BURLINGTON, NC -- Sophomore QB Derrick Moore rushed for a season-best 168 yards and a touchdown to lead the Elon College (4-5) football team to a 36-14 win over visiting Liberty University (4-4), Saturday afternoon before 3,206 at Burlington Memorial Stadium. Moore led a Fightin' Christian rushing attack to 415 yards on the ground, the second most by Elon this season.
The Elon defense stopped a pair of Liberty drives inside the 15-yard line and limited the Flames to 1-of-4 on fourth down conversions.
Junior RB Steven Ferguson also gained 94 yards and touchdown, his 10th of the year, and extended his streak of recording at least one TD to six games.
The Fightin' Christians scored 19 straight points, including 10 points in the last 1:17 of the first half. After a 12-yard TD run by Liberty's Walt Heilig to cut an Elon lead to 10-7, the Fightin' Christians used a seven-play, 69-yard drive, which was capped off by Ferguson's 11-yard scamper into the end zone to go up 17-7 with 1:17 left.
The Flames failed to gain a yard on their next series with three incomplete passes by QB Chris Newsome. Following a 52-yard punt by Ben Rogers and a Mario Thompson 12-yard return, Elon had the ball at the 40 with 42 seconds left in the half. RB Chris Bryan rushed for 33 yards to the Liberty 27, setting up Austin Boone's successful 39-yard field goal with four seconds in the quarter for a 20-7 Elon lead the half.
Elon would score nine points in the third quarter with a 41-yard TD pass to Brian Broadie from Moore and Boone added an 18-yard field goal to put the game out of reach.
Liberty's Torrey Rush led all players with 19 tackles, while Roger Allen, Anthony Leach and Mario Thompson each recorded interceptions for the Fightin' Christians in the Elon victory. For Thompson, it was his fifth interception, which leads the team and is a personal career high.
Elon will travel to Western Carolina next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff in Cullowhee, NC, while the Flames will host Norfolk State in Liberty's 1998 home finale.
- ELON -
