ELON – The Elon football team led by two scores at halftime and held a brief fourth-quarter advantage but ultimately fell 29-21 to No. 18 Villanova on Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium. The loss snapped a six-game conference win streak for Elon (4-3, 2-1 CAA) while the visiting Wildcats improved to 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the CAA.
 
Elon took a 21-20 lead on TJ Thomas Jr.'s second touchdown of the game with 5:25 remaining in the game before Villanova's Ja'briel Mace took the ensuing kickoff return 97 yards to put Villanova ahead for good.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Elon needed just four plays to get on the scoreboard as Landen Clark connected with Isaiah Fuhrmann for a 62-yard strike, setting up Thomas to punch in an eight-yard touchdown run one play later. That 7-0 advantage held through the end of the first quarter, as the Phoenix defense forced a Villanova turnover on downs on the next drive.
• Following a Villanova field goal with 12 minutes remaining ahead of halftime, Elon engineered a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown march capped off by a four-yard run from Clark. The scoring drive took almost seven minutes off the clock and featured a pair of third-down conversions, including a 23-yard catch by Dylan Magazu on a 3rd and 20. The Phoenix entered halftime with a 14-3 lead.
• Momentum flipped to Villanova in the third quarter as the Wildcats scored the next 17 points to take a 20-14 lead. Pat McQuaide hit leading receiver Luke Colella for touchdown passes of 20 and 42 yards, while Jack Barnum made his second of three field goals.
• Elon retook the lead, 21-20, Thomas' two-yard touchdown with 5:25 remaining in regulation. The drive started with a pair of 15-yard-plus completions from Clark to Jimmyll Williams before a checkdown to Thomas later in the series turned into a 28-yard gain, setting the Phoenix up in the red zone.
• Villanova returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Although Elon stopped the two-point try, the Wildcats added a key field goal with under a minute remaining to extend their lead to 29-21.
• Elon reached the red zone in the final moments of the game but an interception in the end zone as time expired sealed the win for the Wildcats.

 
NOTES & STATS

• Elon fell to 1-4 all-time against Villanova.
• Thomas' two rushing scores gave him five total in CAA play. Thomas has rushed for a score in all three Elon home games.
• Clark tallied his sixth rushing touchdown on the season and completed a season-high 66.7% of his passes (14-21).
• DJ James-Hamilton tied his career high with 13 tackles in the loss. His 13 stops matched his total from ETSU earlier this season.
• Brycen Scott tallied a career-high three pass breakups.
• Isaiah Fuhrmann took the top off the defense for the second straight home game with his 62-yard gain on the opening drive. Clark found him for an 81-yard touchdown against Hampton two weeks ago.
• Jeff Yurk's five punts averaged 48.6 yards per kick. He now has 14 punts this season that have gone 50 or more yards.
• Elon's second touchdown drive was its fourth series of 13 plays or more in the past two games. The Phoenix had two 15-play drives and a 13-play possession last week at Towson.

 
UP NEXT
Elon plays its first of back-to-back road games at William & Mary next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET in Williamsburg, Virginia.
 
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
Fans can support Elon Athletics through the Phoenix Club. To purchase 2025 tickets, visit TicketMaster.com/ElonTickets.
 
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