Elon Football Returns to Rhodes Stadium to Host Fayetteville State

ELON, N.C. – The Elon University football team returns to Rhodes Stadium this Saturday, Sept. 17, to play host to the Fayetteville State Broncos on Hall of Fame Weekend. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

GAME NOTES

Fans unable to attend the game can listen to the game on WSML 104.5 FM and 1200 AM or at elonphoenix.com as David Hibbard and Taylor Durham will have the call. The radio broadcast will start at 5:00 p.m. Fans can also listen to all Elon football games via the TuneIn Radio app. This app is free to download to your smartphone.

A free video stream of the game will be available through Phoenix All-Access.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
1:00 p.m. – Parking lots open
3:30 p.m. – Team arrives for the Phoenix Walk
4:00 p.m. – Shuttle bus service begins
4:30 p.m. – Ticket windows, bag check and gates open
5:44 p.m. – Fire of the Carolinas takes the field
5:52 p.m. – National anthem
6:00 p.m. – Team entrance
6:03 p.m. – Kickoff of Elon vs. Fayetteville State

PHOENIX WALK
Led byt the cheerleaders and band, fans can welcome the Phoenix to Rhodes Stadium during the Phoenix Walk down Bank of America Drive. This week’s walk will occur at 3:30 p.m.

NEW BAG POLICY AT RHODES STADIUM
Beginning with Saturday’s game, Elon University will implement a new policy for bags entering Rhodes Stadium. All bags entering the stadium will be checked before fans reach the ticket booths at the facility. Multiple lines will be available and there will be specific lines for fans entering with no bags.

The following items will be prohibited from Rhodes Stadium:
• Weapons
• Explosives
* Alcoholic beverages
• Outside food and beverages
• Smoking and tobacco products
• E-cigarettes
• Umbrellas
• Containers or coolers
• Flags on poles
• Bicycles, skateboards or rollerblades
• Pets (except service animals)

FOOTBALL GAME DAY
For more information on ticketing, parking and directions to Rhodes Stadium, please visit the Football Game Day web page.

GAME DAY PROGRAMS
For the second straight year, Elon will offer a digital game program that includes rosters, stats and video features. Make sure you are prepared for the game by utilizing the digital program.

HALL OF FAME RECOGNITION

At halftime of Saturday’s game, the newest inductees of the Elon Sports Hall of Fame will be recognized. The 2016 class includes men’s golfer Tim Clark ’92, men’s cross country runner Brian Keller ’97, football player Chad Nkang ’07 and women’s soccer player Kam Radford ’96. The four will formally be inducted into the hall of fame at a 1:30 p.m. ceremony in Whitley Auditorium on Saturday. That ceremony is free and open to the public.

ELON VS. FAYETTEVILLE STATE
Elon and Fayetteville State have met just twice prior to this season’s contest. The two split those games as each won at home. The Broncos claimed a 21-14 victory in Fayetteville in 1990 before the maroon and gold earned a 31-0 win at Burlington Memorial Stadium the following season.

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 linebacker John Silas (Powder Springs, Ga.). He will be joined by first-year captain, junior offensive lineman Ikenna Nwokeji (Randolph, Mass.).

Each week the Phoenix will also name a game-week captain. The list of those captains is below:

• Gardner-Webb– LB Warren Messer (Garner, N.C.)
• at Charlotte – RB Brandon Gentry (Monroe, N.C.)
• Fayetteville State – DL Nick Groll (Armonk, N.Y.)

WE HAIL FROM
Elon’s 2016 roster sports 96 players total, including 46 from the state of North Carolina. The Phoenix roster also has players from 15 other states and Washington, D.C. – Alabama (1), Connecticut (2), Delaware (1), Florida (4), Georgia (11), Indiana (2), Massachusetts (3), New Jersey (7), New York (3), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (1), South Carolina (3), Virginia (7), Washington (1), Wisconsin (1) and the District of Columbia (1).

YOUNG BIRDS

The 2016 edition of the Phoenix is a young one. The 96-player roster includes 31 true freshmen, 17 red-shirt freshmen and 21 sophomores. That means that nearly 72 percent of the squad are players competing in either their first or second season of collegiate games. Only nine seniors are on this year’s team.