The 2013 Elon University football season has been all about momentum swings. A near comeback against Appalachian State University on Sept. 21 and a second-half deflation against Coastal Carolina University on Sept. 28 emphasized the volatility of emotions on Elon’s young team.
Enter the Saturday, Oct. 5 game on the road against Furman University. For the second week in a row, Elon put together a competitive first half. This week, however, Elon would change the ending, hanging on for a 28-25 win over the host Paladins.
Even with a 28-10 halftime lead, Elon needed a defensive stop with less than two minutes remaining to escape with the narrow victory.
Elon’s impressive first half was part of a 28-3 run, as Furman scored the game’s first points. Sophomore quarterback Terry Robinson ran in from 11 yards out to give Furman a 7-0 lead
with 9:51 remaining in the first quarter.
Elon immediately countered with a nine play, 69-yard drive capped off by a 2-yard touchdown run from junior running back Karl Bostick to tie the game at seven with 5:26 to go in the first.
The Phoenix grabbed the lead for good with just two minutes later when senior defensive back Chandler Wrightenberry returned an interception 33 yards for a touchdown. The Paladins would add a 35-yard field goal by senior kicker Ray Early to cut the score to 14-10 with 12:57 left before halftime, but Elon scored 50 seconds later. Junior quarterback Mike Quinn found senior wide receiver Rasaun Rorie wide open behind the Furman coverage for a 73-yard touchdown strike.
Bostick scored on an 8-yard run with 3:54 before halftime, which would mark Elon’s final scoring of the game.
The 28-10 margin held until the :51 mark of the third quarter, when Furman junior running back Hank McCloud scored on a 3-yard run. That drive began when Elon sophomore running back Tracey Coppedge fumbled at the Paladins’ 4-yard line, his fourth lost fumble of the 2013 season.
Elon’s next offensive possession resulted in a 3-and-out, and the Paladins would score again on a 29-yard pass to McCloud from freshman quarterback Duncan Fletcher with 7:03 to play in the game.
Furman would get the ball back trailing 28-25 with 3:10 remaining in the game, but Elon’s defense held and the Phoenix was able to kneel the ball and earn their first conference win of the season.
Quinn was 11-of-17 for 175 yards and a touchdown through the air for Elon. Bostick carried the ball 19 times for 68 yards and Coppedge ran 12 times for 63 yards.
Rorie was Elon’s leading receiver with three catches for 112 yards and touchdown.
With the win, Elon improves to 2-4, 1-1 in the Southern Conference. Furman drops to 2-3, 1-1 in conference play.
Elon will travel to Wofford College for a 1:30 p.m. game next Saturday, Oct. 12.