Wide receiver Aaron Mellette is now just a legend. A memory of the player who finished his Elon career with 4,254 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns and went on to get drafted by the Baltimore Ravens last weekend.
Quarterback Thomas Wilson is also a thing of the past, leaving Elon with a gaping hole under center that is up for grabs.
This period of change has allowed third-year head coach Jason Swepson and offensive coordinator Chris Pincince to retool the Elon offense, which averaged 24.7 points per game in 2012.
In a preseason scrimmage last Saturday in Rhodes Stadium, Elon showcased a speed-based offense in which the team ran 80 plays in around an hour. Murmurs of comparison to the University of Oregon were heard.
Each snap was taken from the shotgun spread formation with one running back at most in the backfield with three different quarterbacks. Much of the playing time at quarterback was split between redshirt freshman John Loughery and junior quarterback Mike Quinn. Quinn tossed two touchdowns last season in mop-up duty while Loughery spent the season on the sidelines. The duo is joined by sophomore transfer Trevor Vasey, who joins the Phoenix after a season at Dean Junior College.
Throughout the entire scrimmage, the receivers rotated at a rapid pace. Sophomores Andre Davis, Ricky Brown, Lichota Sidewand and Carson Simpson all saw significant playing time. Junior Adam LaFleur and senior Rasaun Rorie also played with the first team. Sidewand and Simpson each had long fade-route catches.
The most impressive facet of the offense, however, was the improved run game. Redshirt freshman running back B.J. Bennett, who missed the entire 2012 season due to injury, wowed the crowd with his speed. Junior Karl Bostick and sophomore Tracey Coppedge also saw touches as part of a greater use of the run game. Running was almost nonexistent last season for Elon, but this trio looks to be able to change that in 2013.
Elon football will get one more chance to show off the rebuilt offense during the annual spring game, set for Friday May 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Rhodes Stadium. The game concludes spring practice.