Elon, N.C. - Fresh off of an appearance in the FCS playoffs, the Elon University Football Team will open the 2023 season Thursday evening at Wake Forest. Scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. kick in Winston-Salem, the game will be televised nationally on the ACC Network.
Game Information
Elon (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at Wake Forest (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
Date: August 31, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ACC Network (Drew Carter/Dustin Fox) (
STREAMING LINK)
Audio Broadcast: The Varsity Network App (Taylor Durham/Dr. Khirey Walker) (
LINK)
Live Stats: Courtesy GoDeacs.com (
LINK)
Game Notes: Elon | Wake Forest
Twitter/X: @ElonFootball
Instagram: @ElonFB
SETTING THE STAGE
- Elon opens the 2023 season Thursday night at Wake Forest for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff from newly-christened Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem.
- Elon and Wake Forest meet for the first time since Sept. 21, 2019, a 49-7 Wake Forest victory in Tony Trisciani's first season at the helm of the Phoenix. The two programs have met 12 times in total, with Wake Forest winning 11 of the meetings and the two teams splitting a scoreless tie in 1927. Nine of the 12 meetings took place prior to 1940 but the teams have met three times (with Thursday being a fourth) since 2009.
- Elon advanced to the FCS playoffs for just the fourth time in program history a year ago, finishing 8-4. The Phoenix was ranked No. 17 in the year-end Stats Perform Media Poll and No. 18 in the final AFCA Coaches Poll.
- For those not in attendance Thursday evening, the game can be watched on the ACC Network with Drew Carter and Dustin Fox on the call.
- The audio broadcast begins with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. with Taylor Durham and Dr. Khirey Walker. The audio broadcast is available for free via The Varsity Network app on your mobile device.
TONY TRISCIANI BEGINS YEAR FIVE LEADING THE PHOENIX
- 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 in all three fall campaigns in which he has been the head coach. The 2020 season was competed during a shortened spring campaign due to COVID-19.
- Elon has improved in each fall season under Trisciani, going from five wins in 2019 to six wins in 2021 and then eight wins in 2022.
- Under Trisciani, Elon has won 11 conference games in the past two seasons 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 13 FCS Top 25 programs. As head coach, he has notched seven wins over ranked teams.
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
- 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 will all be in their first year with the Phoenix.
THE 1,000-YARD MAN
- In his first year at Elon, redshirt sophomore Jalen Hampton put together one of the best FCS seasons in program history by a running back. He rushed for 1,053 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry for the Phoenix.
- Hampton became just the third running back in the program's FCS history to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground in a season and was just 16 yards shy of the program's FCS record of 1,069 by John Taylor in 2004.
- Hampton had four 100-yard games in 2022, topping 130 yards in each of those contests. He was a consistent threat, running for at least 80 yards in eight of the 11 games he played.
- Hampton had a season-high 177 yards against his namesake, Hampton, tying his season high with three rushing touchdowns.
- Behind Hampton's efforts, Elon rushed for at least 120 yards in 10-of-12 games in 2022. That was was an impressive improvement after reaching 120 yards on the ground just one time in 2021.
- Following the season, Hampton earned third team All-CAA stats and was named a Freshman All-American by HERO Sports.
UP WITH DOWNING
- Graduate transfer Matthew Downing is projected to start at quarterback Thursday at Wake Forest.
- Downing is well-traveled, beginning his career in at Georgia. As a true freshman in 2018, he played in four games for the Bulldogs and then redshirted the 2019 season.
- Downing then played in seven games over two years at TCU. 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.
DOWNING TO FILL BIG SHOES
- Matthew Downing will be Elon's fourth different starting quarterback in the past four seasons, looking to replace two all-time Phoenix signal callers.
- Davis Cheek played at Elon from 2017-21 and earned the MAC's Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award. He ranks among the top two in program history in almost every statistical category.
- Graduate transfer Matthew McKay stepped in a year ago and had a tremendous season, leading the Phoenix back to the FCS playoffs.
- Cheek spent time with the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2022 season as well as with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL. McKay spent time with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason and then earned a workout with the New England Patriots.
TO BE THE BEST, YOU'VE GOT TO BEAT THE BEST
- 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) has the fifth-tougest schedule in the nation and Delaware (.559, 71-56) is 12th.
- Elon faces five FCS teams ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Preseason Top 25 as well as a sixth team receiving votes. The Phoenix also plays at Wake Forest, a squad receiving votes in the preseason FBS Top 25 polls.
SECOND HALF=DEFENSE
- Elon allowed just 88 points after halftime during the 2022 season, an average of just 7.3 points per game allowed after halftime. By comparison, Elon's opponents scored 168 points in the first half.
- Even with that, the 88 points allowed is somewhat deceptive. Ten of those points were scored in overtime by Richmond, while Rhode Island scored a defensive touchdown. So the Elon defense allowed only 71 second-half points in 12 games (5.9 per contest).
- Four times, Elon shut out an opponent in the second half (Wofford, Gardner-Webb, Delaware, UAlbany) and on three other occasions a team scored just a field goal (William & Mary, Richmond, Towson).
POUND THE ROCK
- Behind an improved offensive line and the emergence of Jalen Hampston, Elon ran for at least 120 yards in 10 of the team's 12 games in 2022.
- Elon rushed for a season-high 240 yards on the ground against then-No. 14 William & Mary. It was the most for the team since running for 255 against The Citadel in the 2019 season.
- Elon topped 200 rushing yards three times last season, doing so against William & Mary as well as Gardner-Webb (205 yards) and Hampton (200 yards).
- In 2021, Elon rushed for 120+ yards as a team just one time, doing so with 146 yards in the season finale against Rhode Island. In fact, the 10 games of 120+ yards rushing are the most for the program since doing so 10 times in 2017 as well.
- Elon averaged 152.3 yards per game rushing, 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
- Under Head Coach Tony Trisciani, Elon has been unbeatable when winning in the trenches on at least one side of the ball.
- Elon is 6-0 when rushing for at least 200 yards in a game under Trisciani and 8-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing, as the team did in back-to-back weeks in wins over Delaware and UAlbany in 2022.
- Elon reached both milestones against Gardner-Webb in 2022, rushing for 205 yards and holding the Runnin' Bulldogs to just 43 yards on the ground. The Phoenix followed that with 240 yards rushing in the win over No. 14 William & Mary.
EXPERIENCE ON THE LINE
- Elon returns four players on the offensive line who combined to start 48 games in 2022 (all 12 games for each of the four).
- Zane Gilbert and Jabril Williams each have 26 career starts under their belt. Gilbert has started 26 in a row and Williams 24 straight dating back to the 2021 spring season. Caleb Krings has also made every start (23) over the past two seasons and Kevin Burkett has started 21 consecutive games.
- Under Head Coach Tony Trisciani, Elon has only reached 200/200 one other time. That came in a 35-28 win over The Citadel in 2019 when the team had 255 yards rushing and 226 passing.
SEEING 200/200
- In Elon's 30-24 win over Gardner-Webb last year, the Phoenix offense totaled 205 yards rushing and 279 yards passing. Elon followed that up with 240 yards rushing and 207 passing against William & Mary.
- Those numbers have proven rare for Elon. It's the first time in the program's FCS history that the Phoenix reached 200 yards rushing and passing in back-to-back games.
- Under Head Coach Tony Trisciani, Elon has only reached 200/200 one other time. That came in a 35-28 win over The Citadel in 2019 when the team had 255 yards rushing and 226 passing.
PRESEASON ALL-CAA ANNOUNCED
- 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
- 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 prove to be critical as Elon went 7-0 in 2022 when forcing more turnovers than their opponent in a game. In total, the Phoenix has won nine straight games when forcing more turnovers than their opponent.
SACK MASTERS
- A year ago, Elon average 2.83 sacks per contest, ranking No. 13 in FCS Football. With a veteran line that boasts just one senior on the two-deep -- Marvin Pearson -- Elon has potential to again be one of the best nationally.
- Elon had 11 sacks in 2022 against UAlbany, the program record in the FCS era. It is also tied for the most in a single-game in 2022 by an FCS team (Tennessee Tech had 11 on the same day against Lindenwood).
- Elon is 9-0 in the tenure of Head Coach Tony Trisciani when recording four or more sacks in a game.
HIGH FIVE
- Discounting the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign, Elon has recorded at least five overall wins and four conference wins in four consecutive fall seasons.
- With four straight fall seasons of at least five overall wins and four conference wins, it equals the longest such streak the program has had in FCS. Elon also accomplished that feat from 2007-10.
EARNING THAT DEGREE
- Seventeen current players on the Elon football team already have their degrees.
- Justin Allen, Jordan Bonner, Chandler Brayboy, Carson Crisp, Jack Cutler, Wayne Dixie III, Matthew Downing, Zane Gilbert, Chazz Harley, Caleb Ogunmola, Marvin Pearson, Kyle Romenick, Bo Sanders, Trey West, Antonio White, Ryan Wilkins and Jabril Williams all have their degrees.
PHOENIX IN THE NFL
- Former Elon offensive lineman Oli Udoh is set to begin his fifth season in the NFL in 2023. He has played in every game and started 17 over the course of the last two seasons and is currently listed as the back-up at right tackle.
- Elon saw numerous members of the 2022 team earn professional opportunities. Defensive back Cole Coleman spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, while kicker Skyler Davis was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Matthew McKay had workouts with the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots, and wide receiver Bryson Daughtry spent time with the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League.
PURA VIDA
- As part of Elon's commitment to diversity and global engagement, members of the Elon Football team spent a week in March in Costa Rica.
- The team's trip included many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, such as a wildlife expedition, football clinics, investing in the lives of local youth, hiking around an active volcano, swimming in waterfalls, beach cleaning, jet-ski riding, ATV adventures and snorkeling.
