE
Senior linebacker Jonathan Spain currently boasts 352 career tackles. That number ranks second in program history during Elon’s FCS tenure and fourth on the school’s all-time tackles chart.