JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Elon football team saw its two-game win streak snapped with a 26-16 loss at ETSU on Saturday night at William B. Greene Stadium.
 
Redshirt freshman Landen Clark provided fireworks with his arm and legs yet again but two costly turnovers on back-to-back third quarter drives quelled the Phoenix's attack in the 10-point defeat. ETSU (2-2) put up 409 total yards of offense in the victory as it dropped Elon to 2-2 overall at the end of nonconference play.
 
The contest, originally scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. ET kickoff, did not start until 8 p.m. due to a lightning delay. It was the second time in three weeks that the Phoenix saw play postponed due to inclement weather.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half

• DJ James-Hamilton came up with Elon's third interception of the season on ETSU's first drive of the game, setting up an eventual 42-yard field goal from Luke Barnes for the game's first score.
• ETSU took a 10-3 lead with back-to-back scoring drives at the end of the first quarter – a 35-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 – and early in the second quarter, the latter ending in a nine-yard touchdown rush from Cade McNamara.
• Elon reached the ETSU 1-yard line following three consecutive completed passes of 8, 17 and 25 yards by Landen Clark and a 9-yard rush by TJ Thomas Jr., but, on 4th and 1, a high snap over Clark's head resulted in a turnover on downs for the Phoenix.
• Clark's dual threat abilities were on full display on Elon's seventh and final drive of the first half, which ended in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Magazu that knotted the game at 10-10. The Phoenix quarterback rushed for 46 yards on four carries, including a 27-yard scamper to the ETSU 3-yard line, and passed for another 27.
• The Buccaneers got the last laugh of the first half, finding the end zone on a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown rush by Jason Albritton with eight seconds left. McNamara set up the score with a 45-yard completion to Ephraim Floyd on the first play of the drive.

Second Half

• Elon's offense sputtered with only 35 total yards in the third quarter as Clark was intercepted and fumbled on back-to-back drives within the first seven minutes after halftime.
• The Bucs turned the interception into three points with a 49-yard field goal by Ewan Johnson for the only score by either team in the third quarter.
• The Phoenix defense held steady by turning the Bucs over on downs and forcing a punt on their following two drives, but ETSU laid one final punch with a 14-play, near-six-minute drive that culminated in a 5-yard touchdown rush by Khalil Eichelberger to make it 26-10 after a missed PAT.
• Elon found the end zone three plays later after Clark hit Landyn Backey for 48 yards, scrambled for 11 of his own on the ground, and then delivered an 11-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Fuhrmann with 6:06 remaining.
• ETSU used a 29-yard rush by Albritton seal the win and run out the clock.

NOTES & STATS

• Elon fell to 1-4 all-time against ETSU, including an 0-3 mark in Johnson City.
• Barnes improved to 7 of 7 on field-goal attempts this season with his 42-yard make in the first quarter. He's made all three of his attempts on the year from 40-plus yards out.
• Backey continued to be a home run threat for the Phoenix in the passing game with his second-quarter reception of 25 yards and 48-yard grab in the fourth quarter. The redshirt junior has 11 catches for 262 yards on the season, and six of those receptions have been for 20-plus yards.
• Clark found four different receivers – Zimere Winston (22 yards), Davis Ledoyen (17), Backey (25, 48) and Fuhrmann (16, 23) – for completions of 16-plus yards.
• Magazu hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season late in the second quarter. He's the fourth touchdown recipient Clark has connected with this fall.
• Brodie Carroll's tackle for loss in the first half gives him at least one TFL in each of his first four games as a Phoenix. He's among the FCS national leaders in TFL with 6.5 this season.
• James-Hamilton's first-quarter interception was his first this season and second of his career.
• James Hamilton led Elon with 13 tackles (nine solo) while Jesse Powell II tallied a career-best 11 tackles (10 solo).
• Kahmari Brown registered his second sack of the season in a four-tackle effort.
• Clark led the Phoenix with 47 rushing yards on 14 attempts. He's paced Elon's rushing attack three times in four games so far this season.

UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns home to open CAA play against Hampton next Saturday for Family Weekend. Kickoff at Rhodes Stadium is set for 2 p.m. ET.
 
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