Harrisonburg, Va. - With the race to the CAA Football championship heating up, Elon and No. 5 James Madison meet in a pivotal contest Saturday in Harrisonburg, Va. The game is set for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff inside Bridgeforth Stadium and can be seen live on FloSports. The audio broadcast from Taylor Durham and Matt Krause begins at 1:00 p.m. and is available for free via The Varsity Network app.

Elon and James Madison represent half of the four CAA Football teams with one conference loss or less. Villanova leads the way at 4-0, while James Madison (4-1), Elon (3-1) and William & Mary (3-1) chase the frontrunner. Elon is on a three-game win streak entering Saturday's contest, while James Madison has won two in a row since a loss to Villanova.

Since falling behind William & Mary 21-0 in the CAA Football opener, Elon has outscored its CAA opponents 108-53. The Phoenix have played well on the road and are 3-0 against FCS competition away from Elon. JMU is 2-1 at home this year, but 19-1 in the past 20 contests at home since losing to Elon 27-24 in 2018.

Following a win over Richmond, Elon has earned votes for four straight weeks in the AFCA FCS Coaches' Top 25 poll. The Phoenix currently has two votes.
 

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FULL GAME NOTES

MEDIA CENTRAL

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TONY TRISCIANI IN YEAR THREE LEADING THE PHOENIX
• On Dec. 17, 2018, Tony Trisciani was named the 23rd head football coach in Elon history. In the fall of 2021, he is in his third season at the helm.
• While it is his third season as head coach, he is in his sixth year overall with the Phoenix, serving as the defensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018 before his elevation to the lead chair. In 2006, Trisciani coached the defensive backs and ran the special teams for Elon.

LAST GAME: ELON STIFLES UNH FOR THIRD STRAIGHT WIN
• The Elon defense recorded 10.0 tackles for loss as the Phoenix defeated New Hampshire 24-10 Saturday.
• Davis Cheek was 27-of-31 passing for 328 yards and had a hand in all three Elon touchdowns, throwing two and rushing for another. At one point, he completed 17 consecutive pass attempts.
• Devonte Chandler was a stat-stuffer defensively, recording 3.0 tackles for loss, a quarterback sack and two quarterback hurries.
• After falling behind 10-7, Elon shut out New Hampshire for the final 44+ minutes of action.

RESILIENCY
• Coach Tony Trisciani's program is built on attitude, effort and discipline (#AED) but resiliency has become the overriding theme for this year's team
• Elon has trailed in six of seven games this season, falling behind by double digits four times. Three times Elon battled back from a double-digit deficit to take the lead, winning twice.
• In the season opener, Elon trailed 21-10 late in the second quarter and 21-13 at the break against Wofford. The Phoenix eventually took a 22-21 lead before losing to Wofford 24-22.
• In week two, Elon was behind 10-7 at the half and 17-7 in the third quarter. The Phoenix, though, scored 17 straight and held on for the 24-23 victory over Campbell.
• In week four, Elon was down 21-0 early to William & Mary but scored two late first-half touchdowns to get back within a score. The Tribe built the lead back to 27-14 but Elon closed to within three points twice in the fourth quarter before eventually succumbing 34-31.
• In week five, Richmond led 7-0 after the first quarter but Elon scored the final 20 points of the contest for a 20-7 win.
• Even in the one game it did not trail, Elon faced a resilient situation. After going ahead of Maine 26-10, the Black Bears returned a kickoff for a touchdown and then added another score to get within three. But Elon answered with an 11-play, 60-yard drive that sealed the victory.
• This past Saturday against New Hampshire, Davis Cheek threw an early interception and Elon trailed 10-7 early in the second quarter. But Cheek responded to the INT by completing 20 of his next 21 passing attempts, including 17 in a row during one stretch, as the Phoenix outscored UNH 17-0 the rest of the way.

THREE OF A KIND
• Elon's current three-game win streak is just the sixth such streak of the program's Division I era.
• It is the first time Elon has won three straight games by 10 or more points since doing so in four straight games in 2009.
• With 20+ points in each of those contests, it is just the second time in the program's CAA history that Elon has reached 20 points in three straight contests.

QUICK HITTERS
• Davis Cheek's 87.1 completion percentage (27-of-31) against New Hampshire was the fourth-highest single-game completion percentage in FCS this year.
• Elon has scored touchdowns on its opening drive in each of the past two games.
• Elon had 10.0 tackles for loss against New Hampshire, the most for the program in a game since posting 10 on Nov. 23, 2019 in a 25-23 win at Towson.
• Elon's defense has allowed just three second-half touchdowns against conference opponents this year, and just five in its six FCS games.
• Elon has allowed just 40 points during the current three-game win streak, the best three-game stretch since 2018.

ELON VS. RANKED TEAMS
• Facing another ranked opponent in #?/? James Madison Saturday, Elon will have an opportunity to capture its 11th win over ranked opponents in five years.
• Elon earned its tenth win against ranked teams since 2016 with a 20-7 win at No. 22 Richmond earlier this year.
• In the spring, Elon dropped decisions against No. 1 James Madison 20-17 and No. 20 Richmond 31-17.
• Prior to the spring season, Elon closed the 2019 campaign with a 25-23 win at No. 19 Towson and went 2-2 against Top 25 teams that year.
• Elon has defeated at least one ranked team in five straight fall seasons and is 10-13 against ranked teams since 2016 (including the 2020-21 spring year). In fact, the team has won three of its last five games against ranked competition.
• One of those 10 victories came at then-No. 2 James Madison in 2018.

D-FENCE
• Elon allowed just 214 yards of offense against New Hampshire, including 91 yards in the second half.
• The 214 yards of offense allowed was the fewest for the program against an FCS opponent since 2012.

ELON RECEIVING VOTES
• Following the win over No. 22 Richmond, Elon earned three votes in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. The Phoenix have continued to earn a handful of votes in the poll since that time.
• In the spring, Elon reached as high as No. 24 in the rankings after winning the opener against Davidson. After a loss to Gardner-Webb in week two, the Phoenix did not return to the top 25.

CHEEK AN ALL-AMERICAN CANDIDATE
• After missing the 2020 season (spring of 2021), senior quarterback Davis Cheek has returned to the starting lineup for the 2021 season and is having one of the best seasons for a quarterback in FCS Football. He continues to elevate his game as the season wears on.
• Cheek ranks among the top 25 nationally in completion percentage (No. 8), completions per game (No. 9), passing yards per game (No. 12), and total offense per game (No. 13).
• Over the past two games, Cheek is 56-of-68 (82.4 percent) for 660 yards and seven total touchdowns (five passing and two rushing).
• In the season opener, Cheek answered any questions about whether he'd be able to return to form, recording his fourth career 300-yard passing game with 312 yards against Wofford. It was the first time he surpassed 300 yards since his freshman season in 2017. His 29 completions and 51 attempts were career highs.
• In the CAA Football opener against William & Mary, Cheek set a new career-high with 384 yards passing, tying for the 10th most in a single game in program history. He also moved into second place in career passing yards at Elon with the performance.
• Cheek had his best outing of the year in the team's most recent contest against New Hampshire. He was 27-of-31 for 328 yards and three total touchdowns (two passing).
• Cheek now has 36 career starts, helped the Phoenix to FCS Playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018, and is tenth among active FCS quarterbacks with 7,671 career passing yards.
• Cheek is just the second quarterback in program history with at least 7,000 career passing yards. He is also third in career touchdown passes (47), second in career passing attempts (1,028) and second in career completions (631). Cheek's 61.4 career completion percentage ranks third as well, as does his 135.5 career passing efficiency.

ALL HE DOES IS WIN, WIN, WIN
• Since stepping foot on campus in time for the 2017 season, quarterback Davis Cheek has made a huge impact on the Elon program.
• Elon went 2-9 in 2016 and immediately turned things around with an 8-4 season in 2017 that included a trip to the FCS Playoffs. Cheek started all 12 games during that freshman campaign.
• Starting with that 2017 season, Elon is 21-15 when Cheek is in the starting lineup but just 3-8 when he is not.

CHEEK EARNS HONORS
• Davis Cheek was named the Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week after going 27-of-31 for 328 yards and three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) in a 24-10 win over New Hampshire.
• Davis Cheek was named one of 26 quarterbacks in the country, at all levels, to begin the year on the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl preseason Big Board. He is one of just three non-FBS quarterbacks to join the elite group.
• Cheek is also a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, given annually to one football player who combines academics, community service and on-field performance.
• Following a performance in which he went 29-of-37 for 332 yards and four total touchdowns (three passing), Cheek was named CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11. He led Elon to a 33-23 win at Maine.

NO DOUBTING THOMAS
• Over the course of his four seasons at Elon, junior Jaylan Thomas has been a reliable and steady running back. But since CAA Football league play began, Thomas has become a versatile and dynamic piece of the passing attack as well, averaging more than 100 all-purpose yards per contest in league play.
• In the team's three non-conference games to start the year, Thomas had five total catches for 37 yards, posting no more than 93 all-purpose yards during that stretch.
• Since the team turned to league play, Thomas has 18 catches for 204 yards and two receiving touchdowns. His rushing totals have improved as well, going from 150 yards in the first three games to 216 in the past four. He has had no fewer than 77 all-purpose yards in any league game, averaging 105.0.
• Thomas had a historic day against William & Mary. With 73 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving, he had the first 70/70 game in Elon's NCAA Division I history. He added a career-high eight catches and touchdowns both through the air and on the ground.
• Thomas ranks sixth in Elon's FCS history with 1,849 career rushing yards, needing 64 more to pass De'Sean McNair (2016-19) to break into the top five. He is also sixth in career carries with 402.
• Thomas also has a penchant for finding paydirt, posting ten career rushing touchdowns. He is tied for tenth in the school's FCS history.

YOU WANT OFFENSE? YOU GOT IT
• Elon is averaging 383.1 yards of offense per game in 2021. If that holds up, it would be the most potent offense since the 2009 team averaged 424.9 yards of offense per contest.
• Elon set a season-high with 480 yards of offense against William & Mary. That was the highest single-game total for the Phoenix since compiling 481 against The Citadel on Sept. 7, 2019.
• The team had 426 yards of total offense in the week one game against Wofford, the best offensive output for Elon in a season opener since a 56-0 win over Davidson to kick off the 2009 campaign.

ACTION JACKSON
• Junior wide receiver Jackson Parham is having a break-out season, leading the CAA in receiving yards per game and ranking in the top 20 in the country. He also ranks second in the conference in receptions per game.
• Parham had 147 yards receiving in 2019 and improved to 197 in six games during the spring campaign. But he has 607 yards receiving in just seven games in 2021.
• Parham has had at least three catches and 57 yards receiving in each game this year. He had a career-best 10 receptions against William & Mary in the CAA opener and then had a career-high 122 receiving yards against New Hampshire Saturday.
• Parham's 607 yards receiving in 2021 are already the most in a single season for an Elon pass catcher since current teammate Kortez Weeks had 709 yards in 2017. At his current rate, he would finish the regular season with 954 yards, which would rank as the tenth-best season in the program's FCS history.

NO WEEKS OFF
• Senior Kortez Weeks played in just three of Elon's six spring games but he has been impactful since being named third team All-CAA as a freshman in 2017.
• Weeks has had at least three receptions in every game this year, catching a season-high six passes against Wofford, William & Mary and most recently Maine.
• Weeks led the Phoenix with 60 catches for 709 yards as a freshman in 2017 and followed that up with 36 catches for 484 yards in 2018.
• In 2019, he again led the team with 43 receptions, totalling 412 yards. He had eight more catches in limited action in the spring.
• With 1,964 career receiving yards, Weeks has moved into sixth in school history, needing 13 more yards to pass Kierre Brown (2010-14) for fifth.
• Weeks' nine career receiving touchdowns ranks eighth in Elon's FCS history as well.

TURNING THEM OVER
• Elon continues to be one of the best teams in the country in forcing turnovers, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• In the first six weeks of the season, Elon has generated 13 turnovers and holds a +6 turnover margin, 15th nationally.
• The Phoenix generated two or more turnovers in each of the first five games of the season. Over the past two games, though, Elon has generated just one turnover, a Marcus Hillman interception against New Hampshire.
• In 2019, Crocker's defense forced 21 turnovers and Elon was a CAA best +9 during the regular season.
• In 2020 (spring 2021), the defense again caused havoc, ranking in the top 10 nationally in fumbles recovered (7) and top 30 in total turnovers forced (11).
• Since Crocker began at Elon (the 2019-21 seasons together), the Phoenix ranks second in CAA Football in turnover margin (+16, behind only James Madison at +18) and in turnovers forced (45, behind only James Madison at 52).

CAA FOOTBALL'S BEST
• Elon has earned four CAA Football Players of the Week during the fall of 2021.
• Tre'Von Jones was named Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13 after recording nine tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a quarterback sack in a 24-23 win over Campbell.
• Cole Coleman picked up Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 4 as he had eight tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass break-up in Elon's 20-7 win at No. 22 Richmond.
• Davis Cheek was named Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 11 after going 29-of-37 for 332 yards in a 33-23 win at Maine. Cheek threw for three TDs and added a rushing score as well.
• Cheek again earned the honor, as well as the National Offensive Player of the Week award from Stats Perform, after going 27-of-31 for 328 yards and three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing) in a 24-10 win over New Hampshire.

ENOUGH FOOTBALLS FOR EVERYONE?
• In Elon's game at Maine, Davis Cheek connected with nine different receivers in the contest, including one batted pass back to himself. Twelve different players have caught at least one pass through the first six games of the season, while six have caught at least ten passes.
• In 2021, Cheek has hit at least seven receivers in each of the seven contests, and has reached as many as nine different receivers in a game.

THE 'SKY'LER IS THE LIMIT
• Junior kicker Skyler Davis has been one of the most consistent and reliable kickers in FCS football since starting his career at Elon in 2018.
• In the season opener, Davis made three field goals -- from distances of 39, 41 and 23 yards. He added a season-long 48-yarder at Richmond.
• Davis has made 43-of-60 field goals attempts in his career. He ranks tied for sixth among all active FCS kickers in career field goals made.
• Prior to an uncharacteristic day in the CAA opener against William & Mary, Davis had connected on his last 13 attempts inside of 40 yards.
• In 2021, Davis is 14-for-15 on extra points and is 88-of-90 during his career. His one miss this year was a blocked extra point against Maine.
• With 217 career points scored, Davis ranks sixth in Elon's FCS history in scoring, two points from passing John Gallagher (2013-16) for fifth.

YURK FILLING BIG SHOES
• True freshman Jeff Yurk is replacing one of the top punters in program history in Hunter Stephenson. Stephenson ranked second in program history with a 40.9 career punting average.
• In six punts against Wofford, Yurk made the most of his debut with a 42.2 yard per punt average.
• Yurk had a busy day at Appalachian State, punting eight times. He averaged 40.5 yards per punt and put all of his first four inside the 20 yard line. He added a 52-yarder later in the game.
• For the season, Yurk is averaging 38.6 yards per punt.

FIRST TIME STARTERS
• With 20 starters returning from the spring campaign, it was a virtual certainty that most of Elon's starting 22 would be veterans. However, five players have cracked the starting lineup for the first time in their careers.
• Freshman Nick Veloz earned his first career start in the season opener and also started in week two.
• Against Campbell, Elon opened in a two-running back set and freshman Malik Griffin picked up his first career start because of it.
• On the defensive line, freshman Josh Johnson picked up the first start of his young career as well.
• Against Appalachian State, true freshman offensive lineman Kevin Burkett and second-year freshman defensive back Jaidyn Denis both earned their first starts.
• Four of the five first-time starters are second-year freshmen, having played in the 2021 spring campaign without using a year of eligibility. Burkett is the only true freshman to get a start this year.

RESTING THE DEFENSE
• Elon has played complementary football through the first seven weeks of the season, allowing the Phoenix defense to stay fresh throughout the game.
• Elon's average time of possession is 32:13 and the Phoenix have won the time of possession battle six times, holding onto the football for a season-best 37:59 at Maine.
• Elon held the time of possession advantage just one time in the abbreviated six-game spring campaign.
• The last time Elon held the ball for more than the 37:59 it did against Maine came when the team had 39:16 in TOP against Samford on Oct. 2, 2010.

TO BE THE BEST, YOU'VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST
• Elon's schedule is littered with teams recognized in the Stats Perform top 25 poll.
• The team's first ranked team came when the Phoenix beat then-No. 22 Richmond for the program's tenth win over a ranked team since 2016.
• This week, Elon plays at No. 5 James Madison, before No. 4 Villanova visits Rhodes Stadium for Homecoming on Nov. 6. Elon finishes the season by hosting No. 24 Rhode Island for Senior Day.
• This week's opponent, New Hampshire has been ranked for much of the year but recently fell out of the poll following a three-game losing streak.