ELON, N.C. – Elon University has announced its 11-game football schedule for the upcoming 2017 season. The Phoenix will play five home games inside of Rhodes Stadium and will battle a total of five teams that participated in the 2016 FCS Playoffs. Season tickets for the upcoming campaign are also now available.
Said new Elon head coach Curt Cignetti, “The 2017 schedule, like all CAA Football schedules, will feature top-notch FCS competition. There is a lot of work to be done between now and August 31, but when the time comes, we will be ready.”
Elon will open the 2017 season at Toledo on Thursday, Aug. 31.
The Phoenix will host Charleston Southern in a non-conference game before welcoming in CAA Football rivals Albany, William & Mary, Towson and James Madison.
The maroon and gold will also play a non-league game at Furman and conference bouts at Richmond, Rhode Island, Villanova and New Hampshire.
Season tickets start at $90 for reserved bleacher seats ($45 for Elon faculty and staff). Priority bleacher tickets are available for $120 ($60 for Elon faculty and staff) and chairback seats will sell for $150 each. Young alumni (2007-17 grads) can purchase tickets for just $40. The family zone package will return for 2017. For $120, fans will receive four season tickets in section 109. Additional youth tickets can be added to the family zone package for $20 each. To purchase season tickets, click the link above or call 336-278-6750.
The full schedule is as follows:
Toledo
Aug. 31 • Toledo, Ohio
• Toledo will be the lone first-time opponent on Elon’s 2017 schedule
• This game will mark Elon’s first-ever against a Mid-American Conference opponent
• The Rockets posted a 9-4 overall record and appeared in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl last season
• Toledo is guided by second-year head coach Jason Candle
Furman
Sept. 9 • Greenville, S.C.
• Elon will meet former Southern Conference rival Furman for the first time since 2013
• The maroon and gold is 6-11 all-time against the Paladins, but has won the last three games played in Greenville
• Furman posted 3-8 overall record and a 3-5 SoCon mark in 2016
• The Paladins are led by first-year head coach Clay Hendrix who was previously the offensive coordinator at Air Force
Charleston Southern
Sept. 16 • Rhodes Stadium
• The Phoenix and former Big South Conference mate Charleston Southern have met four times with Elon claiming victory in all four
• The last meeting between the two was in 2002, a 21-13 Elon win
• The Buccaneers posted a 7-4 overall record, went 4-1 in Big South play, earned a berth in the FCS Playoffs and finished the year ranked 14th nationally in 2016
• CSU will be coached by first-year head man Mark Tucker who served as the team’s quarterbacks coach the last four seasons
Richmond
Sept. 23 • Richmond, Va.
• Elon opens CAA Football play at Richmond, a team that finished the 2016 season ranked eighth nationally
• The maroon and gold is looking for its first win over the Spiders; the team’s have met seven times prior to 2017
• Richmond posted a 10-4 overall mark and went 5-3 in league play last year while advancing to the FCS quarterfinals
• Former Chattanooga head coach Russ Huesman will be in his first year leading the Spider program
Albany
Sept. 30 • Rhodes Stadium
• Elon’s CAA Football home opener will come when the Albany Great Danes visit Rhodes Stadium
• The two first met in 2016 with Albany picking up the win in New York
• Albany finished the 2016 campaign at 7-4 overall and was 4-4 in conference action
• The Great Danes are coached by fourth-year head coach Greg Gattuso
William & Mary
Oct. 7 • Rhodes Stadium
• Elon owns a 1-2 mark all-time against William & Mary after the Phoenix claimed a 27-10 victory over the eighth-ranked Tribe in 2016
• This will mark the second-ever meeting between the two at Rhodes Stadium
• The Tribe posted a 5-6 overall record and a 3-5 CAA Football ledger last year
• 2017 will mark head coach Jimmye Laycock’s 38th in charge of the William & Mary program
Rhode Island
Oct. 21 • Kingston, R.I.
• Elon and Rhode Island met for the first time in 2016 with the Rams earning the win
• This will mark Elon’s first trip to the state of Rhode Island
• The Rams ended 2016 with a 2-9 overall record and a 1-7 league mark
• Head coach Jim Fleming will be in his fourth season guiding URI in 2017
Villanova
Oct. 28 • Villanova, Pa.
• Villanova and Elon have met just once with the Wildcats earning a win at Elon last year
• The Wildcats earned a bid to the 2016 FCS Playoffs and advanced to the second round before being ranked 11th nationally at the end of the season
• Villanova went 9-4 overall and 6-2 in CAA Football play last year
• Mark Ferrante is in his 31st year on the Villanova staff, but took over as head coach following last year
Towson
Nov. 4 • Rhodes Stadium
• The Phoenix has played Towson six times on the gridiron, going 1-5 in those games
• The two sides first met in 2003, but have played in each of the last three seasons as conference mates
• Towson finished 2016 with a 4-7 overall record and a 3-5 ledger in conference action
• Now in his ninth year as head coach, Towson is guided by Rob Ambrose
New Hampshire
Nov. 11 • Durham, N.H.
• Elon will make its second trip ever to the state of New Hampshire to take on the Wildcats
• New Hampshire ranked 17th in the final national poll in 2016 after going 8-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play
• The Wildcats advanced to the second round of the 2016 FCS Playoffs, the 13th consecutive season the program has reached the playoffs
• UNH’s Sean McDonnell is in his 19th season as the head coach at his alma mater
James Madison
Nov. 18 • Rhodes Stadium
• Elon closes out the year at home against the 2016 National Champion James Madison Dukes
• The two have met five times prior to 2017, including three consecutive years as conference foes
• JMU went 14-1 overall and 8-0 in CAA Football play in 2016
• The Dukes are led by second-year head coach Mike Houston