ELON, N.C. -- The Elon football team will begin a stretch where it will play four out of its next five games on the road this weekend when the Phoenix heads to Cullowhee, N.C. to take on the Western Carolina Catamounts in a Southern Conference clash.  The Phoenix (3-2, 1-1) is looking for its sixth consecutive victory in the series with the Catamounts (1-3, 0-2).

Site: Cullowhee, N.C.
Stadium: E.J. Whitmire Stadium
Surface: Artificial Turf
Capacity: 13,472
Radio: WPCM 920 AM – David Hibbard (play-by-play) and Taylor Durham (color)
TV: None
Series: Elon leads 22-16-2

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Did you Know?
• The Elon defense has 11 sacks through five games after totaling 13 sacks in 2010.
• Elon’s last loss to Western Carolina came in Cullowhee in 2005 by a 31-26 margin.
• The Phoenix is 5-3 against the Catamounts since joining the Southern Conference for the 2003 season.
• Elon has had four consecutive winning seasons, a first for the program since a stretch of nine straight winning years from 1980-88.

Connections
• Western Carolina wide receivers coach Arketa Banks is a 2003 graduate of Elon.  While in the maroon and gold, Banks earned first-team All-Independent honors as a returner in 2001 and second-team All-Big South honors as both a receiver and returner in 2002.
• Six Elon players will be facing off against seven former high school teammates.  The programs represented are Southwest DeKalb (Ga.), Independence (N.C.), Wakefield (N.C.) and Mt. Tabor (N.C.).

The Coaches
• Elon’s Jason Swepson is in his first season as a collegiate head coach. He has gone 3-2 this season.
• Western Carolina is led by Dennis Wagner who is 8-30 in his fourth season at Western Carolina.  In his 12th season overall, Wagner has a career record of 52-67-1.

Notable Numbers From Georgia Southern
2 - Fumbles forced by defensive back Chandler Wrightenberry.

6 - Consecutive games with a TD catch by Aaron Mellette who had nine receptions for 104 yards.

13 - Total tackles by linebacker Joshua Jones, a career high.

17 - Points scored by Georgia Southern on four Elon turnovers.

With a Win...
...Elon would win its sixth straight against Western Carolina.
...The Phoenix would improve to 2-1 on the road in 2011.
...Elon would claim its 481st victory in program history.

Oh Captain, My Captain
At the start of preseason camp, the Elon players, coaches and support staff voted on the 2011 team captains. Selected were senior offensive linemen Rodney Austin and Ned Cuthbertson, senior linebacker Joshua Jones and junior defensive back Blake Thompson.

Rookie Coach
New Elon head coach Jason Swepson is the 20th coach in the history of the program. It is Swepson’s first head coaching job. Now in his 20th season as a collegiate coach, Swepson spent the previous four seasons as the running backs coach at North Carolina State.

Here is a look at how the 20 Elon coaches fared in their first campaigns at the helm of the maroon and gold:

Coach (Season) Record
Reddie Rowe (1909) 4-1
Jack Johnson (1919) 1-2
Frank Corboy (1920) 3-4
A.R. VanCleave (1926) 0-10
D.C. “Peahead” Walker (1927) 3-4-1
Horace Hendrickson (1937) 7-1
Hap Perry (1946) 4-5-1
James Mallory (1948) 4-5-1
Sid Varney (1953) 1-6-1
George Tucker (1960) 4-6
Gary Mattocks (1965) 2-8
“Red” Wilson (1967) 5-3-1
Jerry Tolley (1977) 9-2
Wright Anderson (1982) 7-3
Mackey Carden (1984) 7-3
Leon Hart (1989) 1-9
Al Seagraves (1996) 4-7
Paul Hamilton (2004) 3-8
Pete Lembo (2006) 5-6
Jason Swepson (2011) 3-2

Sacked Out
The scheme of new defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham has led to increased pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2011.  Through five games the Phoenix has already amassed 11 sacks and 38 tackles for a loss.  The 2010 squad finished the year with 13 sacks and 51 tackles for a loss.  Elon is currently on pace for 24 sacks and 84 tackles for a loss.

Opening Statement
A year ago Elon was definitely a first half team as the Phoenix outscored its opponents by a margin of 197-139, including 83-38 in the first quarter. Elon headed into halftime trailing in just three games in 2010.

In 2011, Elon has been outscored by its foes 75-65 in the first 30 minutes and has trailed three times (at Vanderbilt, vs. The Citadel, vs. Georgia Southern) at the break.

A Tough Start
In 11 games in 2010, Elon allowed an opponent to score on its opening drive on just three occasions. The teams to accomplish it were Duke, Appalachian State and Chattanooga.

Elon’s five opponents in 2011 have not scored on their first possessions.  Two of the four foes have gone three-and-out on their opening drive of the game.

TD Streak
Wide receiver Aaron Mellette hauled in a 20-yard TD pass against Georgia Southern.  It was the fifth touchdown grab of the year for Mellette who now has at least one TD catch in six consecutive games dating back to last season.

His performance in that game (nine catches for 104 yards) also propelled Mellette into fourth place on Elon’s all-time chart in both receiving yards (1,912) and receptions (145).  He also moved into third on the program’s all-time career TD catches list with 19.

Tackling Machine
Senior linebacker Joshua Jones has amassed a team-leading 44 total tackles through five games.  Of those, 23 have been of the solo variety.  Against Georgia Southern, Jones finished with a career-best 13 tackles and notched six solo stops for the third time on the year.  He was named an honorable mention choice as College Football Performance Awards’ Linebacker of the Week.

Jones has also worked his way onto Elon’s career tackles chart.  His 275 total stops rank seventh in program history and are the third-most by a Phoenix player since the move to NCAA Division I play.

Welcome Back Jeremy
The Phoenix welcomed wide receiver Jeremy Peterson back to the lineup for the first time this season in its 18-15 win against The Citadel and the junior did not disappoint.  Peterson set career highs with nine receptions and 88 receiving yards in the OT victory.

Legging it Out
Elon’s Adam Shreiner banged home a career-best four field goals, including the overtime game-winner, in the Phoenix’s 18-15 win over The Citadel.  Shreiner connected on field goals of 25, 19, 36 and 33 yards.  The four field goals were one shy of the Elon single-game record of five accomplished twice by Andrew Wilcox (against Georgia Southern in both 2007 and 2008).  Shreiner was honored as the SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week.

Winning SoCon Opener
Elon defeated The Citadel 18-15 in overtime to win its Southern Conference opener for just the third time in its nine seasons in the league.  All three have come in the last four seasons.

Dynamic Duo
Elon quarterback Thomas Wilson connected with wide receiver Aaron Mellette on 16 pass attempts in the win at North Carolina Central.  The 16 completions went for 237 yards and one touchdown.

The 237 receiving yards for Mellette are the most by an Elon receiver since the move to NCAA Division I play for the 1999 season.  It was the fourth 200+ yard receiving game for an Elon wide out since 1999.  The other three were all by Terrell Hudgins who finished his career as the all-time receiving leader in NCAA Division I history.  For the second time this season, Mellette earned co-National Wide Receiver of the Week honors from College Football Performance Awards.  He was also chosen as the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week.

Wilson’s 416 passing yards (on 34 completions) tied for the 19th-best passing performance in SoCon history with former Elon QB Scott Riddle.  Riddle tossed for 416 yards vs. Samford last season.

4th Quarter Comebacks
Quarterback Thomas Wilson has made six career starts and has guided three fourth quarter comebacks for the Phoenix.

In his first career start, Elon trailed The Citadel 16-14 entering the final 15 minutes, but Wilson led two scoring drives in the period as the Phoenix won 27-16.

His second came at N.C. Central this year.  The Phoenix fell behind 22-17 before  Wilson led the team to the game-winning touchdown and a 23-22 victory.  The latest came against The Citadel as Elon trailed 15-12 in the fourth quarter before rallying for an 18-15 overtime victory.

Bitten by the Turnover Bug
Elon’s victory over North Carolina Central was impressive if for no other reason than the Phoenix overcame five turnovers.  The five TOs were the most for the team since turning the ball over six times against Wofford on Oct. 9, 2004 in a loss.

Through five games Elon has turned the ball over 16 times while only creating four takeaways for a -12 turnover margin.

Where's the Oxygen?
In the fourth quarter of Elon’s victory over Concord, senior defensive back Jonathan Conner snared the first interception of his career.  Conner made it a memorable one by returning the pick 99 yards for a touchdown.  It was the second-longest interception return in program history, falling one yard shy of the 100-yard return by Roosevelt Brooks against Mars Hill in 1991.  It was the longest interception return in Rhodes Stadium history.  For his efforts, Conner was selected as the national defensive player of the week by FCS Football Network and was an honorable mention Defensive Back Performer of the Week by College Football Performance Awards.

Here is a list of the top five interception returns in Elon history:

1. Roosevelt Brooks - 100 vs. Mars Hill (10.12.91)
2. Jonathan Conner - 99 vs. Concord (09.10.11)
3. Tim Woodle - 97 at Presbyterian (10.14.89)
4. Carroll Reid - 93 at Emory & Henry (09.15.51)
5. Laconial Esters - 92 at Catawba (10.22.88)

Score on the Block
For the second time in his career, Elon running back #A.J. Harris# returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.  Harris grabbed the ball and brought it back 11 yards for a score in the win over Concord on Sept. 10.  His first came in 2009 when he returned the ball 35 yards for a score in a win over Chattanooga.

Mellette Catches Passes, Hauls in Honors
Junior wide receiver Aaron Mellette had a stellar performance against Vanderbilt. The Sanford, N.C. native caught 11 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. He also carried twice for another 12 yards. For his efforts, Mellette was recognized as the co-National Wide Receiver of the Week by College Football Performance Awards.

Solid O
The Elon offense had a solid night in the opener at Vanderbilt. The Phoenix compiled 323 yards of total offense, besting the Commodores by 14 yards. Elon also held an edge in time of possession (35:30-24:30) on the night.

Return to the End Zone
Senior running back Dontay Taylor scored the first touchdown of the season for the Phoenix, a one-yard plunge at Vanderbilt. The score ended a drought for Taylor who had last run into the end zone in a two-touchdown performance against Presbyterian on Sept. 13, 2008.

Home Cooking
In 2010, the Phoenix went 4-1 at Rhodes Stadium, outscoring its home foes 175-112 (35.0-22.4). Elon averaged 478.6 yards per game in Rhodes Stadium and allowed an average of 331.4 yards per game.

The Phoenix is 2-1 at home this year, outscoring its foe 74-66.  Elon put up 1,101 (367.0 per game) yards of offense compared to 944 (314.7 per game) for its opponent.

Since 2007, Elon has gone 19-6 (.760) in the confines of Rhodes Stadium.