As Sept. 1 approaches every year, sports fans around the world are reminded of what took place on that fateful day in 2007, when Appalachian State University rolled into the Big House and stunned the fifth-ranked Wolverines of the University of Michigan, 24-22.

Before you get all excited and think that Elon University may be able to pull an upset Aug. 30 at Duke University, let’s first understand that Elon and Appalachian State are two entirely different teams. Appalachian State was coming off two consecutive Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) titles when it knocked off Michigan; Elon is coming off five wins over the past two seasons.

This is the third straight year the Phoenix will open the season against a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference.  The past two years have been rough to say the least.  In 2012, Elon visited the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was shut out 62-0.  Last year, it was much of the same in the opener, as Georgia Tech blanked the Phoenix 70-0 in Atlanta.

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The game will mark the beginning of the Rich Skrosky era. Skrosky is inheriting many of the same players from last year’s squad and even though a new system has been implemented, it will be tough to drastically improve a team right away that has finished near the bottom of the Southern Conference in recent years.

If Elon is going to have any chance in this game, a lot is going to have to go right and conversely, a lot is going to have to go wrong for Duke.

Let’s take a look at the some keys for both sides:

Key player for Elon: QB Mike Quinn

If Elon is going to have any hope in this game, Quinn is going to have to be at the center of the charge.  The entire offense runs through him, and he hasn’t exactly lit it up in preseason camp.  Quinn will have to put up a career performance to keep the Phoenix in the game.

Key players for Duke: LB David Helton and TEs Erich Schneider and D.J. Reeves

These players hold extra importance for the Blue Devils because they are the players replacing LB Kelby Brown and TE Braxton Deaver, who were both lost for the season with torn anterior cruciate ligaments.  Playing an opponent such as Elon should allow for Helton, Schneider and Reeves to ease into their new assignments while allowing Duke’s coaches to see how they perform in game action.

Prediction:  Duke 45, Elon 7

As with any FCS team playing a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent, Elon will have to maintain its composure early. If the Phoenix allows Duke to march down the field and score on the first drive, the game could get out of hand in a hurry.

Elon’s offense will also need to show some life early in the game and try to catch the Blue Devils sleeping.  The goal for Elon in this game should be to develop a rhythm on both sides of the ball to prepare them for the rest of the season.  As for the final score, the Phoenix should feel happy if it keeps the game within 20 points.