By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Elon got knocked around early in Saturday night’s clash with East Tennessee State and that proved costly.
By the time the Phoenix found stability, the deficit was ultimately too much to overcome in a 34-14 non-conference loss at Rhodes Stadium.
“I don’t know who we were to start that football game,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said.
By the end, the Phoenix was saddled with a 1-3 record going into Coastal Athletic Association play Saturday against visiting Richmond.
East Tennessee State (2-2) outgained Elon 489-271 yards, with much of the damage done in the first quarter.
“We have a team that is capable of bouncing back from that,” Trisciani said.
The Buccaneers struck for 17 points in the game’s first 10 minutes, using a 75-yard drive and, following an Elon fumble, needed to go only 32 yards for their next touchdown.
“We didn’t dig our cleats in early enough,” defensive end Cazeem Moore said.
Whether it was the missed tackles that Trisciani detected or the quickness of East Tennessee State quarterback Jaylen King, the Phoenix wasn’t in sync. King threw for 233 yards and gained 93 more on the ground, often carving up Elon’s defense.
Elon quarterback Matthew Downing was 12-for-20 for 129 yards – with more than half of that yardage belonging to Jamarien Dalton (five catches for 71 yards). Downing made a touchdown throw, but he was sacked three times.
East Tennessee State was relentless, converting on both fourth-down efforts across the first three quarters in the first meeting between the teams in 21 years.
Elon finally broke through on the first play of the second quarter when T.J. Thomas, Jr. scored on a 3-yard run on a direct snap. The Phoenix had three more possessions with chances before halftime to cut into the 17-7 deficit, managing a total of 59 yards on those three possessions.
“We didn’t get that big-play spark,” Trisciani said.
Then Elon didn’t pick up a first down on the second half’s opening possession, with the Buccaneers making them pay with a 70-yard drive that consumed almost 5½ minutes. The Phoenix went three-and-out on its next possession as well.
Trailing 31-7, Chandler Brayboy turned Downing’s short pass into a 15-yard touchdown play late in the third quarter.
Thomas ended with a season-low 26 rushing yards, though Rushawn Baker racked up a season 48 yards on the ground.
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