[box]Sept. 1 @ UNC-Chapel Hill • All-Time Elon Record vs. Tar Heels: 0-0-0 • Key Player for UNC: Sophomore RB Giovani Bernard (1,324 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns in 2011) • Debut: The first meeting between the Phoenix and the Tar Heels will be the first game for new UNC head coach Larry Fedora, who previously coached at Southern Mississippi University.[/box]
Sept. 8 vs. North Carolina Central
• All-Time Elon Record vs. Eagles: 8-3-0 • Key Player for NCCU: RS-Junior WR/KR Geovonie Irvine (580 receiving yards, five receiving touchdowns in 2011) • Last Year: The Phoenix scraped out a 23-22 win in Durham last season, needing a Thomas Wilson 27-yard touchdown pass to then-senior Christian Dennis with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter to pull ahead.
[box]Sept. 15 vs. West Virginia State • All-Time Record vs. Yellow Jackets: 1-0-0 • Key Player for WVSU: Senior QB Ricky Phillips (leading passer, second-leading rusher in 2011) • It’s Been a While: Elon defeated West Virginia State 60-13 Sept. 11, 1993 in the team’s only prior meeting. That season, Robert Burnett tied for third in the most interceptions for an Elon player with eight.[/box]
• All-Time Record vs. Eagles: 3-9-0 • Key Player for GSU: Senior DT Brent Russell (2011 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year) • FCS Powerhouse: The Eagles were ranked fourth in the country to start 2012 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS top-25 College Football Poll, the best ranking of all teams in the SoCon after finishing 11-3 last year and making the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.
[box]Sept. 29 vs. Wofford • All-Time Record vs. Terriers: 11-24-0 • Key Player for Wofford: Senior FB Eric Breitenstein (1,474 rushing yards in 2011, the third-highest single-season total in Wofford history) • Top Runner: Breitenstein is the active FCS leader in rushing yards and touchdowns. He had 28 carries for 217 yards and four touchdowns in a 48-28 Wofford win over the Phoenix last season.[/box]
Oct. 6 @ Appalachian State
• All-Time Record vs. Mountaineers: 9-30-1 • Key Player for Appalachian State: Senior LB Jeremy Kimbrough (105 tackles, four sacks, second team All-American in 2011) • Looking for a First: The Phoenix has not defeated Appalachian State since entering the SoCon in 2003, but have lost by four and three points the last two years, respectively, to the Mountaineers.
Oct. 20 vs. Western Carolina
• All-Time Record vs. Catamounts: 23-16-2 • Key Player for Western Carolina: Senior LB Rock Williams (third in the SoCon in tackles in 2011) • A Familiar Face: Western Carolina head coach Mark Speir spent three seasons on the Elon football coach staff under former head coach Al Seagraves as an assistant coach and recruiting director.[/box]
Oct. 27 vs. Furman
• All-Time Record vs. Paladins: 5-10-0 • Key Player for Furman: Senior TE Colin Anderson (17.4 yards per catch and seven touchdown receptions led all FCS tight ends in 2011) • Upset: Last season on Nov. 12, Elon then-senior linebacker Joshua Jones intercepted Furman quarterback Chris Forcier’s pass and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown to seal a 41-34 win over the then-No. 17 ranked Paladins.
• All-Time Record vs. Bulldogs: 5-6-0 • Key Player for The Citadel: Junior FB Darien Robinson (862 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in 2011) • By a Slim Margin: The bulldogs lost five games by 10 points or fewer in 2011, including a narrow 18-15 loss to Elon Sept. 24. Citadel kicker Ryan Sellers missed a 37-yard field goal in overtime, making Elon then-junior kicker Adam Shreiner’s 33-yarder the winning score.[/box]
Nov. 10 vs. Samford
• All-Time Record vs. Bulldogs: 7-3-0 • Key Player for Samford: Junior RB Fabian Truss (177.4 all-purpose yards per game led SoCon in 2011) • Legend at the Helm: Samford head coach Pat Sullivan won the 1971 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Auburn University and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He played five seasons in the NFL.
• All-Time Record vs. Mocs: 6-3-0 • Key Player for UT-Chattanooga: RS-Sophomore QB Terrell Robinson (named SoCon Freshman of the Year in 2011 by media) • On the Links: Mocs’ senior golfer Steven Fox won the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Golf Club on the first extra hole Aug. 19 over University of California redshirt junior Michael Weaver.[/box]