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ELON (MCT) — Starting the season with back-to-back dominating performances has sent confidence flowing throughout the Elon football team.

But there’s also a firm sense of realism among the Phoenix.

“Of course I’m pleased with scoring 40-plus a game and with our defense playing as good as they are,” quarterback Scott Riddle (Eastern Randolph HS) said this week. “But we were expected to beat these two teams. That’s good that we did that, but you can’t really get a judgment off these games.”

Now comes an appearance in a higher court. Elon faces Wake Forest on Saturday night in what will be the Phoenix’s second game in school history against an opponent from college football’s highest level, the Football Bowl Subdivision, the classification formerly known as Division I-A.

It’s a step up in competition that will mark Elon’s first meeting with a team from the ACC.

“It’s going to be really exciting and I think it’s going to be really good for the program, to see what we can do,” receiver Sean Jeffcoat said. “I think we have a lot of confidence in what we can do. But we still need to get better than what we’re doing.”

What Elon has done is overwhelm Davidson and Presbyterians by a combined margin of 97-7 on the scoreboard and 1,189-195 in total yards.

And in a direct byproduct of its season-opening blowouts, Elon owns the nation’s top-ranked offense and defense in terms of statistics for the Football Championship Subdivision level.

“You’ve always got to stay grounded, though,” linebacker Joshua Jones said. “We know Wake Forest is a good team. Now that we’re finally here, we know what a tough game it’s going to be. They’re in a BCS conference, so they’re obviously going to be a good team.”

Elon certainly didn’t grow content with its 41-7 manhandling of Presbyterian on Saturday.

Even with the Phoenix giving up just 2 rushing yards and harassing Presbyterian quarterback Brandon Miley into three sacks, there was defensive end Brandon Ward on the Elon sideline, steamed at himself for not being more of a disruptive force.

Riddle and Jeffcoat still expected cleaner execution from an Elon offense that generated 614 yards.

Perhaps most telling was the stonefaced expression of coach Pete Lembo. As the Phoenix showered and packed for the ride home from Clinton, S.C., there sat Lembo, munching potato chips at the front of one of the team’s charter buses.

It was clear he wasn’t enamored with some of the details attached to the victory.

“It’s another opportunity and hopefully we’re going to make the most of it,” Lembo said of the Wake game. “But it really doesn’t matter. I just want to see our team play the way we’re capable of playing. I really don’t care who we’re playing.

“I know we’ve got nine more games. That’s all we’re guaranteed, and I just want to see us play our best. It doesn’t matter who they are, what conference they’re in, I just want to see us play the way we can play.”