The Elon football team kicked off their Coastal Athletic Association home opener against the Sacred Heart University Pioneers on Sept. 19, bringing the fuel at Rhodes Stadium with new energy after last week’s loss against the University of Rhode Island.
On the first defensive possession of the half, the Phoenix came out strong and only allowed the Pioneers five plays. As the Phoenix offense took the field, they couldn’t get anything going, leading to a three-and-out.
The Pioneers hit the ground running on their second possession, getting all the way to Elon’s 20-yard line. Despite a false start by Sacred Heart graduate offensive lineman Tim Suk, the Phoenix couldn’t get momentum, leading to a touchdown by senior wide receiver Jason Palmieri.
In response, Elon came out with energy in their second possession, leading to two straight first downs. As the first quarter came to a close, the Phoenix were driving, down 0-7.
To start the second quarter, an offside flag was thrown on Sacred Heart’s senior defensive lineman Jared Hirschfield. Due to the flag, the Phoenix were able to get a rushing touchdown by redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Guttman, tying the game 7-7. It was Guttman’s first touchdown of his career in his first-ever start.
Elon’s defensive unit came together to stop the Pioneers from getting anywhere on their third possession. Elon’s graduate defensive end Dillon Pardue and redshirt junior linebacker Brodie Carroll combined for a fiery sack on the Pioneers quarterback.
“I would say the emotions were high because you know when you get the stop, but it’s really the whole defense just chipping away,” Carroll said. “Knowing that the offense is going to back us up, you find an excuse to win no matter what”.
Elon University football team gathers together before their game against Sacred Heart University on Sept. 19 at Rhodes Stadium.
The Phoenix moved quickly down the field, leading to a perfect touchdown thrown by Guttman to redshirt senior wide receiver Landyn Backey. However, the Phoenix weren’t able to maintain the lead for long, allowing Sacred Heart’s junior quarterback Poochie Snyder to lead the team down the field for a touchdown. The game was tied again 14-14.
As the second quarter came to a close, the Phoenix sprinted down the field, leading to another touchdown run by Guttman, his second of the game. The Phoenix entered halftime up, 21-14.
The second half kicked off with the Phoenix getting the ball to start the third quarter, but they weren’t able to get anything going. Sacred Heart got the ball and came out of halftime swinging, running down and leading to a touchdown pass by Snyder to junior wide receiver Nick Gentilella. The game was tied again for the third time, 21-21.
Redshirt junior Tony Hart III broke up a pass early in the fourth to push the Pioneers back, but Snyder scrambled to the 50-yard line to keep Sacred Heart alive. Snyder’s helmet popped off, forcing the Pioneers to a fourth down and punt, giving the Phoenix the ball.
Late in the third quarter, Guttman went down after two hard hits. The Phoenix turned to backup redshirt junior quarterback TJ Crews IV. Head coach Tony Trisciani said he was proud of how prepared both of his quarterbacks were when their number was called.
“We asked him to be ready, and he was,” Trisciani said. “When his number was called today, he put his helmet on and went out and played. Real proud of him for that, and proud of Elijah for settling down early in the game. Once he got his composure and got more comfortable, made some plays for us.”
Elon University junior quarterback TJ Crews IV watches attentively from the sideline during their match against Sacred Heart University on Sept. 19 at Rhodes Stadium.
Freshman running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore rushed to a first down to the 30-yard and then the 35-yard lines. Crews slung a 35-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Kenaz McMillan, who brought it in safely for a massive gain for the Phoenix. Despite the effort, a fumbled snap brought the team back 10 yards, advancing to Sacred Heart’s 15-yard line.
A Phoenix attempt at a field goal in the fourth quarter by junior kicker Luke Barnes missed the mark, forcing the team to dig deep on defense to keep the game from slipping away. Carroll broke up a pass by Snyder to give Elon the momentum they needed in the form of a punt return, putting the Phoenix in control of the ball with three minutes on the clock.
Crews scrambled for the first, but the Phoenix couldn’t get fired up from the gain on the field as McDowell-Moore went down and left the fourth quarter with an injury.
Barnes delivered a 44-yard field goal, sealing the deal for the Phoenix as Carroll broke up another pass to keep Elon in control, winning 24-21.
This was the Phoenix’s first conference win of the season. The Phoenix play the University of Maine Black Bears next week at 2 p.m. Sept. 26 for Elon University’s Family Weekend. The Black Bears are fourth in the CAA, while the Phoenix are ranked ninth.
Monika Jurevicius contributed to the reporting of this story.