ELON, N.C. -- Elon's ninth season of Southern Conference football play gets underway this Saturday when the Phoenix plays host to The Citadel Bulldogs in a 1:30 p.m. contest at Rhodes Stadium on Family Weekend.  Elon enters the contest with a 2-1 record while The Citadel is 1-1 overall and 0-1 in SoCon play.

Site: Elon, N.C.
Stadium: Rhodes Stadium
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 11,250
Radio: WPCM 920 AM – David Hibbard (play-by-play) and Taylor Durham (color)
TV: None
Series: Elon trails 4-6

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Game Notes

Did you Know?
• Aaron Mellette’s 237 receiving yards at North Carolina Central bettered any single game performance by former Elon standout and the FCS all-time leading receiver Terrell Hudgins.
• Quarterback Thomas Wilson has thrown for over 200 yards in the first half of each of the last two games.
• The Elon defense has seven sacks through three games after totaling 13 sacks in 2010.
• Today’s game pits two of FCS’ top-10 defenses against each other.  The Citadel ranks fifth in total defense while Elon rates 10th.
• Elon has had four consecutive winning seasons, a first for the program since a stretch of nine straight winning years from 1980-88.

Connections
• The Citadel tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator Nathaniel Hogge is a former Elon football player.  Hogge graduated from Elon in 2002 with a degree in communications.
• Five Elon players will face off with six Bulldog players who are out of the same high school programs.

The Coaches
• Elon’s Jason Swepson is in his first season as a collegiate head coach. He has gone 2-1 this season.
• The Citadel is led by Kevin Higgins who has a 28-41 record in seven seasons with the program.  Higgins is in his 14th year overall as a head coach and boasts an 84-61-1 career mark.

Notable Numbers From N.C. Central
2 - Touchdown catches by Christian Dennis, the first of his Elon career.

3 - Touchdown passes by Thomas Wilson for the second consecutive game.

37:24 - Elon’s time of possession.  The Phoenix has held the TOP edge in two of its three games.

237 - Receiving yards on 16 catches by Aaron Mellette.

416 - Passing yards by Thomas Wilson, a career-best which is tied for 19th in SoCon history.

With a Win...
...Elon would start 3-1 for the third time in the last four seasons.
...Elon would claim its 480th victory in program history.
...Elon would win its fourth in a row over The Citadel.

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) 2-1

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 52-44 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 first three opponents in 2011 have not scored on their first possessions.

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 four career starts and has guided two 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.

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 three games Elon has turned the ball over 10 times while only creating one takeaway for a -9 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 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.