.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Elon tries to get magic back after tough finish
(STATS) - Elon's season could have taken a dramatically different turn had it not rallied back after blowing a 21-point lead in its FCS opener, so the Phoenix aren't particularly concerned about a rocky finish.
A season that was defined by success in close games could be in for another tight turn Saturday as 15th-ranked Elon hosts No. 22 Furman in a playoff rematch of an early season thriller.
The Phoenix (8-3) opened up with a 47-13 loss at MAC power Toledo, hardly a surprise result in Curt Cignetti's first game on the sidelines given that he'd inherited a team that had gone 9-37 over the previous four seasons.
So imagine the surprise when Elon jumped out to a 21-0 lead a week later at Furman (7-4), getting a pair of touchdown passes from true freshman Davis Cheek, who had looked lost against the Rockets a week earlier. Then picture the disappointment when the entirety of that cushion evaporated over the course of 19:36 of game time, with the Paladins taking a 31-24 lead into the fourth.
That all led to the euphoria of the comeback-within-the-collapse that Elon offered in the final three minutes. Cheek threw his third touchdown pass of the game and second to Tre Lennon to tie the score at 31, then Owen Johnson's 36-yard field goal with five seconds left lifted the Phoenix to a 34-31 victory.
That set off a run of eighth straight wins, none of which were two-possession games and five of which were decided by a field goal or less.
It's easy to forgive a pair of losses to close the regular season, a 16-6 setback at New Hampshire and a 31-3 drubbing to defending national champion James Madison. After all, Elon hadn't sniffed a winning season since 2010 and hadn't made the playoffs since a year before that, so simply watching Sunday's selection show with hope was a thrill.
"When (our team) saw our name pop up on the board, it was euphoria," Cignetti said. "I doubt anybody expected us to be in this position. It's created a lot of excitement."
And it likely never would have come to fruition had things kept going south against Furman.
"What that game did was it gave us confidence," Cignetti said. "It was our first win, so there was a great celebration in the locker room. That kind of got the ball rolling, we won eight straight after that."
The Paladins had a more extended slide at the beginning of their season before going on a tear. Furman preceded the Elon game with a one-point loss at eventual Southern Conference champ Wofford and followed it with a 49-16 loss at North Carolina State.
Then came seven straight wins by an average of nearly 25 points. A loss at Samford in the finale denied the Paladins a chance at a share of the SoCon title, but they're back in the playoffs for the first time since 2013.
"You get in, you've got a chance," said first-year coach Clay Hendrix. "They're a really similar program to ours. It's a really, really great matchup."
If the Paladins plan on going anywhere in the playoffs, they'll see more than just one familiar opponent. Saturday's winner will face Wofford, and Furman certainly would love to get the Terriers again after coming within a failed two-point conversion in the final minute of knocking them off on Sept. 2.
Athletic director Mike Buddie referred to the playoff path for the Paladins - picked to finish seventh in the SoCon in the preseason - as the #RedemptionTour on Twitter following the selection show.
Furman rarely beats itself. The Paladins turned it over just 12 times on the season and five times over their final seven games, though they lost two of four fumbles against Elon. Their 36 penalties were the fewest in the FCS.
Elon only gave it away 15 times, but if there's a difference in this one it could come on third downs. Furman converts 50.3 percent of the time, fourth in the nation and third among playoff teams, while the Phoenix are at 34.0 percent - 80th in the FCS and dead last among those 24 title contenders.
They were just 3 of 14 against James Madison, but Cignetti thinks playing the best the subdivision has to offer last weekend will ultimately be a big help.
"For a lot of our guys, the game will slow down significantly this week," he said. "So I'm glad to play them before going into the playoffs."
