ELON, N.C. – Elon welcomes the Western Carolina Catamounts to Rhodes Stadium on Homecoming this coming Saturday. The teams are set to square off at 1:30 p.m. for what will be the last regular season game at Rhodes Stadium. Elon and Western Carolina are meeting for the 38th time in a series that began in 1933. The two teams are meeting for the sixth time as Southern Conference opponents. Elon leads the all-time series with the Catamounts 19-16-2, outscoring WCU 746-662 (20.2-17.9) in those 37 contests.
Prior to the Phoenix’s 38-36 victory against the Catamounts at E.J. Whitmire Stadium last season and 37-19 triumph over Western Carolina at Rhodes Stadium in 2006, the Catamounts had emerged victorious from 10 of the previous 12 encounters, including four in a row and the first three Southern Conference meetings – 26-3 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Nov. 1, 2003, 28-7 in Elon’s Homecoming at Rhodes Stadium on Oct. 30, 2004 and 31-26 in Western Carolina’s Homecoming at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Oct. 29, 2005. Prior to the past two seasons, the Phoenix had last defeated the Catamounts in a 17-16 thriller on Nov. 8, 1997 at Burlington Memorial Stadium.
Elon continues to rank among the country’s top NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision teams following its open date this past week, rating as high as ninth for the second-straight week in the Sports Media Entertainment Network’s weekly top-25 broadcasters’ poll released Monday afternoon. Coach Pete Lembo’s unit is joined in that national poll’s top-15 by four 2008 Phoenix foes – No. 2 Appalachian State, No. 6 Richmond, No. 12 Wofford and No. 15 Furman. Liberty and Georgia Southern, fellow Elon opponents this season, are also receiving votes toward top-25 consideration for the poll.
The Phoenix peaked at No. 3 in the SME Network poll on both Oct. 13 and Oct. 20 this season. Meanwhile, Elon (7-2 overall, 5-1 Southern Conference) slipped from No. 10 last week to No. 11 this week in The Sports Network poll. The Phoenix also reached a program-high No. 3 in that poll on both Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. This week, Elon is joined in the poll by five of its 2008 opponents – No. 2 Appalachian State, No. 7 Richmond, No. 10 Wofford, No. 15 Furman and No. 25 Liberty.
The Phoenix rose from No. 12 last Monday to No. 11 in the FCS Coaches poll this Monday. Elon achieved a program-best No. 7 in that poll on Oct. 20. This week, Phoenix foes No. 2 Appalachian State, No. 6 Richmond, No. 12 Wofford, No. 17 Furman and No. 25 Liberty also appear in that poll. Georgia Southern is listed among others receiving votes in both The Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls. Elon remained steady at No. 12 for the second consecutive week in the Any Given Saturday poll, following its program-high appearance at No. 5 on Oct. 20 this fall. No. 2 Appalachian State, No. 6 Richmond, No. 11 Wofford and No. 15 Furman also continued to reign in the top-15 while Georgia Southern and Liberty also appeared among others receiving votes in the AGS poll.
The Phoenix, who recently endured a half-decade stretch with a 14-42 record (2001-2005), has ranked among the country’s top-25 FCS teams in The Sports Network, FCS Coaches, Sports Media Entertainment and Any Given Saturday polls throughout the 2008 campaign. Elon finished the 2005 season with a winless ledger in Southern Conference action.
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