ELON – The Elon football team pulled off a decisive 43-17 victory against Maine on Saturday in front of a packed Family Weekend crowd.
While the offense put up the points, Elon's defense was the star of the show. Maine's first five drives all resulted in punts, with the Black Bears unable to cross midfield until the middle of the second quarter.
With its opponent backed up, Elon was aggressive on special teams, rushing toward the punter in hopes of a block. While the first two attempts came close, freshman defensive back Tyler Owens made sure the third time was the charm, coming in untouched off the right side to deflect the kick and set up the Phoenix in the redzone.
However, Elon's special teams unit wasn't done. After another three-and-out from the Black Bears, the team lined up to punt. That's when redshirt freshman defensive back CJ Hector made it feel like déjà vu, screaming off the same side untouched and batting the ball backward out of the back of the endzone for a safety.
"Coach [Nate] Harris runs our punt rush team unit and had a great plan," head coach Tony Trisciani said. "We emphasized in practice the block point and the technique, and I'm just proud of those guys for going out there and executing what we practice."
The punt blocks were just the tip of the iceberg for Elon's defense. After falling to the Black Bears in Orono last season, the team was hungry for revenge.
One player who was especially fired up for the rematch was graduate defensive back Jevean Brown. Brown was all over the field, making physical hits to break up passes. His highlight play came on a key third down in the third quarter when he flew in on a blitz and pounced on the quarterback, knocking out the ball for a strip sack.
"It was a bitter taste in our mouth after last year," Brown said. "Our mindset going in was get back. We knew we could play together as a team and play complementary football."
In the second half, Elon held strong on all four of Maine's fourth down attempts, including an impressive pass breakup by Brown that nearly resulted in a pick-six.
Elon's dominant defensive outing continued the unit's strong start to the season. The Phoenix defended its top spot in the conference in total and scoring defense with the performance. Elon's first-half defensive dominance was also no surprise, as the team has only surrendered 17 total points in the first two quarters over its last five games.
"We know that we can be a very elite defense," Brown said. "It's a matter of every play bringing it together and doing our job. That's what we preach."
Elon's defensive performance allowed the offense to find its groove and light up the scoreboard. While the Phoenix didn't start fast, the team made quick work of its scoring drives. Of Elon's five scoring drives, none lasted longer than five plays, with the first three taking less than a minute off the game clock.
Elon's quickest drive also proved to be its most pivotal. Late in the second quarter, leading 5-3, the Phoenix needed a spark offensively. On the first play of the drive, redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Guttman faked the handoff to his running back and flipped it over the head of a Maine defender into the hands of redshirt junior tight end Dylan Magazu. With green grass in front of him, Magazu sprinted down the sideline and cruised into the endzone for a 57-yard receiving touchdown.
"I was just glad that we scored on offense," Magazu said. "We were trying to get up early. We had to get our get back from last year."
Magazu gave credit to redshirt junior wide receiver Kenaz McMillian, who gave him a lead block downfield that allowed him to get past the last defender. McMillian was later rewarded with a 39-yard receiving touchdown of his own in the third quarter.
"[Kenaz] is my guy, so I'm glad that he was out there blocking," Magazu said. "This is a group that cares about each other. We all want to see each other succeed. I'm really proud of the way that we've come along."
The score, Magazu's first of the season, was Elon's fastest touchdown drive of 2026. It also opened the floodgates offensively.
Later in the quarter, freshman running back Kamerin McDowell-Moore broke loose for a 55-yard rushing touchdown, shaking and weaving through the entire Maine defense to cap off a two-play drive. The freshman phenom achieved a new career high in rushing yards with 126 and added another score on the ground later in the game.
"Kamerin doesn't need a big crease," Trisciani said. "He'll step on the gas and run through arm tackles."
Strong performances from all three sides of the ball helped the Phoenix secure an impressive win on Family Weekend.
"We came out today and we executed our game plans in all three phases of the game," Trisciani said. "It was a complete game."
The win moved Elon to 4-1 on the season, its best start since 2022, which was the last time the team made the FCS Playoffs. The Phoenix will look to continue its fantastic season on the road this Saturday against the New Hampshire Wildcats at 1 p.m.
'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.
