Elon turned it on in the second half on Saturday afternoon, and would pull away from Maine 43-17 in Coastal Athletic Association football action at Rhodes Stadium in Elon, North Carolina.
The Black Bears offense was anemic in the first half, only amassing a total of 90 net yards. They also had two punts blocked, the second of which went through the back of their own endzone for a safety. The Phoenix (4-1, 2-1 CAA) would get a 57-yard touchdown reception by Dylan Magazu from Elijah Guttman, and a 55-yard scoring run from Kamerin McDowell-Moore to build a 19-3 lead at the halftime break. Maine came out in the third quarter and forced a three and out on defense, and then went on a 68 yard drive and capped it with their first touchdown of the afternoon. Rashawn Marshall went in for six points to cut the deficit to 19-10 on a 30-yard run. Elon wasn’t phased however, and would score the next 24 points to make it 43-10 in pulling away for the home victory. Quarterback Caden Drezek connected with Kevin Jackson for an 8-yard TD late in the game for the Black Bears. It was the first career TD throw for Drezek, and first career TD catch for Jackson.
Guttman went 11-29 passing with one touchdown and one interception in the Elon win. McDowell-Moore rushed for 126 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while Kenaz McMillan led in receptions with three for 46 yards and a score. Eddie Buehler completed just 14-35 passes in the Maine loss for 88 yards. Backup quarterback Caden Drezek came into the game in the fourth quarter, and did toss an 8-yard TD to Kevin Jackson. It was the first career TD pass for Drezek, and the first career TD reception for Jackson. Marshall had his best game of the season to this point with 105 yards on the ground on 14 attempts and one touchdown. Nick Laughlin (Cape Elizabeth) had three catches for 30 yards. Jeremiah McGill had eight total tackles (six solo) and an interception for the defense. Sam Oppenheimer had six total tackles, while Noah Carpenter (Leavitt) and Derek Berlitz had five a piece. Both teams were really bad on third down conversions, as Elon went just 1 for 12 and Maine was 7 for 21. The Black Bears (1-4, 1-1 CAA) will travel back to Orono to take on Sacred Heart in the conference home opener next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Photo of Rashawn Marshall is from UMaine Athletics
