CONWAY, S.C. — With opportunities coming from every which way, an already struggling Elon University offense once again failed to capitalize.
The Phoenix failed to get in the end zone for the second time this season in a 31-3 loss at No. 3 Coastal Carolina University on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Brooks Stadium.
Elon’s offense couldn’t convert off three turnovers and two missed field goals, adding pressure to a defense that had excelled for much of the night.
Coming in, Coastal Carolina had scored 140 points. Elon limited the Chanticleers to just 10 through almost three quarters.
“This loss was definitely leaned more on the offensive side,” Elon head coach Rich Skrosky said. “The biggest thing right now is up front, we have to start executing.”
Elon senior quarterback Mike Quinn took the offensive performance on himself. Upon being taken out after Coastal Carolina’s final touchdown (coming with 5:47 left) he walked over to the defense and delivered a message.
“I said, ‘Obviously it’s on the offense. You guys played your hearts out of your body. We have to help you guys out,’” Quinn said.
Elon wasted three opportunities in the second quarter, going for it on fourth down once and coming up short while sophomore kicker John Gallagher missed field goals from 43 and 46 yards out.
Those came to haunt the Phoenix when Coastal Carolina scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the second half. It started with a 10-yard pass from Alex Ross to Bruce Mapp with 2:24 in the third quarter, continued with a 24-yard scamper by Ross less than a minute into the fourth quarter and climaxed with another 10-yard connection between Ross and Mapp with 5:47 to play.
Ross led Coastal Carolina’s offense with 338 yards on 34-of-47 passing while rushing for 88 yards on nine carries. De’Angelo Henderson, who showcased his speed in Coastal Carolina’s first touchdown drive, finished with 66 yards on 10 carries and eight catches for 90 yards.
“They had some turnovers. They had some missed kicks. But they didn’t flinch,” Skrosky said. “That’s maturity. Their quarterback, it starts with him.”
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Elon finally got on the board when Gallagher converted a 19-yard field goal with 10:20 in the third quarter, a drive that began when Akeem Langham stripped and took possession of the ball from Henderson around the Coastal Carolina 35.
While the missed opportunities off turnovers bothered Quinn, so did other drives that pushed into Chanticleers territory but proved to no avail.
“We had to match the defensive intensity that our defense was giving them,” Quinn said. “They came up with big stops and big-time turnovers. That’s where our offense needs to stay on the field and put points up.”
The Phoenix took a while to settle into an offensive groove, going with four run plays on its first drive and then rolling with 11 straight passes at one point late in the first quarter heading to the second quarter. Elon didn’t cross into Chanticleers territory until its fourth drive of the game — which quickly stalled out at the Coastal Carolina 41.
“That goes back to what a team is doing,” Skrosky said. “This team decided to play more press coverage. They pressured us a decent amount, so we have to try to throw it over their heads a couple times.”
After missing a 39-yard field goal on their first drive, the Chanticleers wasted no time on their second possession in going 62 yards in just 37 seconds to get on the board. Ross hit Tyrell Blanks with an 18-yard completion, and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Elon put Coastal Carolina at the Phoenix 28. That was followed by a 19-yard gain from Henderson, who then found the end zone on a 9-yard carry.
The next seven combined drives ended in punts before Elon redshirt-freshman Chris Blair forced a Coastal Carolina fumble, picked up by Odell Benton to stop the Chanticleers in the red zone.
Coastal Carolina fumbled once more in the second quarter, this time forced by Benton and scooped up by Michael Pearson.