A 41-14 win is not fun to watch. Or play in.

That’s what Elon Phoenix fans and players had to sit through and play through last Saturday against Georgia Southern, the No. 1 team in the Football Championship Subdivison.

Did Elon stand a chance?

If we’re going to be completely honest here, it would be very unlikely. Since this is honest, to-the-bone analysis, we’re going to be completely honest.

An examination of the stat sheet from Saturday’s game presents a few kinks in Elon’s offense and defense to work out.

Such as the turnovers. The turnover ratio went from -9 to -12. The four turnovers included three Thomas Wilson interceptions and a fumble following a pass reception.

Such as the defense against the triple option. Facing it for the second straight week, Elon’s defense allowed 300 yards on the ground. The Citadel racked up 257 rushing yards on Sept. 24 at Rhodes Stadium. Not a number any team can afford to give up and hope to win. Elon barely squeaked out a win against the Bulldogs despite gaining 445 yards offensively.

Such as 24 unanswered points following Taylor Berry’s opening touchdown catch in the first quarter.

Such as allowing a triple option team three passing touchdowns. PASSING touchdowns. On ten throws. Georgia Southern quarterback Jaybo Shaw hit a career high with that number.

Yes, like any football team that is not the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the Elon Phoenix have flaws. And they were all exposed on Saturday, as expected.

“They’re going to capitalize on your turnovers and mistakes,” Wilson said. “You can’t let a team like that take advantage of your mistakes.”

With that mindset, rookie coach Jason Swepson takes his team and a 3-2 record to Cullowhee to face Western Carolina. The Catamounts are 1-3 on the year with losses to Football Bowl Subdivision team Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Furman. Their lone victory came against Division II Mars Hill College.

Don’t let that record fool you. The Catamounts average 421.2 yards per game and 28.5 points. The Phoenix have yet to score more than 23 points against a Division I school. Western Carolina has a dangerous return game, highlighted by wide receiver George Richardson, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score last week against Furman.

However, Western Carolina’s defense is shaky at best, dreadful at worst. The Catamounts give up 48.2 points per game, 374.8 rushing yards per game and 589.8 total yards per game.

Here are five keys to Elon vs. Western Carolina for the Phoenix:

  1. Do not turn the ball over. This should not be too difficult. Of Wilson’s interceptions last week, one can argue that zero were actually his fault. The pick by Georgia Southern defensive end John Douglas was a great play by Douglas. The other two bounced off of receiver’s hands. Junior wide receiver Aaron Mellette made a comment after the game saying that Wilson doesn’t throw it especially hard; the receivers just never got their hands around it completely. Mellette himself dropped a couple passes, including a sure touchdown in the first quarter. Junior receiver Jeremy Peterson’s fumble is an easily correctible mistake. Just wrap your hands around the ball.
  2. Score early. Through four games, the Catamounts have been outscored 28-66 in the first quarter. Fans saw the energy that an early scoring drive gave the team against Georgia Southern. Unfortunately, the Phoenix could not capitalize. Elon needs to improve on their 17 first-quarter points through four games. If they can put up a touchdown or two in the first 15 minutes, viewers could see a team that tends to die in the second half play a confident game throughout.
  3. I want to say run the ball, but Elon has been rather adequate at this, averaging just 121.4 yards on the ground this year. The Phoenix’s leading rusher, Dontay Taylor, is averaging 45.2 yards per game. Meanwhile Mellette is averaging 139 receiving yards per outing. So much for a balanced offense, right? Pick up 200+ yards on the ground this Saturday, and you’ll have a more confident trio of Taylor, A.J. Harris and Jamal Shuman.
  4. Make some kicks. Junior kicker Adam Shreiner never had a real opportunity at a field goal against Georgia Southern. But he was four of six against The Citadel. Making either of those would have prevented an overtime period where the Phoenix needed a missed field goal and a strong defensive stand to win. Shreiner’s nailed all of his 12 PATs but is just five for nine on field goals. If the offense struggles in the turnover department or on converting third downs (39% for the season), Shreiner may need to make some big field goals.
  5. Tight pass defense in the red zone. Elon opponents average 4.8 yards per pass but have recorded nine passing touchdowns. Conclusion: short passes for touchdowns have killed the Phoenix. All three Georgia Southern passing touchdowns were within 25 yards of the goal line. The Citadel’s lone passing touchdown was from ten yards out. Against a high-flying passing offense (264.0 yards per game, second in the SoCon behind Elon), it is important for Elon’s defense to knock down passes, get to the quarterback and pick off throws.