The losing skid continued for the Elon University football team Saturday afternoon as the Phoenix lost its fourth straight game, this one a 27-3 defeat at the State University of New York at Albany in a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game.
The Phoenix offense continued its weeklong sputter as the Phoenix only scored three points against the Great Danes. During its four-game losing streak, Elon has only scored 27 points, seven coming from a defensive touchdown.
UAlbany was led on the ground by sophomore running back Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, who picked up 210 yards on 35 carries and scored one touchdown, which came midway through the second quarter. He accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Great Danes’ 322 yards on the day.
Elon’s only score came late in the second quarter, when the Phoenix drove the length of the field but got stopped at the seven-yard line. Senior kicker John Gallagher made the 24-yard field goal with 33 seconds left, which cut the score to 10-3.
In the second half, both of UAlbany’s touchdowns came from the defense, as a fumble from Elon sophomore quarterback Daniel Thompson was recovered by UAlbany redshirt sophomore linebacker Julian Cox and returned 12 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Then, in the fourth, sophomore quarterback Conor Hughes’ second pass of the game was intercepted by redshirt senior cornerback Rayshan Clark and returned 36 yards for a touchdown. Hughes finished 1-for-4 for three yards, while Thompson was 14-for-23 for 116 yards.
On the ground, sophomore running back Malcolm Summers led Elon with 60 yards on eight carries. But Summers also had his struggles on the day, fumbling two separate kickoffs.
The Phoenix drops to 2-6 on the year and 1-4 in the CAA. Elon will head back on the road next Saturday for a 2 p.m. game at Towson University.