Elon University Athletics

ELON – The Elon football team could not solve Wofford's defense Saturday in a 16-0 loss to the Terriers on Homecoming at Rhodes Stadium.

Elon (4-3) outgained Wofford on the day but was unable to score in rainy conditions. The Terriers (4-3) forced five turnovers and stopped Elon two more times on fourth down to stymie the Phoenix offense.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Elon's defense stopped the Terriers on the game's opening drive with Derek Hite stuffing a run on a third down. Wofford faked a punt on fourth down, but the play was stuffed by Trey Woods and Chaz Knox to give Elon the ball on downs. The Terriers answered by forcing an Elon turnover on downs on the ensuing possession.
• Nine of the next 10 drives ended in punts with Wofford finally scoring the first points with a field goal with 3:26 remaining in the second quarter.
• The Terriers cashed in a pair of Elon turnovers for field goals in the closing minutes of the first half to take a 9-0 lead into halftime.
• Wofford converted the game's first touchdown on its opening drive of the second half, with Kaeden Gilstrap finding Anjuan Coleman Jr. for a six-yard score. The Terriers missed a 40-yard field goal on their next possession, but the Phoenix could not make a 40 yarder of its own on the ensuing drive as Luke Barnes' attempt was blocked by Wofford.
• Elon converted a pair of fourth downs on its first drive of the fourth quarter, including a fake punt completion from Connor Dunn to Tyler Hart that netted 33 yards. However, Wofford deflected Brady Stober passes on third and fourth down later in the drive to prevent the Phoenix from scoring points on a red zone trip.
• Wofford picked off Elijah Guttman on Elon's final possession of the game to secure a shutout victory.

NOTES & STATS

• Kamerin McDowell-Moore rushed for 164 yards, his third straight outing with triple-digits on the ground. The freshman has surpassed 100 yards four times in the last five games. McDowell-Moore is the first Phoenix since Rushawn Baker in 2024 to rush for 100-plus yards in three straight games.
• McDowell-Moore surpassed 900 season rushing yards during the contest. His rushing total surpasses Jaylan Thomas (2018, 761) as the most rushing yards by a true freshman in Elon's FCS era.
• Elon's defense held Wofford to just 252 yards of total offense, the second fewest yards allowed by the Phoenix against an FCS opponent this season. Elon limited Wofford's offense to a 2-for-17 success rate on third down.
• The Phoenix narrowly outgained the Terriers in total yardage, 257-252. Elon ran the ball for 179 yards.
• Hite paced the Phoenix defense with nine tackles. The linebacker has eight-plus tackles in two of the last three games.
• Elon generated a pair of sacks, with Dillon Pardue and Doug Quarles III each bringing down Wofford's quarterback. The sack was the first of the season for Quarles III.
• Dunn's completion on the fake punt was the first of the freshman's career with Hart making his first career catch on the play.
• Stober returned to Elon's lineup, making his first start under center since Sept. 5 at Davidson.
• Wofford finished the game with a plus-five turnover margin.

 
UP NEXT
Elon heads to the West Coast next Saturday for a game against FBS opponent Stanford. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Stanford Stadium.

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