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ELON -- The numbers at halftime were staggering:

Score: Elon 26, The Citadel 0.

First downs: Elon 16, The Citadel 0.

Total yards: Elon 287, The Citadel 26.

And even those numbers didn't tell the story of just how dominating the Phoenix was during a 43-7 thrashing of the Bulldogs on Saturday at Rhodes Stadium.

The defense set the tone by forcing a three-and-out on The Citadel's first possession, then giving the offense a short field with a good punt return. Three plays later, the Phoenix had a 7-0 lead.

"I was pleased at how focused we were," said Elon coach Pete Lembo. "We talked a lot this week about what it was going to take to win this football game. I think this group came in with an understanding of that and how important this game was. I think the performance speaks for itself."

His counterpart at The Citadel, Kevin Higgins, agreed.

"We knew they were a very good football team," Higgins said. "It starts up front and we couldn't block their down linemen. We couldn't get our running game going, and on third down they were dropping eight and rushing three. They (the defensive linemen) did a great job of executing their technique and flushed (quarterback) Bart (Blanchard) out of the pocket often."

And while the Elon offense was impressive with both quick strikes and long drives, the defense turned in another outstanding performance. The Phoenix didn't give up a first down until 7:44 to play in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs didn't move into Elon territory until 11:07 to play in the game. The defense also held The Citadel's outstanding wide receiver, Andre Roberts, to one catch for 13 yards.

"In essence, he was double-teamed and usually that would mean we have room to run the ball, but we couldn't get the running game going," Higgins said. "We didn't execute like we are capable of."

Elon defensive back Karlos Sullivan put the final nail in the coffin with a interception and a 14-yard return for a touchdown with 40 seconds left in the third quarter. That gave the Phoenix a 36-0 lead.

"We've got a lot of confidence when we go out there for the first series," Sullivan said. "We're doing a good job on first down and on third down. We are focused on doing our own thing and taking care of our responsibility."

A 28-yard punt return by Sullivan set up the Phoenix at The Citadel's 22-yard line for its first possession. A penalty and two pass plays to Terrell Hudgins later, Elon had a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

The Phoenix (5-1, 3-0 Southern) only needed one play to score on its next possession after another Bulldogs punt. This time Phoenix quarterback Scott Riddle saw Sean Jeffcoat in one-on-one coverage with a half-step on defensive back Ryan Jones. Riddle hit Jeffcoat with a perfectly thrown ball for a 55-yard touchdown and a 13-0 lead with 10:20 to play in the first quarter after Adam Shreiner's extra-point kick was blocked.

The Citadel 0 0 0 7 -- 7

Elon 20 6 10 7 -- 43

Elon--Hudgins 7 pass from Riddle (Shreiner kick)

Elon--Jeffcoat 55 pass from Riddle (kick blocked)

Elon--Newsome 3 run (Shreiner kick)

Elon--FG Shreiner 24

Elon--FG Shreiner 27

Elon--FG Shreiner 43

Elon--K.Sullivan 14 interception return (Shreiner kick)

Citadel--Hardy 5 pass from Blanchard (Keeler kick)

Elon--Th.Wilson 1 run (Shreiner kick)

A--7,524

Citadel Elon

First downs 5 29

Rushes-Yards 19-18 51-267

Passing 102 276

Comp-Att-Int 14-27-2 22-38-0

Return yards 0 61

Punts-Avg. 8-41.4 2-46.5

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1

Penalties-Yards 9-85 9-91

Time of possession 22:27 37:33

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--The Citadel, Dallas 4-6, V.Jones 4-6, Blanchard 9-6, Starks 2-0. Elon, Shuman 25-167, A.Harris 13-43, Newsome 8-37, Camp 1-18, Th.Wilson 2-3, Riddle 2-(minus 1).

PASSING--The Citadel, Blanchard 14-25-2-102, Starks 0-2-0-0. Elon, Riddle 18-33-0-220, Th.Wilson 4-5-0-56.

RECEIVING--The Citadel, V.Jones 4-29, Harward 3-19, Hardy 3-14, Ruff 1-15, Roberts 1-13, Dallas 1-7, Caldwell 1-5. Elon, Hudgins 6-65, Camp 6-62, A.Harris 3-23, Jeffcoat 2-58, Mellette 2-30, Shuman 2-26, Labinowicz 1-12.