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Elon running back Jaylan Thomas picks up yards Saturday during the Phoenix’s victory at Maine.
Times-News
Photo courtesy of Emma Gellman / Elon athletics
ORONO, Maine — Elon found more success on the road, this time with quarterback Davis Cheek in the driver’s seat.
Cheek threw for 332 yards and accounted for four touchdowns to help steer the visiting Phoenix past Maine 33-23 in Colonial Athletic Association football Saturday at Alfond Stadium.
Elon never trailed, but needed McKinley Witherspoon’s 2-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to regain separation, after the host Black Bears pulled within 26-23.
Elon (3-3 overall, 2-1 CAA) picked up its second CAA road victory in as many games. The Phoenix defense delivered a series of goal-line stands in the second half to cement a win at Richmond the week prior.
On Saturday at Maine, the senior Cheek connected with three different targets for touchdowns — 9 yards to tight end Donovan Williams, 30 yards to running back Jaylan Thomas and 39 yards to receiver Bryson Daughtry — and added a 1-yard score on the ground to move Elon ahead 26-10 in the third quarter.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “We came up here and got a CAA win and that was our goal. It was a game in which we had to be very resilient. We gave up some explosive plays on defense and special teams, and we had to really back and play the next snap.”
Elon led 19-3 late in the second quarter after Cheek and Thomas hooked up on their touchdown, and the Elon defense stopped Maine on a fourth-and-2 that set the table for Cheek’s touchdown pass to Daughtry.
Maine (1-4, 0-3) pulled within 19-10 by halftime on Derek Robertson’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Bowman in the final 40 seconds of the first half.
Trevin Ewing’s 96-yard touchdown on a kickoff return and Zavier Scott’s 8-yard touchdown run allowed the Black Bears to cut Elon’s lead to 26-23.
Cheek went 29 of 37 passing and wasn’t intercepted. Jackson Parham (six catches for 71 yards) and Daughtry (four catches for 89 yards) were among the nine different Elon receivers who caught passes. Thomas had 96 all-purpose yards (51 receiving and 45 rushing).
Elon produced 24 first downs, converted 12 of 16 third-down chances into first downs, and finished with 421 total yards.
Elon improved to 3-1 in road games this season and earned its first 2-1 start in the CAA since 2018.
Maine’s Robertson threw for 283 yards on 19 of 32 passing. Andre Miller hauled in eight catches for 176 yards for the Black Bears.
The Phoenix has an open date on the schedule next weekend, before playing host to New Hampshire, nationally ranked on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, on Oct. 23 at Rhodes Stadium.
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