By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Elon’s football team put together enough encouraging stretches during its first game of the season to carry a positive outlook into what’s ahead.
“If we can continue to play hard and coach (to fix) our mistakes and grow from Week 1 to Week 2 and throughout the season, I think we can win a lot of football games,” coach Tony Trisciani said.
Elon’s home opener comes against Davidson at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.
The Phoenix was tied into the second half with Duke last week.
“We were in the game, that’s cool,” quarterback Landen Clark said. “An ‘L’ is an ‘L’ no matter how it is. We’ve got a hungry football team right now and we’re super hungry to win a football game.”
Clark, a redshirt freshman, made his first collegiate start and had his first extensive playing time. He directed scoring drives with a knack for making key plays.
“The moment was never too big for him,” Trisciani said. “We’ll continue to push him and we’ll put more on his plate. We tried to keep things pretty clean there going into the first game, so there’s more we can build on with Landen.”
Clark said cramps in both calves that caused him to leave the Duke game during the second half came despite taking preventive measures.
“It was aggravating,” he said. “It has happened before, just annoying. I want to be on that field and compete.”
The Phoenix received good grades at times for what happened along the line of scrimmage, even with an offensive line that had moving parts in terms of personnel.
“We were able to use some quarterback run game that opens up some things for us,” Trisciani said. “We were able to create some creases . . . That group (of linemen) will continue to get better.”
Linebacker Brodie Carroll, a transfer from Division II Shepherd, was dubbed Elon’s top defensive player in the Duke game. He has been with the Phoenix since arriving as a transfer in January.
“It translated in those games (with Shepherd) and now it’s translating here,” Carroll said of his tutelage, which recently involves defensive coordinator Casey Vance. “Right from the get-go, Coach Vance had us prepared. It felt pretty natural.”
Trisciani pointed to a need for improved tackling and a quest for smoother operations on special teams as areas being addressed this week.
Davidson, coming off an opening 51-14 loss to visiting Georgetown, is under first-year coach Saj Thakkar.
The Phoenix and Wildcats last played in February 2021 in the revamped COVID season, with Elon’s 26-23 triumph marking its only victory in what became a six-game season.
Last year, Elon went 2-4 in home games.
“You got to win at home. The great teams always win at home,” Clark said. “The more and more games that we win here, the more and more people are going to come and support us.”
Elon hangs close at Duke
Elon put itself in position for an upset of Duke in last Thursday night’s season opener.
That was until the Blue Devils racked up the game’s final 21 points in the last 11½ minutes for a 45-17 victory at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham.
“To be in a one-score game in the fourth quarter against Duke, that was awesome,” Trisciani said. “I’m going to keep reminding (our players) of that.”
Darian Mensah, a transfer from Tulane, threw three second-half touchdown passes in his Duke debut. He completed his last 14 throws, with key hook-ups with Harvard transfer Cooper Barkate, who gained 117 yards on five receptions. Sahmir Hagans caught two touchdown passes.
Clark threw for 101 yards and picked up another 61 yards on the ground.
“I’m real proud of him for the job he did in this environment,” Trisciani said. “. . . He did not flinch at all.”
Clark’s 2-yard, third-down run with 3:43 left in the first half helped the Phoenix forge a 10-10 tie that stood up into the third quarter. Luke Barnes provided Elon’s first points with a 35-yard field goal earlier in the second quarter on a possession sparked by T.J. Thomas’ 44-yard run.
Elon’s other touchdown came when Landyn Backey ran 3 yards on a fourth-down sweep with 14:12 remaining as the Phoenix pulled within 24-17.
Duke, which also won against the Phoenix in the 2024 opener, scored less than three minutes later on Mensah’s pass to Hagans and soon after added to the margin on Que’Sean Brown’s 78-yard punt return.
Elon didn’t commit a turnover, but it was hurt by Duke’s 10 tackles for losses.
Tight end Dylan Magazu notched a career-high 61 receiving yards on three catches. Junior Darren James-Hamilton’s 11 tackles were the most in his career.
