ELON –  The Elon University football team rallied from a second-half deficit to defeat the Hampton Pirates in a scrappy CAA opener Saturday. Key takeaways, defensive domination and an energetic run game helped the Phoenix retake the lead and secure a decisive 41-20 victory on Family Weekend.

In the first half, Elon relied on the strength of its defense to build a lead. Redshirt junior safety Ishmel Atkins led the flock, flying across the secondary to make several huge plays. His first came early in the second quarter when he located the ball on a throw over the middle and boxed out the receiver at the catchpoint to make a dazzling contested interception. 

On the next drive, Atkins doubled down, diving into the turf on a low pass to scoop up his second pick of the game. He rounded out his dominant second quarter with a massive pass breakup, using his length to go up and swat down a deep ball at the catchpoint. 

"We knew they were going to try big shots," Atkins said. "It was me being mentally being locked in every play, reading the eyes, using my hands, and trusting my technique at the end of the day. That's what got those picks."

Elon's defensive front also played a role in setting the tone. Sophomore defensive end Kahmari Brown was the team's standout performer, terrorizing the backfield with six solo tackles, a sack and two quarterback hurries. The Pirates only mustered 55 yards on the ground in the first half, with redshirt senior defensive tackle Jake Louro and freshman defensive tackle Chaz Knox, who each recorded one and a half tackles for loss and a sack, shutting down any chance of running inside. Redshirt senior defensive lineman Parris Lowery rounded out the group's performance, recording seven tackles and a tackle for loss while also tipping a pass at the line of scrimmage.

"It did start with those front four," head coach Tony Trisciani said. "We bottled up a lot of runs at the first level and at the line of scrimmage. That was big for us."

Elon's defensive unit held Hampton to only six points at halftime, allowing the offense to build a 17-6 cushion off a 23-yard rushing score by sophomore running back TJ Thomas Jr. and an explosive 81-yard touchdown connection from redshirt freshman quarterback Landen Clark to sophomore wide receiver Isaiah Fuhrmann. The sequence had the team in high spirits heading to the locker room. 

Hampton started throwing punches to start the second half, and Elon found itself trailing for the first time after giving up a pair of long touchdowns. The Phoenix needed to find something to settle the team down and reestablish a rhythm. That was when the rushing attack took over.

Late in the third quarter, Elon finally managed to push its way down the field thanks to a couple gritty runs by junior running back Dan Frederick. On second and goal, Clark faked a handoff, tucked the ball and took off up the middle, making a cut and scampering into the endzone for a six-yard touchdown. The crowd roared as the Phoenix retook the lead. 

"You get momentum back by playing football one play at a time," Trisciani said. "There was no panic on the sideline. We knew what we were capable of. We just needed to gather ourselves and get it done."

As the sun emerged from the clouds, Elon's best runners started to catch fire. Junior running back Jimmyll Williams led the charge, rushing for a career-high 172 yards, with 115 of those yards coming in the fourth quarter alone. He was seeing red all game, especially on his longest run of the game, which evoked memories of the legendary Beastquake. 

Nearing the end of the game, Williams took the handoff and burst through the hole. Shoving a defender off of him, he navigated his way out of a sea of white jerseys, hit a spin move and finished the run off by stopping on a dime near the sideline, grabbing a defender's helmet, and throwing him five yards out of bounds with some help from Clark. Players and fans on both sides couldn't help but drop their jaws in awe of the commanding 45-yard rumble. After a quick breather for the two minute timeout, Williams finished the job on the next play by exploding through the middle for a 14-yard touchdown. 

"I just wanted to put the nail in the coffin," Williams said. "We already had the lead, and it was all about finishing. We prioritize ourselves on finishing games."

Thomas Jr. also kept his momentum going. He added another rushing score in the second half to widen the gap, finishing the game with 90 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. 

"When Jimmyll and TJ and Dan get downhill and their pads are square, they can really see some lanes and run through arm tackles," Trisciani said. "To be able to see that more consistently is great. It gives us more confidence offensively and upfront."

A late interception by redshirt sophomore defensive back Tony Hart III sealed the deal for the Phoenix, securing a 41-20 victory to start conference play 1-0. While the path to victory wasn't easy, the coaches saw a lot of positives that helped put the game together.

"I'm really proud of our resiliency and our ability to regain the momentum of the game and control of the game," Trisciani said. "We did it by getting stops on defense and creating takeaways and sacks. We did it by sustaining drives offensively and running the football and by making our kicks on special teams. 

"I'm proud of the guys and glad we were able to play the way we did and deliver a win in front of a great family weekend crowd here in Rhodes Stadium," Trisciani added. 

The Phoenix will head back on the road next week to face Towson at 4 p.m. on Saturday. 
 

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'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Sydney Spencer at sspencer9@elon.edu.

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