Men’s Football: #14 Villanova Sours Elon’s Family Weekend

ELON, N.C. – In front of 10,424 fans at Rhodes Stadium on Family Weekend, the Elon University football team saw its two-game winning streak snapped at the hands of 14th-rated Villanova as the Wildcats downed the Phoenix 42-7.

BOX SCORE

Elon dropped to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in CAA Football action. Villanova upped its mark to 4-1, 2-0.

Quotable: “Obviously, it was a disappointing effort in every phase. It starts with me. The ability to have a consistent, good week of practice is something we’re still building on. I think one of the keys to coaching is getting those guys to come out with the same energy level, the same focus, the same attention to detail each and every week. We weren’t able to do that. That’s something we have to continue to address. It was a dominant performance by them (Villanova). They came in here focused. They were a team that looked like they had a mission.” – Elon head coach Rich Skrosky

How it happened: Villanova received the opening kickoff and quickly faced a second-and-15 from its own 25 when Zach Bednarczyk completed a 17-yard pass to Taurus Phillips to move the chains. The Wildcats would then convert a third-and-10 to move the stick again as the drive reached the Elon 44-yard line. A 29-yard completion set up a first down at the Elon 15 and two plays later, Aaron Forbes toted it in from eight yards out to give Villanova a 7-0 lead.

After forcing a three-and-out, Villanova marched 75 yards on 10 plays to grab a 14-0 lead when Bednarczyk hit Matt Gudzak for a 10-yard score. The Wildcats would add three touchdowns in the second quarter to build a 35-0 advantage at halftime.

Trailing 42-0, Elon put together an 11-play, 72-yard drive that lasted in to the fourth quarter. De’Sean McNaircarried the ball nine times for 40 yards on the drive, including a one-yard plunge for his first career touchdown.

Stat Leaders:
Rushing
Elon – De’Sean McNair (13 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD)
Villanova – Matt Gudzak (12 carries, 71 yards)

Passing
Elon – Daniel Thompson (8-19, 33 yards)
Villanova – Zach Bednarczyk (14-21, 270 yards, 3 TD)

Receiving
Elon – Jeremiah Bridges (3 receptions, 16 yards)
Villanova – Taurus Phillips (4 receptions, 80 yards)

Defense
Elon – Chris Blair (14 total tackles, INT)
Villanova – Jeff Steeb (6 total tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 QBH)

Noteworthy: Chris Blair recorded the 10th double-digit tackle game of his career… Marcus Willoughby added 10 total stops, his first career game with at least 10 tackles… Daniel Everett was credited with a pair of sacks, giving him three on the season… This was the first-ever meeting between Elon and Villanova.

Up Next: Elon continues its three-game homestand on Saturday, Oct. 8 against New Hampshire. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.