Elon football dominated the University of Maine Black Bears on Sept. 26 at Rhodes Stadium with a 43-17 win. Over 11,300 fans attended as part of Elon’s Family Weekend.
The win comes a year after the Phoenix fell to the Black Bears 35-14 on the road. Graduate defensive captain Jevean Brown said the team came in with the loss in mind.
“It was a bitter, bitter taste in our mouth after last year, and that was like our mindset going in,” Brown said. “If you heard the locker room, it was, ‘Get back’.”
The name of the game early was constant pressure in the backfield.
On Maine’s first drive, senior defensive tackle Rylan Shibley flew past his man to hurry Black Bear starting quarterback Eddie Buehler. The contact forced Buehler’s throw to sail long — a problem Maine would face throughout the game.
Elon brought pressure again on 3rd & 10, forcing a quick dump-off for minimal gain. The Black Bears punted after the quick three-and-out — which was almost blocked by freshman defensive back Tyler Owens.
After the quick stop, the Phoenix came out with energy on offense. Redshirt freshman starting quarterback Elijah Guttman rolled out on a play-action pass, finding tight end Brendan Hester for a 16-yard gain. It was Guttman’s second-straight start for Elon, after beginning the season listed fourth on Elon’s depth chart.
The drive ultimately stalled after Elon entered the red zone. The Phoenix settled for a 39-yard field goal drained by junior Luke Barnes.
Maine’s next drive was more of the same. Sophomore defensive tackle Chaz Knox broke into the backfield, wrapping up Buehler on a quarterback rush. The Black Bears were held for another three-and-out — with Maine’s punt almost being blocked by Tyler Owens, again.
That was the last time Owens missed.
On the Black Bears’ next drive ending in a punt, Owens timed it up perfectly. He flew unblocked toward the punter, swatting it straight into the ground.
Elon recovered the ball at the 14-yard line.
Despite opening in the red zone, the Phoenix couldn’t make progress. The Black Bears stuffed a quarterback draw, and Elon had to settle for a 22-yard field goal.
This time, Barnes pulled the kick wide. It’s his second missed field goal from within 30 yards this season.
Despite the miss, Elon’s defense held strong, stuffing Maine to another punt attempt.
This time, sophomore CJ Hector was ready to get after the punter. The defensive back flew off the line and punched the punt out of mid-air — making it fly out the back of the end zone for a safety.
It was the second blocked punt in a row. Head coach Tony Trisciani said the special teams coaching staff had seen an opportunity on tape to get after Maine.
“We had had a couple plans to figure out who they were going to block and who was going to be unblocked, and tried to get that guy to the block point,” said Trisciani, a former special teams coordinator at Elon. “We emphasize it in practice and the block point and the technique, and just proud of those guys for going out there and executing what we practiced.”
Dominance on defense and special teams gave Elon a 5-0 lead entering the second quarter. That’s when Elon struck.
Guttman found graduate tight end Dylan Magazu open on the first play of the drive. Magazu turned upfield, with only one Maine defensive back in his way.
Senior receiver Kenaz McMillian met that player downfield, holding him for a block all the way into the end zone. Magazu sprinted up the sideline for a 57-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 12-3.
“Kenaz is my guy, so I'm glad that he was out there blocking,” Magazu said. “I think this is just a group that cares about each other, so we all want to see each other succeed. So I'm really proud of the way that we've come along.”
Elon added to that fire a drive later, thanks to freshman running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore.
The star rookie weaved past the line of scrimmage, splitting both safeties at the second level. With a burst of speed, McDowell-Moore stretched into the end zone to cap off a 55-yard rushing touchdown — the longest of his career.
McDowell-Moore finished the game with 126 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He’s now second in the conference in rushing yards.
“Kamerin doesn't need a big crease,” Trisciani said. “He just needs a little bit, and he'll step on the gas, run through arm tackles,” adding that he was proud of the blocking from the team on the first and second levels.
Elon entered halftime up 19-3, its biggest conference halftime lead this season.
Maine opened the second half with its best offensive possession of the game. Running back Rashawn Marshall broke away from the Phoenix defense for a 30-yard touchdown.
Two drives later, Elon responded. Guttman connected with redshirt freshman receiver Jaedon Alford on a 37-yard deep post — putting Elon at Maine’s sixyard line. McDowell-Moore cashed in the very next play, slithering his way past two linebackers to extend the lead to 29-10.
Four minutes into the fourth, Guttman connected with Dalton for a pivotal third-down conversion. The quarterback was drilled by a defender after the throw and forced to leave the game.
Redshirt junior TJ Crews IV entered in his absence. On his very first throw, he connected with Kenaz McMillian for a wide-open, walk-in touchdown.
“That was probably the last thing they were expecting,” Trisciani said. “He's really good at being prepared for his moment, and we know he can put it up and down and hit some touchdown shots.”
Elon continued to control the game defensively, spurred by a dominant performance from Jevean Brown.
Elon’s captain had a strip-sack on a safety blitz up the middle and multiple pass breakups on fourth down. The Phoenix held Maine to 0-4 on fourth down overall.
Late in the game, Brown broke on a Maine pass with a chance for an interception. If he held onto the ball, he had a straight shot to the end zone with nobody in front of him. He couldn’t corral it — a missed chance he kicked himself for after the game.
“Oh man, sick, sick moment,” Brown said. “Saw the guy break down, drove on it hard, got excited. If I’m being honest, got excited, started cheesing. Knew I should have scored, but great play. We got off the field, so that's all that matters.”
The dominant 43-17 performance from the Phoenix pushes them to 4-1 on the season, 2-1 in conference play. It’s the first time Elon’s won four of its first five games since 2018.
Elon next plays on the road against an in-conference opponent, the University of New Hampshire, on Oct. 3.