| #12 Elon Phoenix (6-3, 4-2) at #16 Maine Black Bears (7-3, 6-1 CAA) |
|
ELON, N.C. – Closing out the regular season this weekend, 12th-ranked Elon will travel to No. 16 Maine on Saturday, Nov. 17, for a 12 p.m. kickoff against the Black Bears. Though Elon cannot win the CAA Football regular-season title, Saturday's result plays into Elon's playoff positioning and can have an impact on the CAA's regular-season champion.
Fans can watch the game live on FOX College Sports. Phoenix fans can also listen to the game exclusively through Phoenix All-Access and on the TuneIn app.
Taylor Durham will have the call for the game. Links to listen live can be found by visiting
elonphoenix.com/Live. Pregame coverage of Elon-Maine is set to start at 11:00 a.m.
SATURDAY'S GAME IS...
-...the 976th in program history.
-...the 225th as a FCS program.
-...the third all-time between Elon and Maine.
AN ELON WIN WOULD BE...
-...Elon's 509th in program history.
-...Elon's 97th as a FCS program.
-...Elon's second all-time over Maine.
-...Elon's second in a row over Maine.
-...
Curt Cignetti's 15th at Elon and 68th as head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
-Elon and Maine have met twice to date with the series split 1-1.
-In the series, each team has won on the road. Last time the two met, Elon went on the road to Orono and beat the Black Bears 27-22.
CAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP IMPACTS
-With a Maine win, the Black Bears will win the CAA Football regular-season title with a 7-1 record.
-With an Elon win, tiebreaker scenarios would come into play based on results around the league this weekend. For more information on the tiebreaker scenarios, click
here.
-Elon is one of six teams in the league with one or two conference losses entering the final weekend of the regular season. However, because of its game at William & Mary canceled due to Hurricane Florence, Elon is not in contention for the regular-season title based on winning percentage.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
-Elon is ranked No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the STATS FCS Poll this week.
-Elon is accompanied by five other CAA teams in the AFCA poll in James Madison (No. 8), Stony Brook (No. 10), Towson (No. 16), Delaware (No. 18) and Maine (No. 19) with Rhode Island receiving votes. The Phoenix is joined in the STATS poll by James Madison (No. 7), Stony Brook (No. 10), Towson (No. 15), Maine (No. 16) and Delaware (No. 17) with URI also receiving votes.
-Elon has now been ranked for 19 consecutive games going back to Sept. 30, 2017, when Elon hosted Albany at Rhodes Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
-Taking on No. 20 Towson, Elon cut the Tiger lead to 11 at 21-10 but couldn't come all the way back from an early deficit in falling 41-10 at Rhodes Stadium.
-Defensively,
Cole Coleman had a career-high 12 tackles and Elon sacked Towson quarterback Tom Flacco five times on the afternoon.
ROAD WARRIORS
-In each of Elon's last nine road games, it has trailed at some point in the second half. In those nine games, Elon has won six of them.
-Over the course of the last three seasons, Elon has defeated a Top 10 program on the road in each campaign by beating No. 8 William & Mary 27-10 in 2016, No. 6 Richmond 36-33 in 2017 and No. 2 James Madison 27-24 this year.
CAA HONORS
Offensive Player of the Week
-
Malcolm Summers | Oct. 8
-
Jaylan Thomas | Nov. 5
Defensive Player of the Week
-
McAllister Ingram | Sept. 10
-
Marcus Willoughby | Oct. 1
-
Warren Messer | Nov. 5
Rookie of the Week
-
Zack Monson | Oct. 8
-
Jaylan Thomas | Oct. 22
PRESEASON SELECTIONS
-Linebacker
Warren Messer and offensive lineman
CJ Toogood were picked to the 2018 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference team in July.
-Messer was named First Team All-CAA Football after the 2018 season while picking up a pair of Second Team All-America honors after recording 114 tackles, including 11.0 for loss and 5.5 sacks.
-Toogood, a Second Team All-CAA Football selection a season ago, helped Elon's rushing attack finish fourth in the league and 56th in the nation with 164.5 rushing yards per game. Overall, Elon's O-line group helped the Phoenix rank fourth in the league with 23 sacks allowed.
-In the preseason poll, Elon was picked fifth and received one first-place vote. A year ago, the Phoenix was picked 11th and closed the season third while playing for a share of the CAA regular-season title on the final day of the regular campaign against No. 1 James Madison.
HEAD COACH CURT CIGNETTI
-Elon is under the leadership of
Curt Cignetti who was named the program's 22nd head football coach on Dec. 31, 2016.
-The assistant coach/recruiting coordinator on Nick Saban's undefeated 2009 National Championship team at Alabama, Cignetti previously spent six seasons as the head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, amassing a record of 53-17.
-Cignetti is the sixth man to guide the Phoenix since the program moved to Division I play for the 1999 season.
THE FAMILY BUSINESS
-Elon's second-year head coach
Curt Cignetti grew up around football. His father Frank compiled a career 199-77-1 record as a collegiate head coach at West Virginia and IUP and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. His brother, Frank Jr., is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers.
2019 SEASON
The 2019 football schedule was released Wednesday, Oct. 31. The 11-game schedule features five home games against The Citadel, James Madison, Delaware, William & Mary and Maine.
-Road games in FCS play throughout the year include trips to North Carolina A&T, Richmond, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Towson.
-After starting the season with three FCS games, Elon will close non-conference play with a trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., to battle the ACC's Wake Forest on Sept. 21.
-For more on the 2019 schedule,
click here.
FOR MORE...
-...information about this week's game, visit the game notes in the information box at the top of the page.
UP NEXT
-Awaiting its postseason fate after the regular season comes to an end, the FCS Playoff Selection Show will be held Sunday, Nov. 18, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPNU. A playoff appearances would be Elon's second in a row after hosting Furman at home last season in the first round. If Elon is selected for the playoffs, more information will be available Sunday afternoon.
– ELON –
