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Elon receiver Bryson Daughtry can't haul in a pass against No. 10 Villanova on Saturday afternoon.
Times-News
Photo courtesy of Elon Athletics
ELON — Charged with competing against its second Top 10 opponent in as many weeks, the Elon football team once again ran up against one of the top defenses on the Football Championship Subdivision level.
No. 10 Villanova made its way to Rhodes Stadium for Elon’s homecoming on Saturday afternoon, boasting a Top 10 national ranking in total defense (274.1 yards) and rushing defense (97.0), while ranking 15th in scoring defense (17.4 points per game) and 17th in passing defense (177.1).
The Wildcats put their defensive prowess on display, stifling the Elon offense and gradually pulling away for a 35-0 victory in Colonial Athletic Association play.
The Phoenix (4-5 overall, 3-3 CAA) was limited to season-lows in rushing yards (17), passing yards (146) and total offense (163 yards) and held off the scoreboard for the first time since Oct. 17, 2015 when the Phoenix fell to James Madison 51-0.
“Disappointed that we fell short of our expectations,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “A lot of credit goes to Villanova. They dominated the football game. They played suffocating defense. Took advantage of some takeaways; they were opportunistic in those situations. We struggled to find a rhythm and sustaining drives and moving the football and scoring points. Just really couldn't get it going.”
The loss was Elon’s second straight, both coming against Top 10 teams. Elon fell to No. 3 James Madison last week, snapping the Phoenix’s three-game win streak.
Elon’s offensive woes began immediately, when senior quarterback Davis Cheek and receiver Chandler Brayboy were on different pages, resulting in an interception on the Phoenix’s first offensive play. That gave the ball to Villanova at the Elon 41-yard line.
“The first play was just a miscommunication between me and Chandler,” Cheek said. “We can’t have it happen. That’s a killer. Obviously, we can’t have one play, two turnovers. Defense, they played really well to start the game. To have three drives and only seven points, especially after two turnovers, that’s tough to do.”
The Elon defense responded by forcing a three-and-out of the Wildcats offense, preventing Villanova from taking advantage of excellent field position.
Elon’s Kortez Weeks muffed the ensuing punt and Villanova’s Forrest Rhyne recovered the ball at the Elon 29-yard line.
On third-and-10, Villanova’s DeeWil Barlee alluded Phoenix defenders and picked up 21 yards and a first down. Two plays later, quarterback Daniel Smith found Jalen Jackson for a 10-yard touchdown to put the Wildcats in front 7-0.
Smith threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns on 16-for-23 passing while adding two rushing scores and Jackson finished as the leading rusher with 75 yards on 22 carries to pace the Wildcats (7-2, 5-1)
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The Phoenix’s struggles continued for the remainder of the first half. Of the team’s five first-half drives, four ended in punts, the other halted with the Cheek interception. Two of those drives ended up being three-and-outs and at halftime, the Phoenix offense had mustered 32 yards on 18 plays as Villanova held possession of the ball for 22:11 of the game’s first 30 minutes.
“We struggled to establish the run game,” Trisciani said. “They play fast. When they pressure, they come hard, they come fast. We had trouble protecting the quarterback. We had trouble creating separation on the perimeter. They were very aggressive on the perimeter, a lot of hands-on, we had trouble creating separation. When we did create some separation, we had trouble making some contested catches. We really just couldn't get it going.”
Elon running back McKinley Witherspoon is tackled by Villanova defenders on Saturday afternoon.
Times-News
Photo courtesy of Elon Athletics
Cheek finished 13-for-28 passing for 146 yards and one interception.
“I thought the O-line was doing a good job, honestly,” Cheek said. “I got to be better; that’s really what it comes down to. I got to put the ball in better spots for the wide receivers, just do a better job with all of that. They get credit, obviously. They did a good job and No. 43 Rhyne, he’s a good player. He came prepared.”
The Elon defense held things together for a while as the Phoenix offense sputtered, keeping the score 7-0 until about midway through the second quarter when Smith connected with Jaaron Hayek for a 48-yard score.
As time expired on the first half, Smith kept the ball on fourth-and-goal from the 2, diving for the end zone and stretching the ball out for the goal line, adding another touchdown to send Villanova to the halftime locker room with a 21-0 lead.
“I was happy with the early stops that we got and kept us in that football game early,” Trisciani said. “It was 7-0 for a while there. I think we had a good plan and the guys played hard. The big plays hurt. We had some opportunities to get some stops on third down, also. I was pleased with how we came out and played and got some early stops.”
The Elon offense discovered more success in the second half, totaling 131 yards on 28 plays, but still could never piece together multiple positive plays in order to find the end zone.
“We struggled to build momentum as an offense,” said Elon running back Jaylan Thomas. “Hats off to Villanova for coming out and playing a heck of a football game. They have some good players, and we knew that coming in. But, we also knew that if we played our brand of ball, that we was going to make it a close game in the fourth quarter. And, we struggled to play our brand of ball and we struggled to get some momentum.”
The Phoenix will attempt to flush this loss from its system and immediately get back to work, Trisciani said. Elon travels to Towson for a CAA game next week.
“When we meet (Sunday), we’ll make the corrections and make sure that we have our goals lined up for the week in practice," he said. "We’ll practice with a purpose and prepare for next week to be 1-0 on Saturday against Towson. It’s the only thing we know to do. I’ve seen us play better than (in this game), so I know we’re capable of playing better than we did in all three phases. It’ll be back to work and look to be 1-0 next week.”
David Kehrli is a sports reporter at the Burlington Times-News and USA Today Network. You can reach him at david.kehrli@thetimesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidKehrliTN. Subscribe to the Burlington Times-News here.
