Elon Football Releases 2015 Schedule

ELON, N.C. – Elon University football head coach Rich Skrosky released the program’s upcoming 2015 schedule on Thursday, Jan. 8. The 11-game slate features five games at home in Rhodes Stadium. Game times will be announced this summer.

Season ticket prices for the upcoming season will be released in the coming weeks; however, season tickets will be available for purchase beginning Wednesday, Feb. 4.

“We are excited about another challenging schedule in 2015,” said Skrosky. “I was pleased that we were able to adjust our non-conference slate to include three North Carolina opponents. It is great to have Wake Forest as our FBS game. We also look forward to continuing our series with local rival North Carolina A&T and to renewing an old rivalry with Gardner-Webb.”

The Phoenix will open its 2015 schedule on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Wake Forest. In its second season in CAA Football, Elon will host league foes Towson (Sept. 26), James Madison (Oct. 17), William & Mary (Nov. 7) and Delaware (Nov. 21).

After opening with the short trek to Winston-Salem, N.C., to face the Demon Deacons, Elon will remain in the state of North Carolina for its final two non-conference games. On Sept. 12, the Phoenix will visit the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb before hosting the North Carolina A&T Aggies on Sept. 19 on Hall of Fame Weekend.

Elon’s first CAA Football contest of the season will come on Sept. 26, as the maroon and gold will host the Towson Tigers for Family Weekend.

Said Skrosky, “I am happy that our fans will be able to see four new CAA Football opponents come to Rhodes Stadium in 2015. Our four league road trips will also allow our fans in the northeast an opportunity to come out and support the team.”

The following two weeks will take the Phoenix on the road. Elon will travel to Durham, N.H., to face the New Hampshire Wildcats on the first weekend of October before visiting the Richmond Spiders on Oct. 10.

Homecoming will be held on Oct. 17, as Elon hosts the James Madison Dukes ahead of the Phoenix’s bye week.

The final four games of the season will alternate between road and home bouts beginning with an Oct. 31 date on the road against the Stony Brook Seawolves. On Nov. 7, Elon returns to Rhodes Stadium to take on the William & Mary Tribe. The Phoenix will take its first-ever trip to Maine to take on the Black Bears on Nov. 14 before concluding the 2015 campaign at home against the Blue Hens of Delaware on Nov. 21.

2015 Elon Football Schedule and Notes

Sept. 5 – at Wake Forest: Elon and Wake Forest have met 10 times before on the gridiron with the most recent contest coming on Sept. 19, 2009. The maroon and gold is 0-9-1 all-time against the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest went 3-9 overall and 1-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in 2014. This will mark Elon’s eighth game against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent and its sixth against an ACC foe.

Sept. 12 – at Gardner-Webb: Former conference rivals in both the South Atlantic Conference and Big South Conference, Elon and Gardner-Webb have met 29 times on the football field. Elon owns a 20-9 mark against the Runnin’ Bulldogs. The teams last met on Oct. 12, 2002, with Gardner-Webb picking up a 38-27 victory in Boiling Springs, N.C. Gardner-Webb went 4-8 overall and 0-4 in Big South play in 2014.

Sept. 19 – vs. North Carolina A&T (Hall of Fame): Elon and the Aggies will be meeting for the 11th time on the gridiron and at Rhodes Stadium for the second straight season. A&T defeated Elon 17-12 in 2014 to claim a 6-4 edge in the series that dates to 2006. The Aggies went 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the MEAC last year.

Sept. 26 – vs. Towson* (Family Weekend): The Tigers went 4-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play in 2014. Elon and Towson have met four times before, all Tiger victories. The last meeting at Rhodes Stadium came in 2006. Elon dropped a 21-19 bout at Towson this past season.

Oct. 3 – at New Hampshire*: Elon will make its first of two trips to New England when it visits New Hampshire for the first time ever. UNH reached the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in 2014 and posted an overall record of 12-2. The Wildcats went 8-0 in conference games to claim the CAA Football crown.

Oct. 10 – at Richmond*: The Spiders and Phoenix have matched up five times prior to the 2015 tilt at Robins Stadium. Richmond has claimed the win in all five meetings, including a 30-10 decision at Rhodes Stadium in 2014 when the Spiders were ranked 16th in the nation. The two met in the 2009 FCS playoffs and then following year in the first game at Robins Stadium. Richmond finished fourth in CAA Football in 2014 with a 5-3 league mark and a 9-5 overall ledger.

Oct. 17 – vs. James Madison* (Homecoming): Elon and James Madison have met just three times on the gridiron, but this will be the first trip to Rhodes Stadium for the Dukes. The Phoenix fell in the 2014 finale against the 17th-ranked Dukes who advanced to the FCS Playoffs after posting a 9-4 overall mark and a 6-2 record in CAA Football. JMU finished third in the league standings in 2014.

Oct. 24 – Bye Week

Oct. 31 – at Stony Brook*: The fourth all-time meeting between Elon and Stony Brook will come on Halloween in Stony Brook, N.Y. The Phoenix is 2-1 all-time against the Seawolves as SBU snapped a two-game skid to the maroon and gold at Rhodes Stadium last season. Elon last played at Stony Brook on Sept. 6, 2008 and claimed a 30-20 victory in heavy rains. In 2014, Stony Brook went 5-7 overall and tied for fifth in the league with a 4-4 conference mark.

Nov. 7 – vs. William & Mary*: The first-ever meeting between the two programs came at Zable Stadium in Williamsburg, Va., in 2014. The 24th-ranked Tribe held off a late push by the Phoenix to claim a 17-7 decision. William & Mary tied for fifth in the conference standings with a 4-4 CAA Football record and went 7-5 overall.

Nov. 14 – at Maine*: Elon’s second visit to New England will come in mid-November as the Phoenix visits Maine for the first time. Last year, the Black Bears edged the Phoenix 24-17 at Rhodes Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Maine ended 2014 with a 5-6 record, but went 4-4 in league games to tie for fifth.

Nov. 21 – vs. Delaware*: The 2014 bout between the Phoenix and Blue Hens was the first between these two programs and Delaware earned a hard-fought 10-point decision at Delaware Stadium. UD also tied for fifth in CAA Football with a 4-4 league record. The Blue Hens posted an overall record of 6-6.