ELON, N.C. -- The Elon football team will make the short trek down Interstate 40 to Durham, N.C. to face North Carolina Central in a 6 p.m. game on Saturday night.  The Phoenix and Eagles enter with identical 1-1 records and are meeting for the first time since 1996.

Site: Durham, N.C.
Stadium: O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium
Surface: Mondoturf
Capacity: 10,000
Radio: WPCM 920 AM – David Hibbard (play-by-play) and Taylor Durham (color)
TV: None
Series: Elon leads 7-3

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Did you Know?
• With its win on Saturday, Elon won its third consecutive home opener.
• Jonathan Conner’s 99-yard interception return for a touchdown against Concord was the second-longest INT return in school history.
• Elon is facing North Carolina Central for the first time since 1996 and for just the 11th time ever.
• Elon has had four consecutive winning seasons, a first for the program since a stretch of nine straight winning years from 1980-88.

Connections
• Seven Elon players will be meeting up with former high school teammates.
• Elon wide receivers coach Kevin Downing returns to his alma mater.  Downing is a 2004 N.C. Central graduate where he played two seasons on defense before seeing his career cut short due to multiple knee surgeries.

The Coaches
• Elon’s Jason Swepson is in his first season as a collegiate head coach. He has gone 1-1 this season.
• N.C. Central’s Henry Frazier III is in his first year with the Eagles, but is a veteran collegiate head coach.  Frazier enters this game with a 1-1 mark at N.C. Central and an overall record of 70-55 in his 12+ years as a head coach.

Notable Numbers From Concord
2 - Blocked punts that #A.J. Harris# has now returned for a touchdown in his career after bringing one back 11 yards for a score vs. the Mountain Lions.

3 - Touchdown passes by Thomas Wilson, a career-high.

6 - Different players that scored a touchdown.

12 - Tackles for a loss by the Elon defense.

99 - Yards of Jonathan Conner’s interception return for a touchdown.

With a Win...
...Elon would start 2-1 for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
...Elon would claim its 479th victory in program history.
...Elon would pick up its first road decision of the year.

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) 1-1

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 outscored its foes 35-28 in the first 30 minutes and has trailed once 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 two opponents in 2011 have not scored on their  first possessions.

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 1-0 at home this year, outscoring its foe 42-10.  Elon put up 400 yards of offense compared to 252 for its opponent.

Since 2007, Elon has gone 18-5 (.783) in the confines of Rhodes Stadium.