ELON, N.C. – The Elon University football team saw its upset bid versus No. 1 James Madison fall short on Saturday afternoon, March 6, as the Dukes scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to pull away with a 20-17 victory at Rhode Stadium.
The Dukes improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the CAA Football opener for both teams. The Phoenix fell to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league play.
The Rundown
Elon tacked on the first points of the game in the opening period as Skyler Davis connected on a 30-yard field goal with 8:22 left in the quarter.
The Phoenix expanded its lead to 10-0 with 12:38 left in the second quarter. JR Martin found Bryson Daughtry on a 31-yard pass in which the Charlotte, N.C., was able to extend to the pylon to give the Phoenix a double-digit lead.
After JMU narrowed the gap to 10-3 with a 34-yard field goal with 6:28 left in the half, Elon answered just before the end of the quarter to go back ahead by 14. McKinley Witherspoon found the endzone on a one-yard rushing touchdown with six seconds left in the half as Elon went into intermission with a 17-3 advantage.
The Dukes came out in the second half with a 35-yard field goal at the 5:06 mark in the third to trim its deficit to 17-6. Elon continued to hold the Dukes without a touchdown until the 12:22 mark in the fourth quarter when JMU’s Antwane Well caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Gage Moloney to cut the score to 17-13.
JMU took the lead nearly five minutes later in the fourth. The Dukes capitalized off a blocked punt before scoring on an eight-yard touchdown run by Percy Agyei-Obese with 7:34 left in the game.
Elon had the ball for one drive in the final seven minutes of action, but was forced into a three-and-out at the 5:59 mark. The Dukes took over on its own 48-yard line and ran out the clock to hold on for the 20-17 victory.
Notes
• Martin threw for 129 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first career start. The true freshman was 12-for-26 in the game.
• The Phoenix scored its most point against the Dukes at Elon (17), then in its previous three games combined at Rhodes Stadium (13).
• Omar Rogers had his second interception of the season in the third quarter around the 12:35 mark.
• Hunter Stephenson had three punts downed inside the 20 in the game and had a 48.1 average on his seven kicks.
• Jalen Greene had three pass breakups and a forced fumble in the contest.
Up Next
The Phoenix welcomes Richmond to Rhodes Stadium next Saturday, March 13, for its second CAA Football contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.