By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Elon’s defensive backs have been busy making plays across the first month of the season.
They’ll look to turn it up a notch as the Phoenix enters Coastal Athletic Association play this weekend.
“It’s a new group with those combinations,” safety Jesse Powell II said. “Right now, there’s a back-end premium on tackling.”
Elon faces Hampton at 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.
The Phoenix will look for continued production from the secondary.
Safety D.J. James-Hamilton, who made first-quarter interception Saturday night at East Tennessee State, collected 13 tackles for his second double-digit total in as many weeks. Powell had 11 tackles in the most-recent game, while safety Tony Hart III made 11 stops two weeks ago at Western Carolina.
Elon coach Tony Trisciani said Hart and Hamilton played every defensive snap of the last two games.
Hart was active on special teams last season, but now has moved into the spot vacated by standout Caleb Curtain.
“Just taking that role after he left,” Hart said. “Just try to be a leader and make some plays. That has been going very well right now.”
Hart said he was involved in third-down packages in 2024, so this is an extension of that.
“I was already preparing myself ahead of the season,” he said. “I’ve got a bigger role this year. I’ve got to step up and be a leader.”
Hart has fit in that role.
“It has been a highly productive position,” Trisciani said. “… If you look back, Caleb Curtain, Cole Coleman, we’ve had some real talented players play that boundary safety position. . . (Hart) has good instincts. He’s a very physical player. He can help us in a lot of ways.”
While Trisciani said that big tackling numbers for defensive backs sometimes isn’t a good sign, that’s not the case so far.
“Don’t leave anybody out there to just tackle on their own if you can get out there and help,” Powell said.
Hamilton said: “When I’m not using my ball skills, I have to do something else to help the defense. I feel like tackling is another feature I have.”
Elon (2-2) picked up one more victory in non-conference play than a year ago.
“A lot of these teams were teams we thought we should have beat last year,” Powell said.
One of those is Hampton (1-3, 0-1). The Pirates pinned a 41-20 loss on Elon last season, marking the only loss for the Phoenix in three all-time meetings.
“So they have our full attention,” Trisciani said.
Elon won its final four CAA games last year, hoping that will carry over.
“A championship-contender team, that’s what we’re working toward,” Hamilton said. “We just got to keep working day by day.”
Powell said: “Conference play we understand we got to do more. Always going with that mindset. It’s what more can we do?”
Of the CAA’s 14 teams, Elon is one of four teams yet to play a league game.
“I think we’re ready for CAA play,” Trisciani said. “We’ve played some really good football in the last four weeks. Last Saturday wasn’t our best, but there’s going to be growth from that.”
Frustrating defeat
Elon fell 26-16 to East Tennessee State on Saturday night at Johnson City, Tennessee, hindered by a pair of third-quarter turnovers on back-to-back possessions.
“It felt like we let one get away from us,” Trisciani said. “They’re a good football team, but they did not get our best from us.”
A key sequence came after Elon scored on Landon Clark’s 8-yard pass to Dylan Magazu, allowing the Phoenix to pull even at 10-10 with 46 seconds left before halftime. The Buccaneers hurried down the field and scored a touchdown with eight seconds to play in the half.
“That was a tough blow right there,” Trisciani said.
Trailing 26-10 following East Tennessee State’s 14-play touchdown drive, Clark connected with Isaiah Fuhrmann for an 11-yard touchdown play with 6:06 left.
Elon’s Luke Barnes had the game’s first points with a 42-yard field goal.
Clark was 15-for-29 for 223 passing yards and gained a team-high 47 rushing yards. East Tennessee State’s Cade McNamara was 30-for-45 for 268 yards.
The game was delayed for about 2½ hours prior to kickoff because of lightning detections in the area. With a 4½-hour bus ride home, the Phoenix arrived back shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday. That was Elon’s second long pregame delay in a three-game stretch.
