ELON, N.C. – In the season opener, the Wofford College football team defeated Elon 24-22 at Rhodes Stadium as the Phoenix missed the game-winning field goal attempt with eight seconds remaining. The Terriers had a 21-10 lead at the half, but Elon scored the next 12 points for a lead. A field goal by Walker Gliarmis in the fourth quarter proved to give the Terriers the final margin.
 
Wofford opens the season at 1-0, while Elon is 0-1. The Terriers were led by Irvin Mulligan with 110 rushing yards, while Peyton Derrick was 10-of-18 passing for 155 yards. Elon quarterback Davis Cheek was 29-of-51 passing for 312 yards.
 
"We overcame a lot of adversity today and some of it was of our own doing," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "In the end, we got the win. I know the make-up of this team and in the next couple of weeks we will continue to improve. We made some big plays when we needed to and that is what football is. It was really important to get off to a good start this season, especially with a non-conference game."
 
On the first play of the game Jamari Broussard had a 26-yard run, but Wofford had to punt. The Phoenix had two passing first downs before punting. A 33-yard reception by Alec Holt was followed by a first down run by Peyton Derrick. A deep pass was intercepted by Elon at the seven-yard line. They gained three first downs before kicking a 39-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 1:38 left in the first quarter. Wofford went three-and-out on their next possession, but so did the Phoenix on the ensuing drive.
 
After a first down reception by R.J. Khayo, Irvin Mulligan took a hand-off 65-yards down the near sideline for a touchdown. Wofford had a 7-3 lead at the 12:26 mark of the second quarter. Elon went three-and-out on their next possession and punted. The Terriers followed with a three-and-out with the Phoenix taking over at their 33-yard line. A 37-yard run up the middle by Elon quarterback Davis Cheek and a first down run moved the ball into the redzone. A 20-yard touchdown pass gave Elon a 10-7 advantage with 7:16 left in the first half.
 
Peyton Derrick found Landon Parker for a 71-yard reception as he stepped out of bounds at the four-yard line. Ryan Ingram capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run for a 14-10 lead with 6:24 on the clock. On the opening play of the next drive by Elon, Amir Annoor picked off a pass on the far sideline and Wofford took over at the 16-yard line. After a first down run, Nathan Walker took the ball in for a two-yard touchdown and a 21-10 lead for the Terriers with 5:36 left in the half. After Elon went three-and-out, Wofford had a first down on a pass interference call before punting. Elon got the ball back with 2:20 left and had four first downs. A pass into the end-zone was broken up as time expired, but a replay review put two seconds on the clock and the Phoenix made a 41-yard field goal. At the half, Wofford had a 21-13 lead.
 
On the opening drive of the second half, Elon went three-and-out and punted. On third down, the Phoenix picked off a pass by Peyton Derrick at midfield and returned it to the 17-yard line. After a first down, Elon settled for a 23-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-16 with 9:24 on the clock in the third quarter. Wofford then went three-and-out. The Phoenix quarterback fumbled on a force by Micheal Mason and John Beckley recovered it at the 25-yard line. After a first down, the 26-yard field goal attempt was wide right. Elon then picked up two first downs before finding an open receiver in the endzone for a 37-yard touchdown. The two-point try failed and the Elon lead was 22-21 with 2:31 left in the third quarter.
 
With the ball back, Wofford had six first downs – including a 29-yard run by Ryan Ingram - to move the ball inside the ten-yard line. A 26-yard field goal by Walker Gliarmis gave Wofford a 24-22 advantage with 10:15 left in the fourth quarter. Elon then gained a couple of first downs before punting at midfield for a touchback. Wofford had a passing first down before having to punt back to the Phoenix with 3:32 left on the clock. On fourth-and-two, a run up the middle was stuffed by the Wofford defensive front for no gain. Wofford appeared to pick up a first down on a run by Peyton Derrick, but he fumbled short of the goal line and the ball was recovered in the endzone by the Phoenix in the endzone for a touchback with 1:04 remaining. Two first down passes moved the ball across midfield. After another first down, the Phoenix lined up for a 46-yard field goal that was short after being partially blocked by Miles Richardson with eight seconds remaining. The Terriers took a knee for the 24-22 victory.  
 
Wofford had 397 total yards, with 242 rushing yards. Elon had 426 total yards, 312 of which were rushing. Elon had a 24 to 14 advantage in first downs. Wofford was 3-of-14 on third down and Elon was 6-of-16 on third down. The Phoenix were 0-of-1 on fourth down. Wofford was called for four penalties to five for Elon. The Phoenix had a 30:42 to 29:10 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Elon Post-Game Notes
Wofford leads the series against Elon 28-11, including the last six straight.
 
In season openers, Wofford is 53-59-1 all-time since 1889.
 
The 65-yard touchdown run by Irvin Mulligan was the longest of his career and his fourth career touchdown. Mulligan also had 110 rushing yards, his second career game with 100+ rushing yards.
 
Amir Annoor had his first career interception in the second quarter. Ryan Ingram scored his first career rushing touchdown in the second quarter. Landon Parker has had receptions of 70 or more yards in two of the last three games played.
 
Harrison Morgan led the team with seven tackles, while Donavan Anderson, Micheal Mason and T.J. Neal had six each. Mason and Romello Gray had sacks.The blocked field goal by Miles Richardson was the first for the Terriers since December 9, 2017 when Brandon Curtis blocked a 50-yard attempt at North Dakota State.
 
Game captains were Peyton Derrick, Brandon Brown, Micheal Mason and Nathan Walker.
 
Attendance at Rhodes Stadium was 8,712
 
After an off week, the Terriers will host Kennesaw State on Saturday, September 18 at Gibbs Stadium. Season and single game tickets are still available at www.woffordterriers.com/tickets.