Towson Quarterback Enders Named CAA Offensive Player of the Week

Towson quarterback Grant Enders, was named Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week by CAA officials. The sophomore transfer from Lackawanna college led the Tigers to a 42-3 routing of the Morgan State Bears Saturday night.
Enders completed 15 of 19 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s contest. The Tiger quarterback also ran for 47 yards on six carries and a touchdown against the Bears.
“Grant managed the game plan and his offense extremely well last night,” Towson Head Coach Rob Ambrose said. “It is a great testament to our entire offense that Grant was able to perform so well. This honor speaks well of both Grant and his teammates.”
Enders ability to manage the tempo of the game, while managing the Towson attack led to four touchdown drives. Each of which, were of multiple plays, and dominated the time of possession. Towson held on to the football almost twice as long as Morgan was able to.
Enders is the first Tiger to be named as the CAA Offensive Player of the Week since Sean Schaefer earned the award in October, 2007. The all-time leading passer in Tigers history, Schaefer led Towson in the greatest comeback in program history, defeating the Richmond Spiders after a come-from-behind winning drive in the final 22 seconds of the game.

Towson Tops Morgan In Season Opener

Towson opened up the 2011 college football season with a dominating, 42-3 win against the Morgan State Bears. Towson's offense dominated the Bears, amassing 534 yards Saturday night.

Sophomore quarterback Grant Enders was 15-19 for 197 yards passing and threw for three touchdowns. During his first game in a Tigers uniform, Enders also rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

"The thing about his particular offense, with coach Ambrose calling the offense, this is completely different from what they did last year," Morgan coach Donald Hill-Eley said. "[Enders] did a good job isolating the game and slowing us down."

After junior receiver Tyrone Hendrix returned the opening kickoff 69 yards for Morgan, the Bears took a quick 3-0 lead less than three minutes into Saturday night's game. This would be their only lead of the night. Towson's offense responded with a six-play, 69-yard drive, capped off by a Grant Enders touchdown pass to senior fullback Tyler Wharton.

The Tigers looked to hold onto their momentum after junior safety Jordan Dangerfield intercepted junior quarterback Don Dickerson at midfield. Enders and the Towson offense tried to piece together another touchdown drive, but failed to convert on a fourth down attempt eight plays later.

"There were three plays in the first half that should we have done the right way, this would have been a lot more points a lot sooner," Ambrose said. "We had the opportunity to not hit base hits, but to hit home runs, and we whiffed three times in the first half."

Towson's offense would score with 1:43 left during the first half, on a Gerard Sheppard 25-yard cross. Sheppard, one of Towson's five NCAA FBS transfers, scored his first collegiate touchdown after transferring from Connecticut -- where Ambrose originally recruited him while offensive coordinator for the Huskies.

The Tigers scored three times during the third quarter. After throwing his second touchdown of the night to Wharton, Enders broke out on an 18-yard run, juking out both Morgan safeties in his first rushing touchdown as a Tiger.

"It was one of those plays you see in practice a lot, the two safeties were drifting and we caught them sleeping with a quick count," Enders said.

Then, with 42 seconds left during the quarter, sophomore tailback Sterlin Phifer, a Boston College transfer, pounded in a two-yard run on the goal line. Phifer's run put Towson higher than the 30-point mark for the second time since Ambrose took over the program.

With Towson's offense dominating the time of possession, the defensive unit was able to stay fresh, and hold Morgan without a touchdown. With only 160 yards of total offense, Morgan's sole production for the night came on special teams. The Bears special teams unit racked up 200 return yards on four returns.

"We put our defense's back against the wall, time and time again, and that has to change," Ambrose said. "We're about to go play in the toughest conference in the country and there's no way we can try doing that."

Towson began the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 85-yard Touchdown drive, this time led by redshirt sophomore Peter Athens under center. Athens, who started as a true freshman before tearing his ACL in 2009, battled with Enders through the summer for the starting quarterback position. Athens ended the night 3-3 for 73 yards and a touchdown.

"We progressed through camp and gave all of these kids an equal opportunity, which is a difficult thing to do in evaluating play calls against different defenses," Ambrose said about the quarterback battle. "Grant showed the most consistency, and when it comes down to it, that's the name of the game. Grant's performance during camp was staggering."

Towson kicks off conference play Saturday, Sept. 10, at home against the Villanova Wildcats.

Guess who's back...

After some time off, I've decided to reactivate this blog to provide live scoring updates and in-depth commentary for Towson University Football.

Towson v Morgan Tonight, leggo.

Gameday Post: Richmond

Sorry readers, I will not be posting today for the game, WMJF-TV is doing a television broadcast of the game on campus. Tune in afterward for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

Gameday Blog: Delaware

TOWSON, Md. -- It's raining, it's pouring, all of Towson is snoring. This should be a slop fest ladies and gentlemen.

Pregame: 5 minutes to kick off and the Capatins are on the field. From left to right, Brady Smith, Tamba Tongu, Alex Butt, Casey Ceagles and David Newsom.

UD wins the toss, defers to the 2nd half. Towson to receive.

(14:40) 11 yard pass from Peter Athens to Newsom, Towson does NOT go 3 and out on their first drive. Towson on their own 42 yard line.

(13:28) and Athens just ran for a first down, real good play by the True Frosh, he got into trouble and solved his way out of it instead of throwing it away or turning it over. I'm impressed. Tigers on the UD 43 yard line.

(11:41) And the drive stalls in UD territory. Athens' pass to Ceagles comes up 3 yards short. Bill Shears punts it into the end zone. UD ball at the 20.

(9:59) Two personal fouls (one questionable) and PSU Transfer Pat Devlin have advanced the Blue Hens into Towson Territory. Ollie Thomas breaks up a 3rd down pass. Devlin runs for a first down. UD on the Towson 15

(7:05) Danny Collins with a big pass break up, Delaware's Leon Jackson runs it in on 3rd and 2. 11 plays, 80 yards (including 2 personal fouls).


-----Towson 0, Delaware 7-----

(6:10) Athens breaks a 13 yard run. and is INJURED! Athens does not get up after the run.

(4:26) Peterson comes in, breaks a 12 yard run. Towson's QB's are combining for 36 yards off 3 carries today

(3:50) Peterson's pass to Ceagles. Interference on UD. Auto First Down for Towson, now in UD territory at the 46 yard line

(1:47) Peterson with a terrible QB keeper, stopped on 4th and 1. UD ball on their own 39 yard line

(0:00) End of the first UD has the ball on the Towson 42.

1st Quarter Notes: Two stalled offensive drives by the Tigers, but the defense has kept Pat Devlin honest.

(14:34) David Newsom calls off returners on a punt that lands on the Towson 1. Bad call. But Tigers' ball on the 1

(13:10)Shears punting from the endzone, this could result in a safety...or an AWFUL 20 yard punt.

(12:57) and Devlin connects with Mark Duncan. BEAUTIFUL pass, perfect route. Hits him in stride on a 20 yard post down the middle of the field. It looked like a practice rep. 1 play 26 yards, 0:04 seconds.

-----Towson 0, UD 14-----

(8:54) Jerry Butler with a 22 yard run for UD. to the Tigers' 9

(8:30) UD appears to go offsides but calls a time out. Ambrose starts vaulting insults at the Line judge. TU is penalized, half the distance to the goal.

(7:11) and an UGLY UGLY run by Jackson for a UD TD

-----Towson 0, UD 21-----

(7:00) BIG Kick off return my Hakeem Moore, would have been to the Delaware 30, instead at the Towson 31

(7:00) Enter Brian Potts. The redshirt frosh fumbles his first snap of the game.

(3:50) Newsom muffs a punt, luckily it goes out of bounds

(3:44) Luckily Newsom makes up for it with a great catch.

(2:12) Potts looks for Tom Ryan on a bomb, Def pass interference. Towson ball on their 38. Auto first down

(1:59) and Potts hooks up with Moore on a 37 yard post to the far sideline. Towson on the UD 30.

(1:25) 4th and ten from the thirty and their going for it...and it's picked off at the 5. by Bratton. 37 yard return. UD ball on their 42

(0:58) Devlin keeps, runs for 18 yards. Brady Smith misses the sack by a breath. UD at the 50

(0:42) Devlin scrambles, steps into the pocket and launches a bullet to Duncan in the endzone. 3 plays, 58 yards, 0:23 seconds.

-----Towson 0, UD 28-----

(0:00) Hail mary pass by Potts picked off at the 12 yard line by Charles Graves, and returns it 88 yards for the TD with no time left in the half

-----Towson 0, UD 35-----

(14:46) UD returns the opening kickoff of the half 89 yards for a TD

-----Towson 0, Delaware 42-----

(14:38) Enter Tommy Chroniger at QB. Sacked his first play

(10:07) Chorniger is sacked on fourth down, held it wayyyyyy too long. UD takes over on Downs.

(4:46) Devlin is 8-14 for 115 yards, 2 TD's and no interceptions...and is marching down the field

(2:20) GREAT 3rd down stop for TU. 4th and goal on the 1. And Delaware runs it in and JUST gets it into the endzone. Leon Jackson's 3rd rushing TD today. 13 plays, 66 yards for a whopping 8:24.

-----Towson 0, Delaware 49-----

(0:10) and Towson responds with a great 3 and out to end the third quarter.

(13:35) And Towson FORCED a turnover. That makes it a (-1) turnover margin. Towson ball on the UD 41 yard line

(11:37) Dominique Booker with a 23 yard run. First and Goal Towson. Their first possession inside the 20 yard line

(10:30) Booker with his first career touchdown. 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:05 off the clock.

-----Towson 7, UD 49-----

(7:45) Chroniger keeps for 71 yards. Towson in the Redzone again

(5:15) Chroniger keeps for a 3 yard keeper and a Touchdown. 5 plays, 88 yards, 2:51 off the clock.

-----Towson 14, UD 49-----

(3:54) Towson recovers another fumble. Towson fumbles two plays later but recovers and draws a 15 yard penalty. First down on the UD 21

(2:33) Treymane Dameron with a 5 yard run. 6 plays, 44 yards, 2:15

-----Towson 21, UD 49-----

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: New Hampshire

I'm going to give this short and sweet because there's not much more I could say.

THE GOOD: N/A

"Nobody died," Rob Ambrose on positives from the game.

THE BAD: Turnovers

6 Interceptions and 2 fumbles, giving up 127 yards and a touchdown. With every attempt at some sort of offensive production, Towson shot themselves in the foot. The Tigers have been notorious for very poor turnover ratios in the past. Today they turned in a (-7).

THE UGLY: Scoreboard

'Nough said. The Wildcats handed Towson the most lopsided loss at Johnny Unitas Stadium. New Hampshire didn't only score often, they scored in almost every way possible. 2 passing touchdowns, 2 rushing touchdowns, 2 interception returns, a field goal, a kick return, a safety and a field goal.

OVERALL ANALYSIS: To put it simply, Towson failed on pretty much every facet of the game, and New Hampshire did what all good teams do. They capitalized on the mistakes of a bad team.

Towson's defense kept it honest. To be frank, this game could have set NCAA records as far as scoring and turnovers. But for every positive the Tigers had as a team, they seemed to mess it up somehow. This is the mark of a young team.

There's a huge upside to the amount of young talent they have along with a coach that should have a great recruiting record. However, right now, they're nowhere near ready to compete in this conference. If they are, they haven't showed it yet.

Gameday Tracker - New Hampshire

TOWSON, Md. --

(15:00) Beautiful day in Towson. Balt. County day, so another decent crowd. (Exceptional considering it's at day game at Towson, something that usually doesn't attract students.

-Gameday Captains Alex Butt, Brady Smith, David Newsom, Casey Ceagles.

-Towson to receive

Kick off - First Quarter
(14:55) First play of the day, first penalty of the day. Illegal Formation

(12:47) Newsom drops a beautiful ball in completely open coverage, on third down. And the punt is blocked Justin Mellow for New Hampshire. UNH has the ball on the Towson 11.

(11:24) Alex Butt is reminding me exactly how good he is...as I type that, Touchdown UNH. Chad Kackert with a 7yrd rush.

-----(11:06) Towson 0, UNH 7-----

(11:00) Another bobbled kickoff, but Moore got a hold of it. Maybe TU should just not play special teams today.

(10:18) Athens pass tip drilled by UNH defense. UNH's second drive starts at the Towson 32

(9:47) OLB Donte Blakey with a great rush, sacks Decker for a loss of 9

(8:53) Touchdown UNH. Decker to Scott Sicko.

-----(8:53) Towson 0, UNH 14-----

(7:48) Another stalled drive, big play dropped by Alex Blake.

-Bad snap on the Punt, Shears tried to kick it in the endzone, but got an illegal kick saftey for UNH

-----Towson 0, UNH 16-----

(7:28) And the free kick is returned for a TD

-----Towson 0, UNH 23-----

(7:24) ANOTHER bobbled snap, Justin Harris takes a knee in the endzone. Lucky for them, UNH was offsides on the kickoff. Towson starts on the 25

(7:16) Another pick for Athens. Dino Vasso returns his second INT of a TD

-----Towson 0, UNH 30----

(7:09) Towson DOESN'T bobble the kickoff, receives standing ovation

(5:13) Towson's first play from New Hampshire territory. Dominique converts on 4th and 1. If i was in charge, I wouldn't punt or kick the rest of the game.

(4:41) 15 yard penalty on Towson. Back in their of territory

(3:46( Dameron probably just gave somebody a cuncussion. 3rd and 5 for TU, and Chroniger comes in. Runs the option and keeps it. 4th and 5, Booker with the HB pass, incomplete to Moore.

---END OF THE FIRST--- Towson 0, UNH 30

Notes:Besides the fact they're on pace to give up 120 points, Towson collapsed completely for the first half of the quarter. All facets of the game just would not work.

(12:50) Towson stalls on 3rd down again. Alex Blake drops another beautiful ball. But UNH fumbles the fair catch. Jeremy Gardner recovers. Towson's in the red zone

(12:35) ALEX BLAKE BOBBLED IT BUT FINALLY CAUGHT IT IN THE END ZONE. His first career TD.

-----Towson 7, UNH 30-----

(9:17) 7 play drive for 50 yards for UNH. Capped off by a Decker QB keep.

-----Towson 7, UNH 37-----

(8:29) Athens throws his 3rd pick. Blair Peterson is warming up.

(7:18) Big bad Brady Smith with a BIG tackle for loss. Next play he gets a big sack. Smith has pushed them back 16 yards on two

(6:11) Big pass to David Newsom deep over the middle. Draws the def pass interference. First down Tigers at the 36

(3:45) New Hampshire is simpling running the clock away on the Tigers.

(1:08) Not much to say right now, it's kind of a broken record. Towson comes out with 2 or 3 good plays and then EPICALLY fails. Athens fumbles the ball.

(0:02) FG for UNH. The wildcats have now scored in every way possible. A passing TD, rushing TD, a pick six, a safety and a kick return

HALF TIME SCORE Towson 7, UNH 40

Notes: Simply put, they're bad.

(13:23) The crowd looks depleted. the "Gold Rush" is heading towards the gates. HAKEEM MOORE blocks a punt?!?!?!?!?!?! Towson's ball on the 8yard line.

(12:47) Athens throws to Newsom 3 steps too early, and throws a 94 yard pick six. Welcome to the CAA frosh

----- Towson 7, UNH 47 -----

(12:41) Enter QB Blair Peterson

(7:06) Big completion after big completion, UNH is ALWAYS open

----- Towson 7, UNH 54 -----

(5:36) Even I feel like giving up right now, I'm going to the field for the rest of the game to get the vibe. Check www.twitter.com/towson_gameday for updates.