ELON, N.C. -- Elon's 10th-ranked football program will play its third road game of the season when the Phoenix visits 24th-rated Georgia Southern for a 6 p.m. contest on Saturday night.  This game, the Southern Conference opener for both teams, will be televised on SportSouth.

Site: Statesboro, Ga.
Stadium: Paulson Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 18,000
Radio: WPCM 920 AM – David Hibbard (play-by-play) and Taylor Durham (color)
TV: SportSouth – Tom Werme (play-by-play) and Sam Wyche (color)
Series: Georgia Southern leads 7-3

Live Audio
Live Stats
Game Notes

Noteworthy
• Quarterback Scott Riddle is one of 20 players on the Watch List for the 2010 Walter Payton Award which is presented to the top offensive player at the FCS level.
• Elon is looking to become just the second team to win four consecutive SoCon bouts against Georgia Southern. Marshall accomplished the feat from 1993-96, GSU’s first four seasons in the league.
• The last three meetings between the Phoenix and Eagles have gone Elon’s way by a total of 19 points.
• Elon is 2-2 in SoCon openers under Pete Lembo. Both victories have come over Georgia Southern in the last two seasons.

The Coaches
Elon: Pete Lembo (Georgetown '92) is 74-33 in his 10th season as a head coach.  He is 30-19 in his four-plus years at Elon.
Georgia Southern: Jeff Monken (Millikin ‘89) is 2-1 in his first season as a collegiate head coach.

SoCon Showing Support for the Gulf Coast
Southern Conference football teams will show their support for those being impacted along the Gulf Coast by wearing helmet decals with the initials “GC” during the 2010 football season. More than 170 SoCon football players come from states that share a coastline being affected by the oil spill. The nine institutions that play SoCon football agreed to display the decals to express their support and encouragement for the people living in the region.

“Pete Lembo of Elon approached me with the idea while we were at our annual coaches’ meetings in June,” noted Southern Conference Commissioner John Iamarino. “I lived in Louisiana for six years and my son was born there, so when Pete mentioned it, the concept really resonated with me.”

Use of the decal was approved by the NCAA’s rules committee and supervisory officiating organization upon request by the conference.

Consistently Ranked
Checking in at number 10 in The Sports Network poll and number 11 in the FCS Coaches poll, the Elon football team has now been ranked in every poll issued by The Sports Network since Oct. 18, 2007 – a span of 37 polls.

Elite Company
Quarterback Scott Riddle has led the league in passing yards in each of his first three seasons in the league. No player has ever led the SoCon in passing for four consecutive years. Marshall’s Michael Payton (1990-92) is the only other player to have led the league in passing for three straight seasons.

2010 SoCon Passing Leaders
1. B.J. Coleman, UTC - 864
2. Scott Riddle, Elon - 844

More on Mellette
Wide receiver Aaron Mellette followed his performance versus Shaw (nine catches, 120 yards, two TDs) by setting an Elon record with 18 receptions at Richmond. He ended that game with 195 receiving yards and another two TD grabs, including one as time expired to force overtime.

For his efforts at Richmond, Mellette was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week by SouthernPigskin.com, the national wide receiver of the week by College Football Performance Awards and a College Sporting News All-Star.