There was a ceremonial feeling in the air around Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon as Elon prepared to kick off its inaugural game in the Colonial Athletic Association. But following the pre-game festivities, that feeling quickly evaporated as #4 New Hampshire scored early and scored often to run through the Phoenix 48-10.
Following a three-and-out on its opening possession New Hampshire clicked on both sides of the ball, scoring on its next five possessions and holding Elon's offense to only one first down over the same period of time.
Up 17-0, the New Hampshire's James Thames intercepted a pass from Elon Quarterback Mike Quinn and returned it 55 yards for a score.
Just 19 minutes into the game New Hampshire was ahead 31-0, welcoming the Phoenix to what is widely considered the top FCS conference in the country.
"Things started to snowball a little bit in the first half," Elon head coach Rich Skrosky said. "We're not at that point maturity wise where we can stop the snowball."
The snowball continued throughout the game, and Elon found itself down 34-0 at the half,
The second half wasn't much better for the Phoenix, as New Hampshire put in both its second team offense and defense and managed to hold Elon scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter. When Elon finally did break through, which it did twice in the game's final nine minutes, it was far too late to mount a comeback.
"We learned a big lesson," Quinn said. "We need to step up pretty much everything and just keep our heads down and work."
Up next, Elon heads to Delaware to take on the #24 Blue Hens Saturday at 3:30 p.m.