Team firsts, broken records and fulfilled goals were just some of the events the Homecoming crowd witnessed as the No. 16 Phoenix beat the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Mocs Saturday afternoon 38-28.

The victory guaranteed the Phoenix [6-2 overall, 4-1 conference] its first winning record since 2000 and first ever as a member of the SoCon. Having a winning record is not good enough for the Phoenix, though.

“It feels great after three years of having a losing record,” said senior wide receiver Michael Mayers. “But now we need to worry about Furman next week.”

The Mocs did not make it easy for the Phoenix though. Chattanooga scored on its opening drive on a 22-yard pass to sophomore Blue Cooper and then the defense forced the explosive Phoenix offense to punt on the following drive. Unfortunately for the Mocs, The Phoenix scored touchdowns on its next five possessions.

The second half was a different story, though as both teams’ defenses settled down and only gave up 10 points combined. The Mocs’ strong safety Jeff Phillips attributed his team’s second half improvement to the adjustments the coaches made.

“We came in with a game plan to get pressure on the quarterback, and it worked for a little, but then they adjusted,” Phillips said. “In the second half we played more coverage and didn’t bring as much pressure.”

Freshmen quarterback Scott Riddle did not appear to be phased by the pressure in the first half, as he completed 36 passes for 356 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another score and was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.

When the day was finished, Riddle had set four team records and one conference record. Riddle now holds the Elon record for most touchdown passes [23], touchdowns responsible for [28], passing yards [2,606] and passes completed [254]. He also holds the SoCon record for most games passing for 300 or more yards. His effort drew praise from both his team and the Mocs after the game.

“[Riddle] is a great decision-maker,” Mocs head coach Rodney Allison said. “You can tell he’s got something to him.”

Although Riddle admits it’s cool to be in the record book, he doesn’t take credit for his accomplishments.

“Records are not a big deal, this offense puts me in a situation where I can put up the numbers I do,” Riddle said. “We got guys on this team that can probably throw it just as well as I can.”

The win marked the fourth conference win for the Phoenix this season, which head coach Pete Lembo said was one of the goals he set for this team at the beginning of the year.

“We’re all happy to get a meaningful win, it’s not easy to get wins in this league,” Lembo said. “I don’t think there is any doubt that to get a win next week we’re going to have to play better.”

Lembo also said that his team lacked a killer instinct to put games away, which was obvious in the second half of last Saturday’s game. The Phoenix only scored three points in the second half and turned the ball over two times, allowing the Mocs to stay in the game.

This week the Phoenix travels to Greenville, S.C. to play the Furman University Paladins in a game the Phoenix players see as a must win if they want to win the conference championship. Although the Paladins [3-5 overall, 1-3 SoCon] are having a disappointing season, they are 9-1 in 10 games against the Phoenix. The last time the Phoenix beat the Paladins was in 1999.

Sports Editor: Jeff Rickel - 10/31/07