[quote]Disappointing.[/quote]
That's the word Elon head football coach Jason Swepson used to describe his first season at the helm of the Phoenix ship.
"We came to win football games and have winning seasons and that didn't happen," he said. "So it's not gonna sit well for any of this coaching staff and I hope it doesn't sit well for the players."
After a crushing 28-24 loss to Appalachian State University in the season's final game Nov. 19, the Phoenix finished the season 5-6, 3-5 in the Southern Conference.
Led by junior quarterback Thomas Wilson, Elon had the best passing offense in the SoCon, averaging 281.5 passing yards per game. Wilson finished the year with 3,057 passing yards with 23 touchdowns, good for first in the SoCon, but he also had 21 interceptions, the most in all of the Football Championship Subdivision.
"He's gotta get better," Swepson said of Wilson. "He's gotta cut down on the turnovers and do a better job managing the game."
There are not many positives that can be taken out of the season, according to Swepson. But he was pleased with the last two games, a big win against nationally ranked Furman University Nov. 12 and the close loss to the Mountaineers at home.
Against Appalachian State, Elon picked up three early touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead with 2:37 left in the first quarter. But the Mountaineers scored 28 of the next 31 points to seal the win.
Elon junior wide receiver Aaron Mellette had 14 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown against Appalachian State to set the Phoenix single-season record for receiving yards with 1,639, surpassing Terrell Hudgins' 2009 mark of 1,633. He was named to the All-SoCon first team along with senior offensive lineman Ned Cuthbertson and is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, honoring the best player in the FCS.
But Swepson wants more.
"I'm gonna be greedy and say we needed more touchdowns out of the young man," he said. "Bottom line is, he's gotta get better if he wants to get where he wants to go and be considered a playmaker, and that means scoring touchdowns."
Mellette caught a SoCon-best 12 touchdowns this season, but he thinks he can do even better.
"I feel like there's an asterisk on this season," he said after the Appalachian State game. "It's great to have the stats and the numbers, but not to get a winning season hurts more because of the seniors who are leaving. I've got to fine tune some things. I can't ever let up. I just need to focus on doing whatever I can throughout the game and put the team in a winning position."
Wilson and Mellette will return next year, along with key defensive players such as junior defensive back Blake Thompson, junior linebacker Dale Riley, sophomore safety Chandler Wrightenberry and redshirt freshman linebacker Jonathan Spain, who was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team along with offensive lineman Austin Sowell. But several graduating players will leave gaping holes.
Maybe the biggest is the loss of senior linebacker Joshua Jones. Jones was arguably the best defensive player for the Phoenix, notching 112 tackles, 17 tackles-for-loss and four sacks, all team highs. But perhaps his biggest play was his interception of Furman quarterback Chris Forcier and subsequent return for a touchdown in the closing minutes of Elon's 41-34 victory. Jones was named to the All-SoCon second team for his efforts.
Another area where the Phoenix will have to fill shoes is the running back position where Elon struggled during the season. Seniors Dontay Taylor, A.J. Harris and Jamal Shuman combined to gain just 1,190 rushing yards this season. To replace them, Swepson has high hopes for current redshirt Joe Jones, but will look at that position on the recruiting trail.
Elon will look to improve significantly next year after a full season under Swepson's system. The coach points to the last three games of the season, against Appalchian State, Furman and Wofford College, as a sign of improvement, saying that the team came together and "the kids bought into the new program."
Even with no postseason football to partake in, Swepson, Wilson, Mellette and the players and coaching staff will have very little time to dwell on this past season. Practice started again Monday.
"I'm excited about the direction of the program," Swepson said. "We're gonna grow together as a team and move forward. We need to have a better offseason conditioning program, a better spring ball and a better summer. We're here to win football games and graduate young men. We're here to be role models. And we did two of those things, we need to work on winning football games"