Mario Acitelli and Jacque Roman of Appalachian State witnessed a mismatch at Elon in 2005, when ASU rolled to a 52-14 win to end the regular season in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated.
The Mountaineers went on to win the first of three straight national championships. The Phoenix put to rest a forgettable season with their seventh straight loss.
Acitelli, an offensive tackle, was a high-school senior at the time on an official visit to Elon and also was being recruited by Lehigh, coached by Pete Lembo. Roman, a linebacker, was a redshirt freshman on the cusp of becoming one of ASU's most prominent defensive players.
Neither was impressed by what they saw of Elon that night. But the two, now seniors, know they'll see a different Elon team at 3 p.m. Saturday in a game that essentially will be for the Southern Conference title.
Lembo left Lehigh to take over at Elon in 2006 and began the program's transformation to championship contention. The Phoenix, no longer a doormat, will enter Saturday's game 8-1 overall (6-0 SoCon) with a mission to end the Mountaineers' run of four straight league titles.
"He's done an amazing job turning that program around and making them a top level team," Acitelli said.
Roman said: "They weren't even close to be a contending team a few years ago.
"It's very impressive what they've done."
The Phoenix now has the Mountaineers' full attention and respect.
"I know since I've been here, they've been getting better every year," running back Devon Moore said. "Last year, we really saw how good they were becoming. For them to be undefeated in the conference this year isn't really that big of a surprise to me."
All that's missing now for Elon is a "big-game" victory.
"I know it's big for them," cornerback Cortez Gilbert of ASU said. "They have seniors who have never been to the playoffs or won the title. I know they look at this game as their shot."
Elon came close last season, going 7-1 before losing three of its last four (including a 24-16 loss at ASU) and falling just short of its first FCS playoff berth.
"It hurt losing that final game last year knowing that was it," said Terrell Hudgins, a senior receiver and Division I's all-time leader in receptions. "We don't want to feel like that again."
Roman is fully aware of what's on the line this time.
"I'm sure they feel they still have something to prove," Roman said. "We have beaten them the last few years, but they've become a very good team. We know that from how well they played us last year."
The SoCon title has been what the Mountaineers (7-2, 6-0 SoCon) have been about the last four seasons. Even with national titles in tow, players seldom talk during the season about national-title goals. It's about the SoCon title.
"That's what we play for," Acitelli said. "Every year our No. 1 goal is to win the Southern Conference. It's really a big thing for us. That's what it's all about."
And that's what Saturday's game will be about.
tbowman@wsjournal.com.
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