ELON, N.C. -- Coming off of its bye week, the Elon Phoenix football team will return to Rhodes Stadium this Saturday for a 3 p.m. Homecoming contest against the Western Carolina Catamounts.  The game is presented by BB&T and Kingsdown.

The radio broadcast will air live on WPCM 920 AM and at elonphoenix.com and the contest will also be streamed on ESPN3.

As part of the Homecoming festivities, Elon will recognize legendary tight end Richard McGeorge at halftime.  McGeorge became the first-ever Elon player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this summer.  McGeorge ended his career as the Elon’s career record-holder with 224 receptions for 3,486 yards and 31 touchdowns.  The conference MVP also set single-season marks with 65 grabs for 1,081 yards, and single-game records with 15 catches, 285 receiving yards and four touchdowns.  He was the 16th overall pick of the 1970 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and went on to enjoy a nine-year NFL career.

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: ESPN3
Series: Elon leads 23-16-2

Gameday Central
Parking/Tailgate Information
Live Audio
Live Stats
Live Video
Game Notes

Tweet to the Radio
The Elon Phoenix radio crew is now on Twitter!  Follow @ElonRadio for updates and insights for the remainder of the season.  Fans can also tweet questions to the radio crew during the games.

The Matchup
Elon and Western Carolina are meeting for 42nd time.  The Phoenix enters this game with a 2-4 record after falling to 14th-ranked Appalachian State in its last outing on Oct. 6.  Western Carolina, under first-year head coach Mark Speir, visits Rhodes Stadium with a record of 1-6 after dropping a 45-31 game at The Citadel.

The Series
Elon leads the all-time series with Western Carolina by a 23-16-2 margin.  The maroon and gold has won the last six games in the series with an average score of 38.8-21.8.  Elon has scored at least 26 points in each of the last seven meetings.  The two teams first met on Nov. 4, 1933 with Elon claiming a 46-6 victory.  Elon won the first seven games between the two.

The Coaches
Elon: Jason Swepson (Boston College ‘92) is 7-10 and is in his second year as a head coach, both with the Phoenix.  Prior to becoming Elon’s head coach, Swepson spent 12 years as an assistant with Tom O’Brien at both Boston College and NC State.

Western Carolina: Mark Speir (Clemson ‘90) is in his first season as a collegiate head coach.  He has gone 1-6 this year.

A Numbers Game
• 3 - Consecutive 300-yard passing games for Thomas Wilson who passed for a career-high 419 yards at Appalachian State.
• 38 - Tackles made by Jonathan Spain in the last three games.  Just behind him with 36 total tackles in that span is Blake Thompson.
• 18 - Career 100-yard receiving games for Aaron Mellette who tied a career-high with 237 yards on 13 receptions at Appalachian State.  That total is second in SoCon history.

It Happened on October 20
Elon Football: On Oct. 20, 1934, Elon defeated Randolph-Macon by a 32-0 margin.  It was the third of four consecutive shutouts posted by the maroon and gold that season.

World Events: On Oct. 20, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln officially established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

Ties With This Week’s Opponent
• Western Carolina head coach Mark Speir was a member of the Elon staff from 2000-02.  He coached the running backs, defensive line and special teams during his tenure while serving as the programs recruiting coordinator.
• Western Carolina offensive coordinator Brad Glenn spent the 2001 season as Elon’s tight ends coach.
• Former Elon wide receiver Arketa Banks, who ranks ninth on the program’s all-time receiving chart with 1,371 yards, is in his fourth year on the staff at Western Carolina.  Banks currently serves at the Catamounts’ running backs coach.

Off the Bye
Since 2004, Elon has gone 5-3 when coming off its bye week.  The maroon and gold earned a 41-34 road win at #17 Furman off its bye a year ago and has only lost once the week following its bye in the last five seasons (2010 vs. Wofford).

Homecoming
In its previous 11 Homecoming affairs in Rhodes Stadium, the Phoenix has compiled a record of 5-6.

Solid Shreiner
Senior kicker Adam Shreiner is 11-of-14 on his field goal attempts this year.  Shreiner’s 45 career field goals are the second-most in program history as he trails only Andrew Wilcox (2005-08) who made 59 field goals.

Career Days
Elon quarterback Thomas Wilson and Aaron Mellette teamed up to both have career days against Appalachian State.  Wilson completed 25 of his 41 passes for a career-high 419 yards, the second 400-yard game of his career.  Mellette matched his personal-bests with 237 receiving yards (13 catches) and three TD grabs.

Linebacker Blake Thompson (13 tackles) and defensive back Chandler Wrightenberry (10 solo stops) also set career-highs in total tackles against the Mountaineers.

Mellette Earns National Honors
After catching 13 passes on his way to matching career-highs with 237 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Appalachian State, Elon receiver Aaron Mellette was recognized as both The Sports Network FCS National Offensive Player of the Week and the National Wide Receiver of the Week by College Football Performance Awards.