Elon football dominated in a 38-0 victory over the Davidson College Wildcats on Sept. 5, but not without drama in all three phases.
After a quick Phoenix 3-and-out, a muffed punt by the Wildcats put Elon immediately in scoring position. Sophomore quarterback Brady Stober wasn’t able to capitalize, and Elon settled for an early field goal to take a 3-point lead.
After the early mistake, Davidson pieced together a 10-play drive, marching seven yards away from the end zone. Elon’s defense held strong, forcing the Wildcats to try for a field goal. That’s when the Wildcats’ kick doinked off the side of the goalpost — another special teams error that plagued Davidson throughout the game.
Elon responded with a 19-play drive of its own, but that’s when the game changed. Stober exited midway through the drive, clutching his hand. Stober never returned to the game. Head coach Tony Trisciani confirmed it was a hand injury but was uncertain about the severity.
That left redshirt junior quarterback TJ Crews IV to take the reins. Crews transferred to Elon last season, and he had never played in a college football game until this season after spending two seasons at the University of Kansas.
Behind the new quarterback, Elon’s drive stalled. The Phoenix couldn’t convert on fourth down — turning the ball over at the Wildcats’ 2-yard line.
Despite the sudden start, Crews said he settled into the game quickly.
“The name of the game is just execution,” Crews IV said. “Once I was able to calm myself down, like I said, having belief in my teammates and just trying to execute one play at a time, I was able to put it together.”
In the absence of their starting quarterback, Elon’s defense responded.
The Phoenix stuffed the Wildcats’ run game. Graduate edge rusher Dillon Pardue wrapped up Davidson’s outside run on third down, giving the ball back to Elon's offense at midfield.
Sophomore defensive tackle Chaz Knox — who had a sack later in the game — said the defense knew they had to step up while the offense regained their momentum.
“Stober is a very important part of our offense,” Knox said. “But it's like, okay, he goes down. We can't just tuck ourselves and run. As a defense, you know, and special teams especially, you got to be like, ‘Okay, offense, they took a hit.’ So we got to come back and help our brothers out.”
After the stop on defense, Elon scored three plays later. Freshman running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore found a gap, escaped to the second level and pushed past arm tackles to score a 29-yard rushing touchdown — his second on the season.
The momentum continued. The Wildcats offense was stifled to a punt. This time, redshirt freshman Codey Larkins blocked Davidson’s punt and set the Phoenix up seven yards away from the end zone.
Elon’s dominance on special teams enthused head coach Tony Trisciani — a former Elon special teams coordinator himself.
“Special teams was impactful,” Trisciani said, grinning. “We want special teams to impact the games. So the blocked punt was huge.”
Senior Jimmyll Williams powered past the defense for Elon’s second touchdown of the game, extending the lead to 17-0.
Williams would score again on the next drive as well, following a 34-yard sideline snag from redshirt freshman Jaedon Alford. Williams now has four touchdowns in two games, after only scoring three all of last season.
Elon ended the 1st-half leading 24-0, mostly led by their backup quarterback and three touchdowns from the running game.
Entering the third, Crews got a look from the defense that the team had been practicing for the entire week. Alford, who practices with Crews on the second team, snaked past his defender downfield, blowing up the entire coverage.
Crews said he located Alford immediately and connected with him for a 36-yard touchdown throw.
“We got great rapport, and he's definitely my guy,” Crews said. “He made me look good tonight.”
After the touchdown, Davidson’s offense stringed together three straight drives into Elon’s territory. Despite the pressure, the Wildcats were never able to score, coming up short on fourth down all three times.
“Way to put out the fire,” Trisciani yelled after the second turnover on downs. He said he was proud of the consistency on defense and the ability to handle pressure from an opposing offense.
McDowell-Moore scored Elon’s final touchdown of the game, spinning out of a tackle by two defenders and walking into the end zone. Trisciani said the rookie continues to show off his talent.
“Kamerin’s electric,” Trisciani said. “He's slippery, and he runs hard for his size. Runs behind his pads. Motor never stops.”
The Phoenix ended the game 38-0, with freshman quarterback Tanner Payne also taking snaps in the fourth quarter.
If Stober is not ready to play by next week, Trisciani said he’s confident in the team as a whole, praising both quarterbacks for making winning plays.
For Crews, it’s his first significant action on the field in his career. But he’s preparing like it’s just the start.
“This is a great confidence booster,” Crews said. “We got a really big test next week, and I'm prepared like I'm the guy, and just make sure that I'm ready for the team, and as a team, we'll be ready to run their week three.”
Elon next plays on the road against the Rhode Island University Rams on Sept. 12 at Meade Stadium.