McLEAN, Va. – The College Football Special Edition of USA Today Sports Weekly has ranked Elon University No. 8 in its 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision Preseason Top 25 National Poll. The College Football Special Edition is available at newsstands throughout the month of July.
No. 1 Appalachian State, No. 7 Richmond, No. 12 Wofford, No. 17 Georgia Southern and No. 23 The Citadel – all 2008 Phoenix foes – also appear in the poll. Elon has also been ranked among the country’s top 25 FCS teams in the preseason national polls announced this summer by The Sporting News (No. 12), Any Given Saturday (No. 15), Lindy’s (No. 17) and Phil Steele (No. 17).
Elon is also the lone squad to land two players – junior wide receiver Terrell Hudgins (Rocky Mount, N.C./Rocky Mount) and sophomore quarterback Scott Riddle (Ramseur, N.C./Eastern Randolph) – on the publication’s 10-athlete “2008 FCS Players to Watch” list. The duo of 2007 Walter Payton Award finalists led the Phoenix to a 7-4 campaign that included victories over nationally-ranked Georgia Southern and Wofford last fall.
The 6-3, 228-pound Hudgins was named the 2007-08 Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete in May, recognizing him as the Phoenix male athlete of the year. He hauled in 10.6 receptions and 134.0 yards per performance – both FCS bests – last season on his way to earning First Team All-Southern Conference and First Team All-America accolades.
The 6-1, 216-pound Riddle was honored as the SoCon and National Freshman of the Year last fall after propelling Elon to second in the FCS in passing offense with 357.0 yards per game and ninth in scoring offense with 36.4 points per contest. Also named a First Team All-American a year ago, Riddle led the FCS with 347.0 passing yards and 31.5 completions per outing in 2007.
2008 USA Today Sports Weekly FCS Preseason Top 25
1 – Appalachian State
2 – North Dakota State
3 – Montana
4 – James Madison
5 – Massachusetts
6 – Cal Poly
7 – Richmond
8 – Elon
9 – Northern Iowa
10 – Eastern Washington
11 – McNeese State
12 – Wofford
13 – Southern Illinois
14 – South Dakota State
15 – Youngstown State
16 – Villanova
17 – Georgia Southern
18 – Yale
19 – Delaware
20 – Northern Arizona
21 – Fordham
22 – New Hampshire
23 – The Citadel
24 – Harvard
25 – Sam Houston State
Compiled by Andy Gardiner
2008 USA Today Sports Weekly FCS Players to Watch
Ramses Barden, Senior Wide Receiver, Cal Poly
Aaron Boyce, Junior Wide Receiver, Eastern Washington
Liam Coen, Senior Quarterback, Massachusetts
Armanti Edwards, Junior Quarterback, Appalachian State
Terrell Hudgins, Junior Wide Receiver, Elon
Mike McLeod, Senior Running Back, Yale
Scott Riddle, Sophomore Quarterback, Elon
Tyler Roehl, Senior Running Back, North Dakota State
Jordan Scott, Senior Running Back, Colgate
Jon Striefsky, Junior Kicker, Delaware
