ELON – The Elon football team returns to Rhodes Stadium on Saturday for its second straight CAA home game to host Maine (1-3, 1-0 CAA). Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
The Phoenix enters the weekend at 3-1 (1-1 CAA) following a 24-21 win over Sacred Heart last Saturday. Elon is aiming for its first 4-1 start to a season since 2022.
GAME INFORMATION
SETTING THE STAGE
- Elon enters the weekend 3-1 overall and 1-1 in CAA play after most recently earning a 24-21 victory over Sacred Heart in the first meeting between the programs. The Phoenix has won three of its first four games for the first time since 2022 and has outscored opponents 114-59 to begin the season.
- Luke Barnes delivered the game-winner against Sacred Heart, connecting on a career-long 52-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining. The kick was the longest by an Elon player since Skyler Davis made a 53-yard field goal against Delaware in 2022.
- Elon has won two of the last three meetings against Maine despite falling to the Black Bears on the road a year ago. The Phoenix earned victories in each of the previous two meetings, including a win at Rhodes Stadium in 2024, before Maine snapped Elon's two-game series winning streak in 2025.
- The victory against Sacred Heart was the 41st for head coach Tony Trisciani at Elon, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the program's all-time wins list.
- Elon is searching for their sixth straight home win against an unranked CAA opponent. The Phoenix has averaged over 40 points per game in those previous five wins..
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
- Preseason All-American Brodie Carroll is coming off a career performance in Elon's victory over Sacred Heart. Carroll recorded a career-high 16 tackles, including 11 solo stops, while adding a sack and two pass breakups. He played a key role on Sacred Heart's final possession, breaking up a pass on the first play of the drive and contributing to three more stops as Elon kept the Pioneers from reaching field-goal range.
- Carroll's performance earned him CAA Defensive Player of the Week and Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honors. He became Elon's first Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week since Marcus Willoughby in September 2019. His 16-tackle effort also marked his fifth consecutive CAA game with at least 10 tackles.
- Carroll entered 2026 on the Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list after leading Elon with 104 tackles in his first season with the Phoenix. He added 9.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks while earning second-team All-CAA honors in 2025.
GUTT CHECK
- Redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Guttman made the most of his first career start, accounting for all three Phoenix touchdowns in the Elon victory over Sacred Heart. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native completed 12-of-19 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown while adding 17 yards and two scores on the ground.
- After Sacred Heart took a 7-0 lead, Guttman answered with a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game. He later connected with Landyn Backey for a 19-yard touchdown before scoring on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the third quarter to give Elon a 21-14 advantage.
- Guttman's performance earned him CAA Rookie of the Week honors, giving Elon a weekly conference rookie honoree for the second time this season. Freshman running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore earned the award following Elon's 38-0 victory at Davidson.
DOMINATING D
- Elon's defense came up with the stops it needed to against Sacred Heart. The Phoenix held the Pioneers scoreless in the fourth quarter and kept Sacred Heart from advancing beyond its own 37-yard line on its final possession after Barnes' go-ahead 52-yard field goal.
- Elon recorded three sacks against Sacred Heart, getting one apiece from Carroll, Rylan Shibley and Tony Hart III. The Phoenix also came up with a key fourth-down stop in the third quarter when Hart and Jevean Brown combined to drop the ball carrier for a four-yard loss in Elon territory.
- Through four games, Elon has allowed 59 points, an average of 14.8 per game. The Phoenix has held two opponents to seven points or fewer, including a 38-0 shutout at Davidson, the program's first shutout since 2022. Elon has allowed 51 first downs through four games and opponents have converted just 13-of-54 third-down opportunities, a 24.1% success rate.
- The defense is tops in the CAA in multiple categories including scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense, first down defense, and team passing efficiency defense.
- The Phoenix defense has started fast in three of its first four games this season. Through four contests, Elon has allowed just 14 first-half points while forcing 15 three-and-outs before halftime.
RHODES RUN
- Rhodes Stadium continues to provide Elon with a significant home-field advantage in CAA play. The Phoenix improved to 14-4 in its last 18 CAA home games with last Saturday's win over Sacred Heart, good for a .778 winning percentage.
- Elon has now won its last five CAA games at Rhodes Stadium against unranked opponents. The Phoenix closed its 2025 home conference schedule with a 55-17 victory over North Carolina A&T before opening its 2026 CAA home slate with the win over Sacred Heart.
- The Phoenix was particularly dominant at home in 2022 and 2023, going a perfect 8-0 in CAA games at Rhodes Stadium over those two seasons. That stretch included victories over No. 17 Richmond and No. 25 Delaware during Elon's 2022 FCS playoff season and a 14-6 victory over No. 5 William & Mary in 2023.
SUPPORT THE PHOENIX
2026 Elon Football tickets are on sale now at ElonTickets.com. Fans can support Elon Athletics through the
Phoenix Club.
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