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Elon quarterback Davis Cheek sets up to throw as Richmond defensive lineman Caleb Brooks, back, approaches on a rush during Saturday’s game.
Times-News
Photo courtesy of Elon athletics
RICHMOND, Va. — Elon capped an unflinching performance on defense with a goal-line stand during the final two minutes, cementing its 20-7 defeat of No. 22 Richmond in Colonial Athletic Association football Saturday at Robins Stadium.
Richmond made three trips inside Elon’s 10-yard line during the second half, the last two in the game’s final eight minutes, and came away scoreless on all of them, denied by the Phoenix time and again.
Elon (2-3 overall, 1-1 CAA) picked up its first conference victory since November 2019. The Phoenix went winless in four CAA games during its abbreviated spring season, after the 2020 fall season wasn’t played due to COVID-19 concerns.
Davis Cheek threw for 197 yards and connected with Bryson Daughtry on a 14-yard touchdown pass in the first half to put Elon ahead to stay. McKinley Witherspoon’s 6-yard touchdown run early in the second half gave Elon a 17-7 lead.
Elon’s Jaylan Thomas scampered 43 yards on a screen pass from Cheek to set up Witherspoon’s touchdown run. Thomas finished with 100 all-purpose yards, 53 rushing and 47 receiving.
Skyler Davis provided a pair of field goals for the Phoenix, hitting from 36 and 48 yards. The latter kick, with 4:23 remaining in the third quarter, moved Elon’s lead to 20-7.
Richmond (2-3, 0-2), nationally ranked on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level, jumped in front 7-0 in the first quarter on Beau English’s 33-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Dykes.
English, the Spiders’ backup quarterback, threw for 193 yards. Richmond starter Joe Mancuso was sidelined by a broken finger on his right hand, an injury suffered Sept. 25 at Virginia Tech.
“For us, we were 1-0 this week,” Elon coach Tony Trisciani said. “That was the plan and we knew we were capable of it. Beating a ranked team added to the carrot that was dangling in front of us. We had to do our job and be disciplined and limit mistakes and big plays.”
Richmond defeated Elon 38-14 (at Elon) and 31-17 (at Richmond) in March during the abbreviated spring season.
On Saturday, Elon’s defense delivered a shutout across the game’s final three quarters and forced two turnovers – a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Joey Barbera after defensive back Dylan Tucker batted down a pass traveling backward, and defensive back Tre’Von Jones’s interception in the end zone.
During Richmond’s last three drives, the Spiders ran 11 plays inside the Elon 10-yard line and the Phoenix didn’t allow a score of any kind.
Richmond reached the Elon 1 late in the third quarter, before encountering a brick wall at the goal line. On fourth-and-goal, Jones grabbed his clutch interception, picking off a pass in the back corner of the end zone thrown by Spiders receiver Isaac Brown on a trick play.
Devonte Chandler topped Elon’s defense with 11 tackles. Marvin Pearson and Jones added two tackles for losses apiece, with Pearson supplying a sack.
Elon has a CAA road assignment at Maine next weekend.
Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and USA TODAY Network. You can reach him by email at asmith@thetimesnews.com or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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