By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Elon made the longest football trip in school history last week, coming up short at Stanford.
The Phoenix fell 34-7 on Saturday at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, California.
“There are some positives we can build on from that game,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “I felt we matched their physicality well early in the game, particularly up front, held them scoreless in the first quarter.”
Elon running back Kameron McDowell-Moore rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
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The freshman has eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
The farthest Elon had previously traveled for a game was Abilene, Texas, when it faced Abilene Christian in 1973.
Against Stanford, Elon didn’t commit a turnover, didn’t allow a sack, and was charged with only two penalties.
The Phoenix trailed 14-0 at halftime despite reaching Stanford territory on four consecutive possessions. Elon’s Luke Barnes missed field goal attempts from 54 and 46 yards.
Stanford punted to end its first two second-half possessions before extending its lead.
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Micah Ford ran for four touchdowns and 179 yards for the Cardinal (3-4). His final TD run went for 81 yards in the fourth quarter.
That was followed less than four minutes later by McDowell-Moore’s 18-yard touchdown run.
T.J. Crews, IV was at quarterback for Elon, going 8-for-27 for 52 yards.
“We didn’t execute well enough in the passing game,” Trisciani said. “We struggled on third down.”
Elon is off this week before returning to Coastal Athletic Association play.
The Phoenix (4-4 overall, 2-2 CAA) visits North Carolina A&T (3-5, 2-2), which is also off this week, for an October 31 meeting in Greensboro.
“Gives us an opportunity to get some guys healthy and evaluate where we are,” Trisciani said after the team played on eight consecutive weeks.
