ELON – In a game that was decided by turnovers and the
kicking game, the Elon Phoenix defeated the Charlotte 49ers 20-13 Saturday
night in front of an announced crowd of 11,203 at Elon's Rhodes Stadium.
Elon won the toss and deferred, choosing to kick to a
Charlotte offense that had been averaging forty-three points a game so far this
season. The Forty-Niners never got a chance on their first drive, however,
after a fumble gave Elon the ball at the Charlotte 35.
Elon was not able to take advantage of the turnover, though,
after a big sack by Tyler DeStafani (Carolina Pride) on third down forced Elon
to attempt a fifty yard field goal, which the Phoenix kicker pushed wide. The Charlotte offense went to work on the next
drive, looking to atone for the previous turnover. The Forty-Niners drove down
the field through a mix of passes and runs and ended with quarterback Matt
Johnson (Maiden) finding Austin Duke (Independence) on a nineteen yard pass
across the middle. The Blake Brewer (Cannon School) PAT was true and Charlotte
held an early 7-0 lead over the Phoenix. The rest of the first quarter played
like two teams figuring each other out and punting when third down conversions
failed.
Elon opened the second quarter inside of Charlotte
territory. The Phoenix almost got on the board, but quarterback Mike Quinn overthrew
Kierre Brown (Independence), who had managed to sneak past the 49er defense. He
wouldn't do it a second time, though, as he found the junior wide receiver at
the 12:26 mark of the second quarter to tie it at 7.
Charlotte had an opportunity to swing the momentum back in
their favor with an interception by redshirt freshman Dustin Croucer, but
quarterback Matt Johnson's misread on a pass hit Phoenix linebacker Jonathan
Spain (Page) right in the numbers and the Phoenix had the ball in Charlotte
territory. Elon was ultimately unable to take advantage of the turnover,
punting it back to Charlotte.
The Forty-Niners offense came alive on their next drive,
moving almost ninety yards in thirteen plays, aided by two big catches by
Austin Duke. But, Kalif Phillips (A.L. Brown) was stopped just short of the
goal line on fourth down, ending the drive and allowing the Phoenix to run out
the clock to end the half.
The second half seemed to mirror the game play of the first
half with the Phoenix marching down the field with the same short passing game
that plagued Charlotte defenders in the first half. The Phoenix were forced to
settle for a 24 yard John Gallagher field goal. Trailing for the first time
this season, the Forty-Niners turned to Blake Brewer to tie up the game with a
27 yard field goal. Not wanting to be outdone by his counterpart, Gallagher
added a 26 yarder to help the Phoenix regain the lead, 13-10 for the final
points of the quarter.
Elon sought to extend its lead early in the fourth quarter,
attempting a 49 yard field goal. The kick was no good, and Charlotte took over
possession. A personal foul penalty on Elon gave the 49ers great field position
and Blake Brewer tied the game with a 43 yard field goal.
In the fourth quarter, the Phoenix broke the streak of field
goals with another scoring pass from Mike Quinn to Kierre Brown. The ensuing
PAT made it 20-13 and it was up to the Elon defense to do the rest. And the
Phoenix defense responded, coming up with an interception and sack to seal the
deal.
This was Elon's first win of the season and the first for
new head coach Rich Skrosky. The Phoenix play at Coastal Carolina next week
while Charlotte, who fell to 3-1 on the season, will host Charleston Southern.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | TOT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Elon | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
Scoring Summary
| Team | Qtr | Clock | Type | Play | Drive P-Y-T | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHA | 1 | 10:17 | TD | DUKE, Austin 19 yd PASS from JOHNSON, Matt | 11 - 67 - 3:14 | 0-7 |
| PAT KICK by BREWER, Blake (GOOD) | ||||||
| ELON | 2 | 12:26 | TD | K. Brown 14 yd PASS from M. Quinn | 12 - 61 - 4:08 | 7-7 |
| PAT KICK by J. Gallagher (GOOD) | ||||||
| ELON | 3 | 11:49 | FG | J. Gallagher 24 yd | 10 - 62 - 3:11 | 10-7 |
| CHA | 3 | 08:34 | FG | BREWER, Blake 27 yd | 9 - 65 - 3:15 | 10-10 |
| ELON | 3 | 05:00 | FG | J. Gallagher 26 yd | 10 - 62 - 3:34 | 13-10 |
| CHA | 4 | 11:17 | FG | BREWER, Blake 43 yd | 7 - 43 - 2:18 | 13-13 |
| ELON | 4 | 03:57 | TD | K. Brown 5 yd PASS from M. Quinn | 12 - 63 - 4:33 | 20-13 |
| PAT KICK by J. Gallagher (GOOD) |
Offense Comparison
| STAT | ELON | CHA |
| NET TOTAL YARDS | 454 | 359 |
| NET RUSHING YARDS | 123 | 124 |
| Rushing Attempts | 38 | 34 |
| Average Per Rush | 3.2 | 3.6 |
| Rushing TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Yards Gained | 168 | 144 |
| Yards Lost | 45 | 20 |
| NET PASSING YARDS | 331 | 235 |
| Completion-Attempts | 43-59 | 19-42 |
| Avg Per Completion | 7.7 | 12.4 |
| Passing TDs | 2 | 1 |
| TOTAL 1ST DOWNS | 28 | 20 |
| Rushing 1st Downs | 10 | 6 |
| Passing 1st Downs | 17 | 12 |
| Penalty 1st Downs | 1 | 2 |
| TOTAL PLAYS | 97 | 76 |
| Avg Yds/Play | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Rushing-Passing | 38-59 | 34-42 |
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