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ELON -- With a big win under its belt, a Top 10 ranking, and a large crowd, the Elon Phoenix looked poised to make quick work of Samford in its Southern Conference home-opener.

The Phoenix (4-1, 2-0) eventually came out on top with a 23-17 victory over the Bulldogs. But it was a struggle for most of the game, especially on the offensive side of the football.

Elon coach Pete Lembo knew that his football team did not play at its peak, but still found a way to win. He sees the win as an educational experience.

"This is a humbling win," Lembo said. "Everybody took turns losing focus. I hope they learn from this. I want experiences like this to stick in the back of their head."

The game could have easily been a loss for the Phoenix it wasn't for the play of the defense. They stepped up in the fourth quarter, shutting out the Bulldogs and forcing a crucial turnover.

With Elon ahead 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Terell Wilson blitzed from his left cornerback position, the fourth time he had blitzed during the game. This time he got to Samford quarterback Dustin Taliaferro and caused a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Eric Ludwig.

"The defensive linemen went high and held up the tackle so I could get to the quarterback," said Wilson, who also had an interception and a key tackle on a 3rd and 2 play. "That's all I'm trying to do is be a playmaker."

The Phoenix settled for an Andrew Wilcox 45-yard field goal with 4:59 to play and then the defense did the rest. The Phoenix defense kept everything in front and put good pressure on Taliaferro. The Bulldogs faced a 4th and 3 at the 40 with 53 seconds to play, but the pass was bobbled and dropped, giving the Phoenix the win.

"I'm really proud of the way the defense played down the stretch," Lembo said. "It's nice to know you've got guys that are going to step up and make plays even when the rest of the team is playing bad. Hopefully this will get us refocused."

The other big play for the Phoenix came just before halftime. On a third and 10 at their own 9-yard line, the Phoenix decided to play it safe and threw a screen pass to freshman running back A.J. Harris. Harris broke a couple of initial tackles and then one more 10 yards later. He started tip-toeing down the sideline and was tripped by a diving defender, but after stumbling, kept his feet and outran the last defender for a 91-yard touchdown, the second longest pass play in Elon history. The score gave the Phoenix a 17-3 lead with 1:48 to go in the second quarter.

"We were in a defense to stop the screen," said Samford coach Pat Sullivan. "Then they throw it and it goes for 90-some yards. They just out-executed us on that play."

After exchanging turnovers and personal foul penalties, Elon got on the board just before the end of the first quarter. A pass to Terrell Hudgins came up a yard short of the first down at the Elon 19. Wilcox came in a kicked a 27-yard field goal to give the Phoenix a 3-0 lead.

Samford (2-2, 0-1) scored its first touchdown as a member of the Southern Conference on the ensuing possession. The Bulldogs went 65 yards in 10 plays, with a scoring pass to Jonathan Lowery from Dustin Taliaferro covering the final 16 yards.

Samford 0 10 7 0 -- 17

Elon 3 14 3 3 -- 23

Elon--FG Wilcox 27

Sam--J.Lowery 16 pass from Taliaferro (Fraites kick)

Elon--Camp 6 pass from Riddle (Wilcox kick)

Elon--A.Harris 91 pass from Riddle (Wilcox kick)

Sam--FG Fraites 33

Sam--Evans 2 run (Fraites kick)

Elon--FG Wilcox 35

Elon--FG Wilcox 45

A--11,149.

Samford Elon

First downs 21 19

Rushes-yards 46-174 33-118

Passing 183 291

Comp-Att-Int 18-29-1 18-33-3

Return Yards 12 74

Punts-Avg. 7-40.0 2-55.0

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0

Penalties-Yards 2-20 2-30

Time of Possession 33:24 26:36

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Samford, Evans 23-118, Barnett 8-38, H.Johnson 1-18, B.Johnson 2-3, Taliaferro 12-(minus 3). Elon, Newsome 18-97, Jeffcoat 2-15, A.Harris 3-11, Applegate 1-4, Team 2-(minus 2), Riddle 7-(minus 7).

PASSING--Samford, Taliaferro 18-29-1-183. Elon, Riddle 18-33-3-291.

RECEIVING--Samford, Hawkins 3-48, Covington 3-25, Evans 3-14, B.Johnson 2-37, J.Lowery 2-31, Ogren 2-14, Bradley 2-11, Barnett 1-3. Elon, Hudgins 5-75, Jeffcoat 5-74, A.Harris 3-106, Applegate 2-21, Newsome 2-9, Camp 1-6.