“I thought they played good,” he said. “Give them credit for making some big plays.”

Elon’s leading wide receiver sophomore Aaron Mellette also caught Sullivan’s eye, with nine catches for 77 yards.

“He’s a good player, a big, strong, physical guy,” Sullivan said. “Good players make good plays.”

Samford played Elon’s next opponent, No. 1/2 Appalachian State University, last weekend in a 35-17 loss. Sullivan gave his views on the two teams as the Phoenix prepare to go to Boone next weekend.

“They are two good football teams,” he said. “Both of them play hard.”

He also said he believes Elon is a good enough football team to win against a Mountaineers team that the Phoenix has yet to beat since joining the Southern Conference.

“Sure they can (win),” Sullivan said. “Elon’s a really good football team, and with that good quarterback they got, they can play with anybody.”

Senior wide receiver Lance Camp suffered a sprained ankle on the first offensive snap for the Phoenix against Richmond. He has been on crutches all week and has not participated in practice. Head coach Pete Lembo ruled that it was doubtful he would be ready to play against the Eagles, and the focus is more on Camp being ready for the Oct. 2 game against Samford.

“I know he’s definitely feeling better, the swelling is going down in his ankle,” Lembo said.

Another player who did not participate in today’s practice was senior cornerback Terell Wilson. The defensive back was injured against Shaw with a neck stinger, and aggravated the injury last weekend against Richmond. Despite not being able to practice, Wilson and Lembo both expect the leader of the secondary to be able to play against the Eagles.

On the offensive line, junior Logan Hardin has been able to play this season despite tearing his ACL before the start of the season. While he missed the season opener against Duke, Hardin was able to play through the entire game against Richmond after seeing limited action against Shaw. Based on last weekend’s performance, it seems that Hardin will be able to boost the offensive line this season.

“Logan is feeling better and better, despite the ACL tear, which is just amazing when you think about it,” Lembo said. “He’ll start this week and we’ll see how far he can go.”

With the end of the 2009 season came the end of players like Andre Campbell, Karlos Sullivan and Walker White. But it also came the beginning of a new era of Phoenix defense — one that is willing to work harder than anyone else.

“We definitely have a real pride in playing fast and working really hard,” sophomore defensive back Dale Riley said.

And this year’s defense doesn’t just want to work hard. It has loftier goals than that.

“We’re trying to be the No. 1 defense in the nation,” senior linebacker Brandon Wiggins said.

Wiggins said the atmosphere the defense cultures helps foster the idea that it can be the best. No one doubts that it will.

This believe goes farther than just the starters, too. It permeates throughout the whole unit and propels the team to a level of production that the players hope will bring success this season to a defense that began the preseason with many voids to fill.

“We want everyone on the defense to step up with the No. 1s,” Wiggins said. “It doesn’t matter who we put in, they are going to pick up the slack.”

Last season was the first time in school history that Elon made the postseason when it went to the first round of the FCS playoffs. But the team fell in that game 16-13 to the University of Richmond.

Lembo said he’s not focusing on that milestone, though, and is looking to a new season.

“It’s in the past,” he said. “It’s not this year.”

He said he wants the team to continue looking to the future and to not take last season’s success for granted. He wants them to realize that making the postseason is a new challenge each and every year.

“The FCS is the hardest postseason to get to. With the playoffs, only 16 — well, 20 teams starting this year — get there.”