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Football: Landen Clark at Western Carolina
Landen Clark delivered his second straight four-touchdown performance to lead Elon to a road win at Western Carolina.
37
Winner Elon ELO 2-1 , 0-0
31
Western Caro. WCU 0-3 , 0-0
Winner
Elon ELO
2-1 , 0-0
37
Final
31
Western Caro. WCU
0-3 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ELO Elon 14 9 6 8 37
WCU Western Caro. 7 7 14 3 31

Game Recap: Football | | Elon Athletics

Elon Outlasts Western Carolina In Cullowhee

Landen Clark Totals 377 Yards In 37-31 Win Against Catamounts

CULLOWHEE – The combination of Landen Clark and Luke Barnes had a hand in all 37 Elon points as the Phoenix triumphed 37-31 over Western Carolina on the road Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
 
The Phoenix (2-1) showed resiliency in their first road win of the season. Following his first pair of turnovers of the season, Clark bounced back with the game-winning touchdown drive with just under five minutes to play. Clark set career highs in passing yards (305), rushing yards (72) and total yards (377) in the win and his four total touchdowns matched the high he set against Davidson last week.
 
Barnes, Elon's sophomore kicker, continued his run of form by setting a career high in points with 11. Barnes converted all three of his field goal attempts and set a new career best with a 48-yard field goal to close the first half. Barnes is now 6-6 on field goals and 11-11 on PATs through three games this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
  • Elon started fast for the second consecutive game. On the third play from scrimmage, Clark rolled out to his right and found Zimere Winston behind the defense for a 78-yard touchdown to open the scoring.  
  • The Catamounts would not lie down as they counted Elon's big play with a scoring drive of their own. Western Carolina answered with a touchdown drive of 10 plays and 75 yards right down the field.  
  • After the opening drive scores from the Phoenix and Catamounts, the defenses each forced three straight stops to keep the game locked at seven.  
  • Following a WCU three-and-out, the Phoenix used a three play, 88-yard drive to take a 14-7 lead. All three plays were of 22 yards or more – Clark to Dylan Magazu, a TJ Thomas Jr. rush and a 35-yard yard touchdown strike from Clark to Landyn Backey put the Phoenix back in front. 
  • The Phoenix answered again on the following drive with a long, 12-play, 88-yard drive to go up 20-7. After two passing touchdowns in the first quarter, Clark did it with his legs for his third overall touchdown on the day.  
  • Western Carolina countered in after Elon's touchdown drive with one of their own and threatened again to score late in the second quarter. Inside the 10-yard line, the Catamounts were thinking end zone, but Ishmel Atkins stepped in front of a pass into the back left corner to force the turnover.  
  • With just over 40 seconds left in the half, Clark led a quick drive to the edge of field goal range when Barnes stepped up for his first field goal attempt of the day. Barnes nailed the kick from 48 yards out to give the Pheonix a 23-14 halftime lead.  
  • Coming out of the locker room, the Phoenix were ambushed by a pair of Catamount touchdowns. Western took the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown then scored on one of the strangest plays you will see. After a minimal rushing gain, a hoard of Phoenix tacklers were able to force a fumble which was scooped up by the Catamounts and returned for a 62-yard score.  
  • Now trailing by five, Elon countered with another Luke Barnes field goal to cut the Western Carolina lead to two.  
  • Barnes and the Phoenix put up more points following a WCU three-and-out. Barnes's third field goal put Elon up 29-28 going into the fourth quarter.  
  • Western Carolina answered with a chip-shot field goal to reclaim their lead in the fourth. The defenses would settle back in forcing several stops before the Phoenix would get the ball back with 8:52 left.  
  • Clark led a spirited drive that was capped with two, key third down conversions to keep the drive alive. The quarterback capped the drive with a 10-yard scamper into the endzone that gave Elon a four-point lead. Clark connected with Isaiah Fuhrmann in the endzone for the two-point conversion that put Elon up six with 4:53 to play.  
  • After giving up three offensive touchdowns, the Phoenix defense answered the call late in the fourth quarter. With the Catamounts approaching field goal range and a fourth-down conversion in the cards, Kahmari Brown capitalized and pounced for his first sack of the season turning the Catamounts over on downs.  
  • The Phoenix gave the ball back to the Catamounts with just under 90 seconds to play and the defense answered again. Ish Atkins broke up a pass on the right side that fell into the arms of Asher Cunningham who managed to stay in bounds and secure the win for the Phoenix in Cullowhee.  

NOTES & STATS 
  • Elon improved to 8-5 in its NCAA Division I era against Western Carolina and snapped a two-game skid against the Catamounts. 
  • This is the first win in Cullowhee for Elon since 2011. Over the last five games on the road against the Catamounts, Elon has averaged 35.8 points per game against Western Carolina.  
  • The Phoenix improved to 2-1 for the first time since 2022, a season in which it started 5-1. 
  • Landen Clark finished with 377 total yards, a new personal best. His four touchdowns tied a personal best that he set last week against Davidson.  
  • Clark becomes the first Phoenix freshman quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a game since David Cheek threw for 357 yards against Villanova in 2017.  
  • Isaiah Fuhrmann put together his first 100-yard receiving game of his career in the win. He joins Landyn Backey as the two receivers with a 100-yard game this season.  
  • The Elon offense thrived on the big play against Western Carolina. Five different receivers had a catch go for 20 yards or more and three different rushers had a run go for 14 yards or more.  
  • Elon has made a habit of starting fast. The Phoenix have put seven points on the board on their opening drive in five of their last seven games.  
  • On the defensive side, DJ James-Hamilton and Tony Hart were all over the field. The two both had double-digit tackles in the win with Hart tying for the game-high with 11.  
  • Kahmari Brown had a day on the defensive line. Brown finished with seven tackles, a sack, and a career-high three tackles for loss. In two career games against Western Carolina, Brown has combined for 5.5 TFL's and three sacks.  
  • Brodie Carroll continues to fly around the backfield and make key stops. Carroll added another two TFL's to his season total to give him 5.5 through three games.  
  • Every Elon touchdown drive against the Catamounts went for at least 79 yards with three capping the 80-yard mark.  
  • Clark's 78-yard touchdown pass to Zimere Winston on the third offensive play of the game was Elon's longest pass completion since at least the 2009 season. 
 

UP NEXT
The Phoenix is back on the road next Saturday to face ETSU. Kickoff at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee, is at 5:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed via ESPN+.
 
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
Fans can support Elon Athletics through the Phoenix Club. To purchase 2025 tickets, visit TicketMaster.com/ElonTickets.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Elon Football, follow the Phoenix on X (@ElonFootball) and Instagram (@ElonFB).

 
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