#12 Elon Phoenix (0-0, 0-0) at USF Bulls (0-0, 0-0)

Date | Time	Saturday, Sept. 1
Location	Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
Series Record	USF leads 2-1
Live Stats	Live Stats
Radio Coverage	Phoenix All-Access | TuneIn App
TV Coverage	ESPN3
Video Coverage	Watch Live
Tickets	Buy Now
Game Notes	Elon Game Notes | USF Game Notes | CAA Football Notes
Twitter	@ElonFootball | @ElonPhoenix

 

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ELON, N.C. – Led by second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, 12th-ranked Elon University football will open its 2018 campaign Saturday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. on the road inside Raymond James Stadium against the USF Bulls.

Fans can watch the game live on ESPN3 with Drew Fellios and Forrest Conoly on the call. Phoenix fans can also listen to the game exclusively online through Phoenix All-Access and on the TuneIn app. Taylor Durham will again be joined in the broadcast booth by color analyst Matt Krause. Links to listen live can be found by visiting elonphoenix.com/Live. Pregame coverage of Elon-USF is set to start at 5 p.m.

FIVE STORYLINES
-Elon will be playing its 20th season as a Division I program in 2018.
-Both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball see nine starters returning for the maroon and gold.
-The Phoenix will open the season against an FBS opponent for the eighth time in the last nine years.
-Elon is searching for its first victory over an FBS foe.
-Elon will be playing in the state of Florida for the first time since its 2007 season opener. That game was also played Sept. 1 at USF.

AN ELON WIN WOULD...
-...be the 62nd career win, and ninth win at Elon, for head coach Curt Cignetti.
-...be Elon's first in a season opener since a 56-0 victory over Davidson in 2009.
-...even the all-time series between the two programs at 2-2.
-...be the first for the Phoenix against an FBS opponent.
-...give Elon it's first win at USF.

SERIES HISTORY
-Elon and USF have met three times to date with the Bulls taking two of the three contests.
-Home teams have held serve to date in the series with Elon taking the first meeting between the two on Oct. 11, 1997, in Burlington by the score of 41-13 before USF took a 35-7 win on Oct. 10, 1998, and a 28-13 win on Sept. 1, 2007.
-Elon's 28-13 loss in 2007 marked the program's first game against a FBS opponent as a Division I program. Falling by 15, it marks the second-smallest margin of victory for a FBS opponent over the Phoenix with the smallest being Duke's 41-27 win on Sept. 4, 2010, at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. 

TIES TO THE STATE OF FLORIDA
-Elon's 2018 roster sports three players from the state of Florida in long snapper Nicholas Kavouklis (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley Prep), running back De'Sean McNair (Jacksonville, Fla./ Ribault) and offensive lineman Peyton Randolph (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers).

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Elon is ranked No. 12 in the STATS FCS poll while checking in at No. 13 in the AFCA Coaches' poll in the preseason editions of both polls.
-Last year, Elon climbed as high as No. 7 in the STATS poll and No. 9 in the Coaches poll.

DON'T MESS WITH MESSER
-Presented annually to the top defensive player at the FCS level, Warren Messer was named one of 25 players nationwide to the Buck Buchanan Watch List on Aug. 2.
-Messer was also named to a trio of All-America teams, earning first-team recognition from STATS, Athlon Sports and HERO Sports.

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.

WATCH QB1
-Sophomore quarterback Davis Cheek was named to the CFPA FCS National Player of the Year Trophy Watch List on Aug. 20.
-The Matthews, N.C., native closed his 2017 rookie campaign as the CAA Football Offensive Rookie of the Year and was picked fifth in voting for the Jerry Rice Award, which is given annually to the top freshman at the FCS level. 

LEFTOVERS FROM 2017
-Following a 2-9 mark in 2016, head coach Curt Cignetti engineered a six-game turnaround with an 8-4 overall mark with a 6-2 record in CAA Football action. The 6-2 league record came after Elon was picked to finish 11th of 12 teams in the league. Instead, the Phoenix finished third and played James Madison on the final day of the regular sea- son for a share of the 2017 regular-season crown.
-Elon made its second-ever FCS playoff appearance, but dropped a 28-27 contest at home to Furman. In Elon's two playoff appearances, it has lost the two games by a combined four points. In 2009, No. 4 Richmond came away with a 16-13 victory in Virginia.
-Though exiting in the first round, Elon finished ranked No. 20 in the STATS FCS Poll and No. 21 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
-A total of seven players were honored on the league's postseason all-conference teams. Linebacker Warren Messer was named a first-team honoree while running back Malcolm Summers and offensive lineman CJ Toogood were second-team picks. Wide receiver Kortez Weeks, offensive lineman Ikenna Nwokeji and defensive back Chris Blair were all third- team honorees. Four of the six are back with Elon in 2018 with Nwokeji and Blair the only two departures after graduation.
-Elon entered postseason play with an 8-3 record that included an eight-game winning streak from Sept. 9 to Nov. 4. During the run, Elon defeated four nationally-ranked foes in Richmond (No. 6 on the road), Villanova (No. 13 on the road), Charleston Southern (No. 16) and Albany (No. 19).
-Elon picked up its 500th win in program history on Oct. 21, 2017, with a 35-34 win at Rhode Island.

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.

UP NEXT
Elon will come home to take on 21st-ranked Furman in the home opener on Saturday, Sept. 8. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. inside Rhodes Stadium. The game will mark the 97th game to be played inside the stadium since it opened in 2001.