Football 4/16/2008 9:11:00 PM

Phoenix Spring Football Practice Update #10

ELON, N.C. – Concentrating on live scrimmage work, the Phoenix returned to the Hunt and Tucker Fields on a warm and sunny Wednesday afternoon for the 10th edition of the 2008 Elon spring football practice schedule.

The Phoenix conducted two team periods. In the first one, the offense worked on coming out from its own one-yard line with the goal of earning two first downs. The second one was an overtime scrimmage. The session also featured two pass skeleton periods with one segment dealing with third-and-medium yardage situations (three to six yards).

The wide receivers ran one-on-one routes against the defensive backs while the special teams spent time on PAT kicks, field goals, punt protection and punt block technique. The special teams improved upon their consistency when it came to both snaps and punt protection, which pleased Elon mentor Pete Lembo, who turned 38 years old Wednesday.

“This was the best day of the spring so far for that particular unit,” Lembo said. “Hopefully, we can continue to get better and more consistent as we hit the home stretch of our spring season. Also on the plus side today, Dontay Taylor really stood out, making several physical runs during the ‘coming out’ period. He also broke off a long run during the overtime, which was good to see.”

Wide receiver Sean Jeffcoat also shined, catching the football and making strong runs after catches during the pass skeleton periods and the one-on-one routes. "Sean was a good special teams player as a true freshman last year. Now he needs to become a legitimate threat for us in the passing game," Lembo said.

“We’re at that point of the spring when some players have some bumps and bruises that they need to battle through,” Lembo said. “For us as a coaching staff, that’s all part of the daily evaluation process. We’re learning who we can trust, who’s mentally tough and who’s going to overcome adversity in a long, 12-game season in the fall.”

The Phoenix will return to the Hunt and Tucker Fields for the spring’s 11th session at 4:15 p.m. Friday. All practices (see the schedule below) are open to the public. All times and dates are subject to change due to weather conditions. Please check ElonPhoenix.com for possible schedule changes.

Season ticket renewal information for the 2008 campaign will be mailed to 2007 season ticket holders on April 1. Individuals wishing to purchase tickets are encouraged to contact the Elon Athletics Ticket Office at (336) 278-6750. As a reminder to current season ticket holders, renewals are due into the Elon Athletics Ticket Office by June 1. Tickets for individual games will be available Aug. 1.

Season tickets for priority bleacher back seats are sold for $100 each, faculty/staff priority bleacher back seats are $50, reserved bleacher seats are $70 and faculty/staff reserved bleacher seats are $35. Individual tickets for priority bleacher back seats are $20 and reserved bleacher and grass seats are $15.

Powered by victories over then-No. 6 Wofford, then-No. 21 Georgia Southern and eventual Big South Conference champion Liberty, the Phoenix (7-4 overall, 4-3/Tied-3rd SoCon) finished 2007 ranked 23rd nationally in both the FCS Coaches' poll and The Sports Network's poll. Elon placed second in the country in passing offense, 10th in scoring offense, 16th in passing efficiency and 19th in total offense.

Remaining 2008 Phoenix Spring Football Practice Schedule
4:15 p.m. Friday, April 18 – Hunt Field/Tucker Field
10 a.m. Saturday, April 19 – Hunt Field/Tucker Field
4:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 22 – Hunt Field/Tucker Field
4:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 23 – Hunt Field/Tucker Field
3 p.m. Saturday, April 26 – SPRING GAME – Rhodes Stadium

– ELON –

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