ELON, N.C. – With just three games left on the schedule, the Elon Phoenix football squad will play host to the 12th-ranked Tribe of William & Mary on Saturday, Nov. 7 at noon at Rhodes Stadium.
The contest will be televised on Comcast SportsNet with Brent Harris handling the play-by-play call alongside analyst Qadry Ismail. A simulcast of the television broadcast will be available to watch on CAA.TV.
Fans unable to attend the game can also listen to the game on WSML 104.5 FM and 1200 AM or at elonphoenix.com as David Hibbard and Taylor Durham have the call. 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.
Fans can welcome the Phoenix to Rhodes Stadium during the Phoenix Walk down Bank of America Drive. This week’s walk will occur at 9:30 a.m.
ELON FOOTBALL PARTNERING WITH KIDSCAN!
The Elon University football program is partnering with the Alamance Regional Charitable Foundation to raise awareness and money for the KidsCan! program that assists children who have a parent with cancer. All funds raised by the Phoenix team through online donations will be used to support the KidsCan! program at the Alamance Regional Medical Center campus.
The KidsCan! program is an educational and peer empathy program for families in which a parent has cancer. This program was started by former NFL players Torry and Terrence Holt, whose mother had cancer. At monthly family dinners, facilitators help kids understand the disease and treatments. They also provide emotional support through activities, arts and crafts, group discussion and music. The program, geared for children aged 6 to 16, is led by professionals within their field of expertise, including activities that make it easy for kids and parents to understand both physically and emotionally.
To support this cause, each Elon football player has a link at the program’s donation page. To donate to a specific player’s goal, click their name on the leaderboard. You will be directed to that player’s page and can make a donation there.
REMEMBERING #44 BOBBY HEDRICK
Former Elon running back Bobby Hedrick ’83 passed away at the age of 57 on Sunday, Nov. 1. Hedrick is one of five Elon football players to have had his number retired and helped the maroon and gold capture the 1980 NAIA National Championship. In that title game against Northeastern Oklahoma, Hedrick ran for 186 yards. He finished his career with 5,604 rushing yards. At the time, only Tony Dorsett (Pitt) had rushed for more yards in all of college football. Hedrick ran for 60 touchdowns and holds program records for career rushing yards, as well as carry marks for a game, season and career. His 5,604 rushing yards are more than 1,200 yards more than any other Elon running back has ever amassed. He was inducted into the Elon Sports Hall of Fame in 1990. A sticker with his #44 will don the Elon helmets for the remainder of the season.
ELON VS. WILLIAM & MARY
The lone meeting between Elon and William & Mary came last season. The Tribe, ranked 24th at the time, jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but held off a late Phoenix push for a 17-7 victory. Elon kept the Tribe scoreless in the second half of that game in Williamsburg, Va.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
The Phoenix football squad elected two captains for the 2015 season. Serving as captain for the second year in a row is senior defensive back Miles Williams. He will be joined by first-year captain, junior linebacker John Silas.
Each week the Phoenix will also name a game-week captain and are listed below:
• at Wake Forest – B.J. Bennett
• at Gardner-Webb – Rob Sullivan
• vs. North Carolina A&T – Corey Mitchell
• vs. Towson – Ikenna Nwokeji
• at New Hampshire – Chris Blair
• at Richmond – Warren Messer
• vs. James Madison – David Petroni
• at Stony Brook – Julius Moore
• vs. William & Mary – Chris Jones
ELON RETURNS HOME TO TAKE ON TRIBE
• This is one of two home games remaining on the schedule for Elon
• William & Mary, ranked 12th in both FCS polls, will be the fourth top-20 opponent the Phoenix has faced this year and the second at Rhodes Stadium
• In last season’s meeting in Williamsburg, the Phoenix held the Tribe scoreless in the second half
• The Phoenix blocked a pair of field goals in last season’s contest
NOTES FROM LAST GAME
• Elon earned its first-ever CAA Football road win with a 21-7 decision at Stony Brook last Saturday
• True freshmen Jon Thomas and Malcolm Summers both scored fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Phoenix, the first scores of their careers
• The Elon defense intercepted four passes, the most for the team since a five-interception performance at Chattanooga on Oct. 30, 2010
• Three Phoenix players notched 10+ tackles – Miles Williams (career high 12), Chris Blair (12) and Corey Mitchell (11)
PICK THIS
In its win at Stony Brook, the Elon defense posted four interceptions, the most for the program since picking off five passes at Chattanooga on Oct. 30, 2010. Miles Williams, Chris Blair, Warren Messer and Asunji Maddox had the interceptions against the Seawolves. The picks were the first career interceptions for both Maddox and Messer.
SEVEN ALLOWED
The Phoenix surrendered just seven points in its victory at Stony Brook. It marked the first time that Elon held an opponent to seven points or fewer since Sept. 7, 2013 when West Virginia Wesleyan scored just seven points. The last time the maroon and gold gave up seven or less to an FCS opponent was Nov. 21, 2009 in a 27-7 victory at Samford.
NOT AIRING IT OUT
In its win at Stony Brook, Elon attempted just 21 passes. It was the fewest passes attempted by the maroon and gold in a game since throwing just 11 passes in a 28-25 victory at Furman on Oct. 5, 2013.