With the uncharted waters of the Colonial Athletic Association approaching, a trip to play Coastal Carolina University served as a measuring stick for the Elon University football team and first-year head coach Rich Skrosky.
After the game, it seems the main area of focus is an offense that’s failed to score touchdowns in two of four games, keeping what’s been a stout defense on the field too long.
Elon (1-3) couldn’t capitalize on three turnovers and two missed field goals in a 31-3 loss to No. 3 Coastal Carolina, which left Skrosky searching for answers from his offense.
“We have to evaluate it,” he said. “I think we’re making progress. When you have breakdowns up front, it’s hard to get in a rhythm. We have to evaluate offense and evaluate personnel.”
The Phoenix has managed just 48 points in four games, its highest scoring total of 20 coming in its lone victory against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Sept. 20. A number of drives have stalled out in the red zone, leaving behind opportunities to seize control of games.
“Right now, offensively, we’re not executing at all,” Skrosky said. “Whether it’s drops, unforced penalties, wrong reads; up front, we have a ways to go from an execution standpoint.”
Elon’s been relying more on senior quarterback Mike Quinn and the passing game more than its ground game. Quinn completed a program-record 43 passes against Charlotte and threw 59 total passes, resulting in 331 yards, also a career high for Quinn.
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Drops have proved to be costly, and the run game was worked into the offense more. Against Coastal Carolina, Elon began the game with four run plays, all handoffs to sophomore B.J. Bennett, on its first drive before throwing 11 consecutive times midway through the first half.
Bennett and junior Tracey Coppedge have shared carries for Elon, but Bennett went down with an arm injury early in the fourth quarter. Coppedge provides more speed whereas Bennett’s 6-foot, 218-pound frame sets him apart.
Senior Kierre Brown has led Elon’s receiving corps thus far with 26 catches for 362 yards. Sophomore Demitri Allison has emerged as another weapon, catching 19 passes and gaining 205 yards.
The pieces seem to be in place at skill positions, but Skrosky has pointed to a developing offensive line as an area that needs more improvement.
Of the five starters on the offensive line, three of them — redshirt freshman Ikenna Nwokeji, sophomore O’Shane Morris and sophomore Austin Richardson — hadn’t started a game before this year, and junior Jacob Ingle had started just once. The only holdover is senior Austin Sowell, who had 25 starts entering this year, but he’s transitioned from the tackle position to center.
“The biggest thing right now is up front, we have to start executing,” Skrosky said.
The loss to Coastal Carolina left Quinn speechless in terms of finding the problem on offense.
“The offense is proven with Elon 3 to 4 years ago and Ball State [University],” he said, pointing to Skrosky’s success as Elon’s offensive coordinator from 2009-to-2010 and as Ball State’s offensive coordinator the past three years. “The throws are there, the catches are there. I don’t know what it is. We need to make plays. I don’t know what it is.”
The schedule only gets tougher as four of Elon’s final eight opponents, all in CAA play, are ranked in the latest national poll. It starts with Saturday’s home game against No. 4 University of New Hampshire.
As for playing teams slated in the top five, Skrosky said it’s still too early to go with the rankings.
“Whether or not [Coastal Carolina] is the third-ranked team in the country, I don’t know,” Skrosky said. “They’re there, though, because of the success they had last year, and they’re 5-0 right now. It’s just like where Alabama would be. You have to let the season play out.”
But through nonconference play, Skrosky knows there’s lots of work to do, and that it needs to happen fast in order to succeed against the high level of competition in the CAA.
“I know this about our team: we have a long way to go before we’re competitive on the elite level in the FCS,” Skrosky said.