| #15 Elon Phoenix (0-1, 0-0) vs. #21 Furman Paladins (0-1, 0-0) |
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ELON, N.C. – Set for its 2018 home opener, 15th-ranked Elon University football will host 21st-ranked Furman on Saturday, Sept. 8. Kickoff from Rhodes Stadium is set for 6 p.m. The date marks Hall of Fame Weekend for the Phoenix with former football player Terrell Hudgins '10 one of three former student-athletes set to be inducted into the Elon Hall of Fame before the game.
Fans can watch the game live on College Sports Live with Matt Goldstein and Scott Sudikoff on the call for the CAA Football Game of the Week. 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-Furman is set to start at 5 p.m.
SATURDAY'S GAME IS...
-...the 968th in program history.
-...the 217th as a FCS program.
-...the 97th inside Rhodes Stadium to date.
-...the 20th between Elon and Furman.
AN ELON WIN WOULD BE...
-...Elon's 503rd in program history.
-...Elon's 91st as a FCS program.
-...Elon's 43rd inside Rhodes Stadium.
-...Elon's eighth all-time over Furman.
-...
Curt Cignetti's ninth at Elon and 62nd as head coach.
-...Elon's second-straight home-opening victory.
-...
Curt Cignetti's third-straight home-opening victory.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
1:00 p.m. – Parking lots open
3:30 p.m. – Phoenix Walk
4:30 p.m. – Ticket windows, bag check and gates open
4:30 p.m. – Phun Zone opens
5:45 p.m. – Fire of the Carolinas performs / National anthem
5:45 p.m. – Letterwinner's Lounge opens in the Walker Room of Alumni Field House
6:01 p.m. – Elon takes the field
6:05 p.m. – Kickoff of Elon vs. Furman
BAG POLICY AT RHODES STADIUM
Elon University has implemented a policy for bags entering Rhodes Stadium. All bags entering the stadium will be checked before fans reach the ticket booths at the facility. Multiple lines will be available and there will be specific lines for fans entering with no bags.
The following items will be prohibited from Rhodes Stadium:
-Weapons
-Explosives
-Alcoholic beverages
-Outside food and beverages
-Smoking and tobacco products
-E-cigarettes
-Umbrellas
-Containers or coolers
-Flags on poles
-Bicycles, skateboards or rollerblades
-Pets (except service animals)
FOOTBALL GAME DAY
-For more information on ticketing, parking and directions to Rhodes Stadium, please visit the
Football Game Day web page.
GAME DAY PROGRAMS
For the third-straight year, Elon will offer a digital game program that includes rosters, stats and video features. Make sure you are prepared for the game by utilizing the digital program.
SERIES HISTORY
-Elon and Furman have met 19 times to date going all the way back to 1920.
-The Paladins lead the series 12-7, but Elon has won six of the last eight meetings between the two teams going back to Oct. 4, 2008.
-The two sides are meeting for the third time in Elon's last 13 games. Last year, Elon won on the road Sept. 9 in Greenville, S.C., on an
Owen Johnson field goal with five seconds left to win 34-31. In the first round of the FCS playoffs, the Paladins advanced with a one-point victory at Rhodes Stadium.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
-Elon is ranked No. 15 in this week's STATS FCS Top 25 Poll and also checked in at No. 15 in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll.
-The CAA has six of its 12 teams ranked in both polls with three others getting votes in the STATS poll.
-Elon has now been ranked for 10 consecutive weeks going back to Sept. 30, 2017, when Elon hosted Albany at Rhodes Stadium.
-This week's opponent - Furman -
RANKED vs. RANKED
-With both Elon and Furman ranked, this weekend's contest marks the ninth inside Rhodes Stadium to date between two nationally-ranked teams.
-Elon is 2-6 in those games, but its wins came last season on Sept. 30 over No. 23 Albany (6-0) and on Oct. 4, 2008, against No. 15 Furman (31-10).
-Elon-Furman is one of two games between nationally-ranked FCS foes. The other is No. 6/5 Eastern Washington against 18/20 Northern Arizona.
FANCY SEEING YOU HERE...
-Saturday marks the second time Elon has hosted the same team in back-to-back home games.
-In the 1930s, Elon hosted Duke "B" on Nov. 1, 1935, and Oct. 24, 1936, in consecutive home games. Elon won both games by scores of 13-0 and 51-0, respectively.
-The Phoenix hosted Furman last season for the first round of the FCS Playoffs on Nov. 25, 2017, inside Rhodes Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
-Though falling 34-14 to the AAC's USF, Elon outrushed USF 192-148 in the season opener Sept. 1.
-The 192 rushing yards for the Phoenix marks the most against an FBS program in 11 tries.
-The 148 for the Bulls is 116.1 yards less than their 2017 average of 264.1, which was the eighth-best in the country.
-Elon's pair of touchdowns came on the ground with the first coming by way of Jaylen Greene from 12 yards out before
Brelynd Cyphers punched in a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to the the lead to 17.
TIES TO THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
-Elon's 2018 roster sports four players from the state of South Carolina in...
-Defensive lineman
Tiras Williams (Anderson, S.C./T.L. Hanna)
-Quarterback
Daniel Thompson (Boiling Springs, S.C./Boiling Springs)
-Defensive back
Charles Hartsock (Charleston, S.C./Porter-Gaud)
-Punter
Jack Pawloski (Florence, S.C./Wilson)
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.
-In the season opener at USF, Messer had nine tackles - all solo - to lead the Phoenix defense.
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
-Hitting the road for two in a row, Elon will open up its CAA Football slate next Saturday, Sept. 15, with a trip to William & Mary. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. with the game set to be broadcast on Cox Communications. It can also be heard over the airwaves exclusively through Phoenix All-Access and the TuneIn app.
– ELON –
