Game Information
Elon (5-5, 5-2 CAA) vs. Hampton (5-5, 3-4 CAA)
Date: Nov. 18, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Streaming: FloSports (Taylor Durham/Khirey Walker/Hannah Bradey) (STREAMING LINK)
Television: My48 (Taylor Durham/Khirey Walker/Hannah Bradey)
Audio Broadcast (Smart Device): The Varsity Network App (Michael Coulter/Bryson Byrnes) (LINK)
Audio Broadcast (Web-Based): LeanStream via ElonPhoenix.com (LINK)
Live Stats: ElonPhoenix.com (LINK)
Game Notes: Elon | Hampton
Twitter/X: @ElonFootball
Instagram: @ElonFB


SETTING THE STAGE

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• Elon closes the regular season Saturday by hosting Hampton for Senior Day. Both teams enter the game at 5-5 overall and Elon will look for a third consecutive winning season for the first time since having four straight from 2007-10.
• Saturday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. inside Rhodes Stadium. Elon is 9-1 at home in its last 10 games, but this will be the first meeting between the two programs in Elon. The Phoenix won 38-24 a year ago at Hampton in the only contest between the two.
• Hampton has made strides in its second season in CAA Football. After going 1-7 in conference play a year ago, the Pirates are 3-4 in 2023 with wins over Richmond, Maine and North Carolina A&T.
• Saturday's game will be broadcast regionally on My48 and streamed on FloSports, with Taylor Durham, Khirey Walker and Hannah Bradey on the call.
• Michael Coulter and Bryson Byrnes will handle the audio duties with the pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. It can be heard for free via The Varsity Network app on your mobile device or by visiting ElonPhoenix.com and clicking on Live Audio on the football schedule.

TONY TRISCIANI IN YEAR FIVE LEADING THE PHOENIX

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• On Dec. 17, 2018, Tony Trisciani was named the 23rd head football coach in Elon history. In 2022, he led the program back to the FCS playoffs for the first time in his head coaching tenure.
• Trisciani has been a member of the Phoenix staff the last three times Elon has made the playoffs -- as head coach in 2022 and as defensive coordinator in 2018 and 2017.
• While it is his fifth season as head coach, he is in his eighth 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.
• Elon has won at least five games and four league contests in all four fall campaigns in which he has been the head coach, including 2023. The 2020 season was competed during a shortened spring campaign due to COVID-19.
• Under Trisciani, Elon won 11 conference games in 2021 and 2022 and is the only program to finish in the top three of the CAA standings in both seasons. That came after being picked 12th and sixth in the preseason polls.
• The 2023 season is Trisciani's 28th year as a football coach and his 18th at a CAA Football institution. Since his return to Elon in 2017, he has helped the program defeat 15 FCS Top 25 programs. As head coach, he has notched nine wins over ranked teams.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

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• Head Coach Tony Trisciani has put together an assistant coaching staff that mixes familiar faces at Elon with new staff.
• Offensive Coordinator Drew Folmar has been at Elon since 2017, while Defensive Coordinator Dovonte Edwards is in his third season at Elon and in his second in his current role.
• Defensive Line Coach Seth Payne has been at Elon since 2019. Special Teams Assistant Mike Nall also rejoined the program prior to the 2019 season. Nall also coached at Elon from 2005-08.
• Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach Milo Austin, Inside Linebackers Coach Casey Vance and Running Backs Coach Nate Harris all joined Elon in time for the 2022 season.
• Elon sees four new faces to the staff for 2023. Offensive Line Coach Alex Stadler, Wide Receivers Coach Kyle Perkins, Tight Ends Coach Matt Ford and Cornerbacks Coach Dominique Battle are all in their first year with the Phoenix.

SENIOR DAY

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• Elon will recognize 26 football players for Senior Day as well as four members of the student support staff.
• Student-athletes being recognized Saturday include Justin Allen, Trey Alsbrooks, Jordan Bonner, Chandler Brayboy, Shon Brown, Jack Cutler, Jaidyn Denis, Wayne Dixie III, Matthew Downing, Garrett Esposito, Zane Gilbert, Jalen Hampton, Chazz Harley, Cornell Hendrick Jr., Josh Johnson, Caleb Krings, Sam Levin, Caleb Ogunmola, Marvin Pearson, Bo Sanders, Jon Seaton, Chase Speicher, Nick Veloz, Trey West, Ryan Wilkins and Jabril Williams.
• Support staff members being recognized include Amanda Carter (Recruiting & Operations), Adger Lewis (Recruiting & Operations), Harley Wilf (Equipment) and Hannah Yarborough (Recruiting & Operations).

SCOUTING HAMPTON

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• Hampton is 5-5 overall and 3-4 in CAA Football play. The Pirates defeated Richmond, Maine and North Carolina A&T during the conference season, as well as earning wins over Grambling State and Howard.
• Hampton's running game ranks fifth in the country at 231.7 yards per game. The Pirates have for at least 200 yards seven times, including a season-high 323 against Maine.
• Three players have at least 500 yards rushing this season, including Elijah Burris (803), Darren Butts (631) and Chris Zellous (569). Burris' 8.3 yards per carry is tops in the nation.
• Hampton has struggled in the passing game, completing just 53 percent of its passes and throwing 13 interceptions.

TO BE THE BEST, YOU'VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST

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• Heading into the 2023 season, Elon was ranked as having the third most difficult schedule in the country by FCS Analyst, based on opponent win percentage.
• Elon's 11 opponents had a .606 win percentage in 2022, going a combined 80-52. Only Harvard (.648, 68-37) and Nicholls (.610, 83-53) have more difficult schedules.
• Among CAA teams, Campbell (.583, 77-55) had the fifth-tougest schedule in the nation and Delaware (.559, 71-56) was 12th.
• So far in 2023, Elon's 11 opponents have a combined record of 56-44, the seventh-toughest schedule in the country.

LOOKING FOR RESPECT

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• At 5-2 in CAA Football play in 2023, Elon sits in fifth place in the conference standings. With a victory on Saturday, Elon would finish ahead of the conference's preseason prediction for the third consecutive year. The Phoenix was picked to finish fifth.
• In 2022, Elon was predicted to end sixth in CAA Football but finished third in the conference standings, earned an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs and ended the year ranked No. 17 in the country.
• In 2021, Elon was picked to finish last in the 12-team league but ended in sole possession of third place.
• Elon is the only program to finish in the top three of the final CAA Football standings in each of the past two seasons (2021 and 2022).
• Since the start of the 2021 season, Elon is 16-7 in conference play, tied with Richmond for the second-best record in the CAA. Villanova is just one game better at 17-6.

DOWNING RISING UP

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• Graduate transfer Matthew Downing has settled into the starting quarterback role for Elon and has excelled recently.
• Downing has thrown for at least 280 yards in each of the past three games with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He has not thrown an interception in his last 89 pass attempts.
• Downing started the stretch by going 14-of-20 for a career-high 282 yards against Monmouth. He followed that up with 352 passing yards and three touchdowns in a win at then-No. 5 Delaware. At Richmond, Downing was 19-of-33 for 281 yards and a pair of throwing touchdowns.
• Downing is averaging a jaw-dropping 18.3 yards per completion over the past three games. On the season, he is fourth nationally at 14.4 yards per completion.
• Downing started in the season opener, but struggled at Wake Forest. He was replaced by Justin Allen, who sparked the Elon offense. Downing then replaced Allen to start the second half at Gardner-Webb, and threw for 199 yards and three TDs in the final 30 minutes.
• The transfer quarterback again came up big in the team's win over William & Mary, completing seven of his final eight pass attempts for 120 yards and two touchdowns as the Phoenix overcame a 6-0 fourth quarter deficit for a 14-6 win.
• Downing is well-traveled, beginning his career at Georgia. As a true freshman in 2018, he played in four games for the Bulldogs.
• After transferring to TCU, Downing redshirted the 2019 season before playing in seven games over two years from 2020-21. He earned his first collegiate start in the 2020 season opener against Iowa State, going 11-of-21 for 158 yards and touchdown.
• Following his time at TCU, Downing transferred to Louisiana Tech, playing in four games in 2022, going 33-of-62 with three touchdowns and 356 yards passing. He suffered a season-ending knee injury with the Bulldogs.

BRAYBOY IS DYNOMITE

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• Chandler Brayboy has proved to be one of the most explosive, big-play players in CAA Football this year.
• Brayboy has three touchdown receptions of at least 55 yards this season, all of which came in CAA wins.
• He had a 65-yard touchdown reception a week ago in the win over Delaware, part of a career-best 269 all-purpose yards. Brayboy finished with a career-best 121 yards receiving to go with 137 yards on four kick returns (34.3 per return) and 11 rushing yards.
• Brayboy ranks 18th nationally in both yards per reception (18.2) and kick return average (24.9).
• With his 137 kick return yards against Delaware, Brayboy moved up from ninth to sixth on Elon's career kick return yardage leaderboard. He now has 947 for his career.

BAM BAM ON THE MOVE

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• When watching Jalen Hampton run the ball, it's easy to see why he has earned the nickname Bam Bam. Unafraid to take on defensive players, Hampton has become one of the most productive running backs in Elon history in less than two seasons.
• Hampton became just the third player in Elon's FCS history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, carrying the rock for 1,053 yards in 2022. He's piling up the yardage again in 2023.
• Hampton has 814 yards rushing in 2023, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. He is just the second running back in Elon's FCS history (joining Rashaud Palmer in 2002 and 2003) to rush for at least 800 yards in a season twice.
• Hampton went over 1,500 career rushing yards in his 15th collegiate game, when he rushed the ball 33 times for 169 yards at Campbell. He needs 133 more yards to go over 2,000.
• Hampton rushed for more than 150 yards in back-to-back contests against North Carolina A&T and Campbell. He had 16 carries for 153 yards in a win over North Carolina A&T before the 33-carry, 169-yard game at Campbell. The Campbell game was his sixth career 100-yard rushing game, going over 130 yards in each of those six contests.
• With 1,867 career rushing yards in just 21 games, Hampton already ranks seventh in Elon's FCS history (since 1999). He needs 46 more yards to pass De'Sean McNair (2016-19) for sixth and 90 more yards to pass AJ Harris (2007-11) for fifth.
• Hampton rushed for at least 80 yards in eight of the 11 games he played a year ago. With five more 80-yard games in 2023, he has now reached that mark 13 times in 21 career games.
• Hampton had a career-high 177 yards against his namesake, Hampton, in 2022. He rushed for a career-best four rushing touchdowns in Elon's 28-24 win at Campbell.

POUNDING THE ROCK

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• Behind an improved offensive line and the emergence of Jalen Hampton, Elon has become a strong running team over the past two years, rushing for at least 120 yards in 13 of the team's 22 games during that span. Elon rushed for 120+ yards just once in the 2021 season.
• Against North Carolina A&T, Elon ran for 260 yards, the most for the program since 2019. The Phoenix followed that up with 242 yards at Campbell.
• With the 242 yards at Campbell, Elon improved to 8-0 in Head Coach Tony Trisciani's tenure when rushing for 200+ yards.
• Elon topped 200 rushing yards three times last season, doing so against William & Mary (240 yards) as well as Gardner-Webb (205 yards) and Hampton (200 yards).
• Elon averaged 152.3 yards per game rushing in 2022, a vast improvement over the 90.4 yards per game the team ran for in 2021. It was the team's highest rushing average in a season since going for 199.5 in 2018.

WINNING IN THE TRENCHES

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• Under Head Coach Tony Trisciani, Elon has been nearly unbeatable when winning in the trenches on at least one side of the ball.
• Elon is 8-0 when rushing for at least 200 yards in a game under Trisciani and 11-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing, as the Phoenix did at Delaware. Elon's only loss in that scenario came in week one of the 2023 season against Wake Forest, as the Demon Deacons had just 98 yards on 2.8 yards per carry.
• Elon has reached both milestones in a game three times under Trisciani, two of which have come this season.
• Against Gardner-Webb in 2022, Elon ran for 205 and held the Runnin' Bulldogs to 43. Against North Carolina A&T this year, Elon rushed for 260 and held the Aggies to 81 yards. The next week at Campbell, Elon ran for 242 yards and held the Camels to just 35 yards.

NO FLY ZONE

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• Elon allowed just 36 yards passing against Villanova. It was the second time this year in which the Phoenix has allowed 36 yards passing, doing so in the win over William & Mary.
• Elon's passing efficiency defense is No. 26 nationally at 119.0. That mark ranks third in CAA Football.
• Elon has held three opponents below 75 yards passing in 2023. In total, the Phoenix is averaging 205.7 passing yards allowed per game and has also generated nine interceptions.

CURTAIN CALL

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• Redshirt sophomore Caleb Curtain had a solid debut season in 2022, getting his feet wet with 12 tackles, an interception and a sack. But he has made his mark in 2023.
• With an interception against Richmond, Curtain has a team-best four interceptions, ranking second in CAA Football. He also has two fumble recoveries and leads Elon with 76 tackles.
• Curtain got his season started in a big way with four tackles, a sack, and most importantly, a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown at Wake Forest in the season opener.
• Curtain's interception return was Elon's first pick-six since Greg Liggs Jr. had one in 2019. Liggs Jr. is Elon's career interception leader, with 15, and single-season interception leader, with eight in 2019.
• According to analytic tracking data, Curtain reached a top speed of 20.58 miles per hour on the interception return, his fastest reading of the game.
• Curtain added his second interception of the season against North Carolina A&T. He then had an interception and a fumble recovery in the 28-26 win over Monmouth.
• Curtain has reached double-digit tackle totals three times. He had a career-best 12 at Villanova and leads Elon with 76 tackles on the season.
• According to PFF's rankings, Curtain grades out as the fifth-best coverage safety in FCS. He ranks tied for first nationally among safeties in interceptions, third in pass break-ups and third in tackles on pass plays,

PEARSON IS A PROBLEM

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• Redshirt senior defensive end Marvin Pearson has opposing offensive line coaches scratching their heads. He was dominant against Wake Forest and is considered Elon's top NFL prospect this year.
• Pearson recorded seven tackles, three for loss, and a sack in week one at Wake Forest. His sack came on Wake Forest's second drive as the Demon Deacons were facing a third-and-short and forced a Wake Forest punt.
• Pearson also had a three-yard tackle for loss on another third-and-short play in the first quarter and added a fourth quarter TFL to stall out another Wake Forest drive.
• With a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss against Richmond, Pearson now has a team-best 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. His 11.0 career sacks place him seventh in program history.
• Pearson posted his 16th career quarterback hurry against North Carolina Central. That ties him with Marcus Willoughby (2016-19) for the most in the program's FCS history.
• According to PFF, Marvin Pearson is the ninth-best pass rusher from the edge position in FCS. His 51 total pressures are the most in the country at any position, as are his 38 hurries.

TO PUNT OR NOT TO PUNT

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• Elon ran fake punts in back-to-back games against Gardner-Webb and North Carolina A&T, with both attempts resulting in a 35-yard gain. The Phoenix have also run two other fake punts, doing so against William & Mary and Monmouth.
• Against Gardner-Webb, Josh Johnson took a short snap and rumbled 35 yards for a first down on the first and only carry of his career, proving that defensive linemen can be versatile and add to the offensive stats as well.
• Against North Carolina A&T, Elon fake punted again in vastly different fashion. Kyle Romenick became the first punter in Elon's Division I era to throw a touchdown pass, completed a 35-yard bomb to true freshman defensive back DJ Hamilton.

DEION MAKES HEADLINES BUT SO DOES BO

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• Deion Sanders and his son Shedeur may be grabbing national headlines at Colorado, but another Sanders is leading the Elon defense much like Deion did at Florida State in his playing days.
• Senior captain Bo Sanders has 72 tackles (second-most on the team), posting a season-high nine against Wake Forest, Monmouth and Richmond. He has at least three tackles in every game in 2023.
• Sanders was all over the field in the win at Campbell, posting a season-high 10 tackles and adding his second career interception. Elon scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive after his INT.
• Against Monmouth, Sanders had nine tackles and a sack. He also came up with a big stop on fourth and goal from the two-yard line early in the second quarter.
• Deion was also a factor in the return game during his playing days and Bo does the same. He is averaging 8.4 yards on 15 punt returns in 2023.
• In a win at then-No. 5 Delaware, Sanders had six punt returns for 84 yards, an average of 14.0 yards per return. He had a season-long return of 28 yards.
• With 126 punt return yards in 2023, Sanders ranks 10th in a single-season in the program's FCS history.

NO LINEBACKERS? NO PROBLEM

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• Elon graduated all of its starting linebackers from 2022, but redshirt freshmen Brandon Tyson and Marco Patierno have filled the gap.
• Tyson had seven tackles against Wake Forest and then jumped on a loose ball late in the fourth quarter against Gardner-Webb for a fumble recovery that started Elon's game-tying touchdown drive. Against Villanova, he had a career-high 14 tackles (the most in a game for an Elon player in 2023) and had 2.0 tackles for loss.
• After recording three tackles against Wake Forest, Patierno was all over the field against Gardner-Webb, finishing with seven tackles and 0.5 tackle for loss. He earned his first career start against North Carolina A&T and then turned in a team-best seven tackles, 1.5 for loss. He topped that once more with 11 tackles in the win over No. 5/4 William & Mary.
• Patierno had seven tackles, including a tackle for loss against Delaware. He also recovered a fumble after the Blue Hens had driven inside the Elon red zone in the final two minutes of the game.
• The duo has 123 combined tackles, including 12.0 for loss.
• Tyson ranks fourth nationally among all freshmen linebackers with 6.2 tackles per game, while Patierno is fifth among freshman linebackers at 6.1 tackles per contest.

PATIERNO ON RICE WATCH LIST

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• Redshirt freshman Marco Patierno was named to the midseason watch list for the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the top freshman in the country.
• Patierno was one of 22 freshmen named to the watch list and one of just seven defensive players honored.
• At 6.1 tackles per game, Patierno ranks ninth nationally among all freshmen.

FILLING BIG SHOES

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• True freshman kicker Jack Berkowitz had huge shoes to fill in replacing Skyler Davis, the best kicker in Elon history and the best kicker in all of FCS in 2022. But Berkowitz has answered the call so far, making 11-of-14 field goals. He is 26-of-27 on extra points with the only miss being on a blocked kick.
• Berkowitz was named CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week after making four field goals in Elon's win at No. 5 Delaware. He connected on a career-long 44-yarder in the fourth quarter.
• Berkowitz stepped onto a college football field for the first time in front of a sold-out Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium at Wake Forest and went 2-for-2 on extra points and 1-for-1 on field goals. His 28-yard field goal came with just one second remaining in the game and split the uprights.
• The true freshman followed that up by making both of his field goal attempts at Gardner-Webb and all three extra points. He connected on a career-long 39-yarder late in the first quarter of that game.
• Berkowitz missed a kick for the first time all season when his 42-yard attempt sailed wide in the second quarter against North Carolina A&T. But he responded by making a 43-yarder later in the quarter and added another made field goal in the second half.
• Among freshmen kickers, Berkowitz ranks second in FCS in field goal percentage (78.6 percent) and is tied for third in field goals made (11).

MILLER TIME

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• Redshirt sophomore tight end Johncarlos Miller II is redefining the position at Elon, shattering the program's tight end records.
• With 101 receiving yards at No. 5 Delaware last week, Miller set the single-game FCS program record for a tight end.
• Miller also has 396 receiving yards in 2023, the most in a single-season by a tight end in program history.
• Miller now has 601 career receiving yards, yet another program record for tight ends.
• In the last four games in which Miller has played (he missed the Villanova game), he has 14 receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He has caught a touchdown pass in each of the last three games for the Phoenix.

THREE FOR ONE

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• Three different quarterbacks have started a game for Elon this year. Matthew Downing has started seven of the nine games, but Justin Allen and William Lankford have each earned a start as well.
• With Matthew Downing unavailable for the Villanova game, Lankford earned his first career start. Allen had started the week two game against Gardner-Webb.
• Elon played three quarterbacks against North Carolina Central and each of them were responsible for a Phoenix touchdown.
• Downing and Allen each threw a touchdown pass, while Lankford ran for one.
• It was the first time in the program's FCS history that three different quarterbacks threw or ran for a touchdown in a single game.

ROMENICK DOING IT ALL

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• Transfer punter Kyle Romenick has not only been consistent in the kicking game for the Phoenix, he has also proven to be a weapon in the passing game in 2023.
• While he averages 41.5 yards per punt, Romenick also showed off his arm in the win over North Carolina A&T. He rocketed a pass on a fake punt for a 35-yard touchdown to true freshman DJ Hamilton. Romenick became the first Elon punter to throw a touchdown pass in the program's NCAA Division I era (since 1999).
• Due to that play, along with a 42.2 yard per punt average, Romenick was named CAA Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Romenick had his best punting game as a Phoenix at Villanova, averaging 50.0 yards on six punts. He tied his career-long with a 61-yard punt downed at the six-yard line and also had a 55-yarder. He had three punts inside the 20.

BONNER BREAKS OUT

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• Redshirt senior wide receiver Jordan Bonner has patiently waited for an opportunity to be featured in the Elon offense and he has made the most of his opportunity so far in 2023.
• Bonner had a team-high seven catches at Wake Forest, easily surpassing his previous career-best of four receptions. He followed that up with four more catches at Gardner-Webb and a team-best three receptions and a touchdown vs. North Carolina A&T.
• Against Richmond on Saturday, Bonner had his first 100-yard receiving game with six catches and 122 yards.
• On the season, Bonner leads Elon with 39 catches and ranks second with 517 receiving yards. He also has a team-high five touchdown receptions.
• After a career-high 20 receptions in 2022, Bonner has almost doubled that total in 2023. His 517 receiving yards are also almost double the 297 he had a year ago.

EXPERIENCE ON THE LINE

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• Against Campbell, Elon was without Jabril Williams as a starter on the offensive line for the first time in 28 games. In fact, Williams had combined with Zane Gilbert, Caleb Krings and Kevin Burkett to start as an offensive line quartet in 24 straight games prior to that contest.
• Williams returned to start at center against William & Mary, reuniting one of the most experienced offensive lines in the CAA.
• Gilbert and Krings have made 36 career starts for Elon, while Williams has made 35. Kevin Burkett has added 31 to the mix.
• Jack Cutler joined the quartet on the offensive line to start the 2023 season. He earned his 12th career start in the team's last game against Richmond.
• In total, the five starters on the offensive line first unit have started 150 career games.

GIANT KILLERS

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• With a win over then No. 5/6 Delaware last week, Elon improved to 2-1 against ranked teams in 2023.
• Earlier in the year, Elon defeated then No. 5/4 William & Mary 14-6. The Phoenix now has three wins over top five teams in program history, two of which have come this season.
• Elon defeated three ranked teams in 2022, knocking off No. 14 William & Mary 35-31, No. 17 Richmond 30-27 (OT), and No. 12 Delaware 27-7. In fact, Elon has beaten at least two ranked teams in every fall season since Tony Trisciani was named head coach to begin the 2019 campaign.
• Under Head Coach Tony Trisciani, Elon is almost .500 against ranked teams, going 9-10. Overall, Elon is 25-69 all-time when facing a ranked team at the FCS level.

PRESEASON ALL-CAA ANNOUNCED

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• Five members of the Elon Football team were named CAA Preseason All-Conference, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Tight end Johncarlos Miller II, safety Bo Sanders, and specialist Chandler Brayboy were named All-CAA. Running back Jalen Hampton and offensive lineman Jabril Williams earned honorable mention status.
• Among other preseason All-CAA polls, Phil Steele named seven Phoenix to his teams. Hampton, Miller II and Sanders were all named to the second team, while Marvin Pearson earned third team recognition. Kevin Burkett, Cazeem Moore and Jaidyn Denis were named fourth team.
• Bluebloods named Hampton, Miller II, Williams and Sanders to their second team preseason All-CAA list.

GENERATING TURNOVERS

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• Under the tutelage of Defensive Coordinator Dovonte Edwards, Elon has become one of the best in the country at forcing turnovers, particularly fumbles.
• With 13 fumble recoveries, Elon ended the 2022 season ranked No. 7 in the country in that category. In total, the Phoenix generated 21 turnovers with a +0.58 turnover margin, ranking No. 21 in FCS Football.
• Those turnovers proved to be critical as Elon went 7-0 in 2022 when forcing more turnovers than their opponent in a game.
• Elon has again been forcing turnovers in 2023. The Phoenix ranks among the top 40 in the country in interceptions, fumbles recovered, turnovers gained and turnover margin.
• Elon has won the turnover battle in each of the past four games. Over the course of those games, the Phoenix has generated eight turnovers and committing just one. Elon's +0.70 turnover margin on the season ranks 13th in the country.

SACK MASTERS

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• After totaling 17 quarterback sacks in the first five games of the season, Elon recorded just two sacks in the next three games. But over the past two games, the Phoenix has found the touch again with six combined sacks.
• Fourteen different players have recorded at least 0.5 sack with Marvin Pearson leading the way with 5.5.
• Against a Power Five offensive line in the season opener at Wake Forest, Elon had four quarterback sacks with four different players registering at least one. Pearson was one of those and he also finished with three tackles for loss. Caleb Curtain, who added a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown, Cazeem Moore and Chazz Harley all added sacks.
• Elon is 11-1 in the tenure of Head Coach Tony Trisciani when recording four or more sacks in a game. The Wake Forest game was the first time the Phoenix had lost a game while recording four sacks.
• A year ago, Elon average 2.83 sacks per contest, ranking No. 13 in FCS Football. In 2023, Elon is at 2.50 sacks per game, No. 20 in the country.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS

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• In the season opener at Wake Forest, four players made their first Elon starts -- two on offense and two on defense.
• Matthew Downing got the starting nod at quarterback. As a graduate transfer, he had earned starts at previous schools, but earned his first Elon start.
• Wide receiver Christian Da-Silva started his first game as well, while linebacker Brandon Tyson and defensive back Caleb Curtain picked up their first starting nods on defense.
• Redshirt freshmen Jesse Powell II and Senquavious Alsobrooks earned their first career starts at Gardner-Webb. Powell II started in the spur position and Alsobrooks started as cornerback.
• Redshirt freshman Marco Patierno added to the group against North Carolina A&T, earning his first career start at linebacker.
• Two Elon players got their first career starts at Campbell. Right guard Luis Duarte picked up his first start along the offensive line and defensive tackle Jake Louro got his first career start.
• Onuma Dieke started at wide receiver against North Carolina Central. While Dieke started eight games during his career at UMass, this was his first start at Elon.
• Quarterback William Lankford earned his first career start at Villanova. He is the third quarterback to start a game this year for Elon.

WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

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• Elon has earned a handful of weekly awards during the 2023 season.
• Jack Berkowitz was named CAA Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 6 after making 4-of-4 field goals and all three extra points in a 33-27 win at No. 5 Delaware.
• Defensive Coordinator Dovonte Edwards was named the Our Coaching Network Defensive Coordinator of the Week on Oct. 1 after Elon defeated William & Mary 14-6. The Tribe did not score a touchdown and was held to 36 yards passing.
• Caleb Curtain was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 2 after posting a career-best 11 tackles and a sack in the 14-6 win over William & Mary.
• Jalen Hampton was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25 after rushing for 169 yards and a career-best four touchdowns in a 28-24 win at Campbell.
• Kyle Romenick was named CAA Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 18 after averaging 42.2 yards per punt and throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass on a fake punt.