Struggling Terps Top Towson

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Maryland continues to struggle this season, after a 28-3 win against the Towson Tigers. For the first time, Maryland's two largest schools met on the gridiron in front of more than 35,000 fans at Capital One Field.

Rebounding from an embarrassing home loss to an underestimated Temple last week, head coach Randy Edsall wanted to make sure his young program did not underestimate an opponent many figured them to beat.

"I'm very proud of our players for getting that win," Edsall said. "Now, we can stay humble, and stay hungry, as we go on."

The matchup between Towson and Maryland has been in the making for five years. The Tigers have faced their first NCAA FBS programs each year since 2007, with losses to Navy, Northwestern, Indiana and now Maryland.

Saturday's game was the closest any FBS program has let Towson come to a win. Towson's offense (378 yards) outgained Maryland (335) and controlled the clock through most of the game.

"It's tough," sophomore quarterback Danny O'Brien said. "It was similar to last week, with our offense going so fast and then not getting the ball back for a while. It's hard to get the train rolling again. With the speed that we play, we have to get first downs."

In the end, a negative turnover ratio and penalties denied the Tigers a chance to remain competitive.

"We made too many mistakes to get a W," Towson head coach Rob Ambrose said. "You can't turn the ball over that many times in a game and get a win."

Towson finished the game with four turnovers after beginning the season with three during their first three games.

Maryland opened the game marching down the field on the Tigers. O'Brien was able to manage Towson's defense with a series of underneath passes. He received some help from his backfield with Davin Meggett and D.J Adams combining for 34 yards on the ground. In the red zone, Adams got the call with a 15-yard touchdown run.

Towson's first offensive possession did not start so well. Peter Athens, starting for an injured Grant Enders, found an open James Oboh on the first play of the game for what would have been a first-down pass. Athens' pass went through the hands of his sophomore tight end. After a failed rush attempt and two yard sack, Towson was forced to punt after going three and out to start the game.

Maryland began its next possession with great field position after a 15-yard penalty on Towson for interfering on a fair catch. Maryland could not capitalize after that, going three and out on the drive.

Senior defensive tackle Marcus Valentine blocked Maryland's first field goal attempt of the game to set the Tigers up on the Towson 26.

Taking a page out of the Temple game, Ambrose's offense took to the ground on the following drive. Freshman tailback Terrence West and sophomore back Sterlin Phifer were able to attack the Maryland rush defense on the perimeters, but stalled at the Maryland 37-yard-line on an unsuccessful forth-down rush attempt by West.

Maryland looked to launch a counter offensive, but stalled just short of field goal territory. O'Brien again found some success in moving downfield on Towson, but Adams' attempt on fourth and one fell inches short of a first down.

"It's hard to get momentum going if you're not getting first downs," Edsall said. "Plus, we weren't getting off the field on defense on third downs."

Towson sustained a lengthy drive through the end of the first half. A crucial pass interference call saved Athens from an interception deep in Maryland territory. Facing second down with 23 yards to go, Athens was able to regroup the Tiger offense with 24-yard strike to Tom Ryan for a long first down to keep the Tigers' drive alive.

"It's always concerning when somebody sustains a nine-minute drive on you," Edsall said. "I think we had opportunities to get off the field on third down, and we didn't."

Maryland's defense was able to come up with the stop on third and goal with Towson inches away from the end zone and the Tigers settled for a field goal -- their only points of the game.

O'Brien could not get the Terrapin offense going during the second quarter, with only a little more than three minutes in time of possession. Towson's offense consumed the last nine minutes of the first half with a rollercoaster 16-play drive.

Hitting a few speed bumps with dropped passes and two penalties that each negated first downs, Athens ignited a flame in the Tiger offense finding Ryan again deep in Maryland 20. On a crucial third down play, Athens and Ryan were not able to put the Tigers in the end zone.

"Peter made the wrong read," Ambrose said. "If he made the right read, he would have scored a touchdown on that play. Tom didn't get deep enough, so the clock didn't stop."

With short time left and no timeouts, Towson's special teams unit rushed on to the field to attempt a quick field goal. The snap came off with one second left in the half but the kick sailed wide right.

"We left too many points on the field, period." Ambrose said.

Towson dominated the time of possession during the first half, 21:30 to Maryland's 8:30.

Penalties, especially procedural calls, killed any chance Towson had to take advantage of the Terrapin defense. Seven penalties, all of which were committed during the first half, set the Tigers back 77 yards.

"Honestly, offensively we were taking it to them in the first half," Ambrose said. "What annoys me is that I had to blow three timeouts because we were dumb."

Maryland's defense seized the momentum coming out of halftime. Senior linebacker Kenny Tate intercepted the first pass of the second half to set Maryland up for an eight-play, 45-yard touchdown drive. Meggett carried the Terrapins into the red zone with 29 yards off of four carries, and true freshman Justus Pickett pushed in a 5-yard rush through Towson's gut for the score.

Maryland silenced Towson's offense with another turnover early on the next possession, only to cough up the ball three plays later. Davin Meggett lost his first fumble in more than 200 carries on the play.

Going to the ground again, Towson moved into Maryland territory midway through the third quarter. Ambrose's offense was able to piece together another long series, but Athens' second interception of the game halted the Tigers at the Maryland 26-yard line.

"We had chances for touchdown passes and they were big," Ambrose said. "We put our defense in a hole."

Through three quarters, Maryland failed to convert five third-down attempts. But during the fourth, Maryland scored on its first offensive possession, forced its fourth turnover of the game, and held on to the ball for the win.

Saturday's game was the final non-conference game of the season for both teams. Towson will host conference powerhouse Richmond next week, as Maryland faces Georgia Tech.

Undefeated Tigers Visit Struggling Terps

After a devastating home loss to Temple, Maryland (1-2, 1-0 ACC) looks to rebound against the Towson Tigers (3-0, 1-0 CAA). Terrapins Coach Randy Edsall welcomes his former offensive coordinator, Towson Head Coach Rob Ambrose, to College Park.

Ambrose and the Tigers have just cracked the NCAA FCS Top 25 this week at No. 23. While his team is riding their first win streak in years and a young Maryland team struggles, the Towson Coach still understands the challenge of facing an FBS team.

“This is a very good Maryland team and we aren’t fooled by that result against Temple. Maryland just ran into a buzz-saw,” Ambrose said. “Knowing Randy (Edsall) as I do, I know they will come out ‘amped up’ and ready to play. We are going to have our hands full this week.”

Following an emotionally-charged win over Miami, Maryland has dropped their last two contests to rival West Virginia and a widely underestimated Temple team. In his first year as head coach, Edsall is trying to focus his young roster on themselves.

“I am trying to figure out why we are starting so slow. We need to come out and play with energy. When you have a chance to compete you need to go out and give it all that you have,” Edsall said. “This week we have an undefeated Towson team coming in that is ranked 25th in the FCS polls. They are playing very well and are averaging 38 points a game, 468 yards a game [of offense] and have only turned the ball over three times.”

“We understand what they do, but what we need to do this week is focus in on ourselves and make sure that we do what we need to do.”

Maryland’s two largest schools have never met on the gridiron prior to Saturday’s match up in College Park. When this match up was announced 5 years ago, Edsall and Ambrose were in the thick of turning the University of Connecticut football program into a Big East Contender. When Ambrose left Edsall’s staff in 2009, he did not think he’d be facing his former boss a few years later in a game much anticipated by Towson fans.

“We work 365 days every year getting ready for these games. We could be playing the University of ‘Blank’ and we would be excited. We are always ready to play our hearts out,” Ambrose said.

When Ambrose last coached under Edsall, he turned tailback Donald Brown into a 2,000 yard rusher and first-round NFL Draft Pick. This season, Ambrose boasts the highest scoring and rushing offense in the Colonial Athletic Association with 38.3 points and 246 yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Grant Enders has put up a combined 640 yards of offense in three games this season, 117 on the ground and 527 in the air.

“They are very multiple offensively,” Edsall said of Towson. “Their quarterback has been playing very well offensively. They bring about three different running backs out.”

The Terps also have a sophomore under center. Danny O’Brien broke out in 2010, earning the honors of ACC rookie of the year. He currently ranks fourth in the conference in passing yards. Senior tailback Davin Megget finds himself trying to infuse some experience on a roster with only nine senior starters and backups combined.

Edsall’s roster, while young, has a level of intensity that showed in a nationally televised win over Miami to kick off the season. The Maryland coach does not mind putting underclassmen as he learns how to best use his roster.

“There are going to be some more freshmen who play this week,” Edsall said. “I am trying to find those guys who fit into the process of what we are trying to get done.”

Maryland will be without sophomore defensive back Matt Robinson for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his shoulder. The Terrapin defense is ranked last in the Atlantic Coast Conference, allowing 424 yards per game.

“I have to take a look as a head coach with the young guys that we have playing if we are trying to do too much,” Edsall said. “We haven't tackled well in addition to not executing the plays that we have called. I need to take a look a see what these guys do well and emphasize that.”

On Wednesday evening, Edsall tweeted that his captains selected red jerseys and black pants and helmets. In the beginning of the season, Maryland announced 32 uniform combinations they will be unveiling this season.

Towson, also an Under Armour school, will be wearing their road jerseys for the first time this year.

“The good news is we get to play in the state of Maryland,” Ambrose said. “ Let’s see if we can’t win over somebody else who kind of shares our colors”

“Do I care about Uniforms? Whatever.”

Final: Towson 42, Colgate 17

Towson continued their undefeated season opening run, with a 42-17 win over the Colgate Raiders. The Tigers (3-0, 1-0 CAA) celebrated homecoming in front of the largest student crowd in Johnny Unitas Stadium history.

Head Coach Rob Ambrose’s offense continued its domination this season, with an efficient passing game and a committee of backs on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Grant Enders completed 10 of 15 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Colgate opened the game with a 17–play drive and came away with a field goal and the game’s first lead. The Tigers defense could not contain the Raiders’ committee of backs including quarterback Gavin McCarney. The sophomore signal caller along with junior tailback Zauhn Lewis combined for 11 carries on the 17-play opening drive which included two fourth down conversions.

Towson’s offense came out flat, going three-and-out on their first offensive possession after a bye week.

“If you ask anybody, coming off a bye – period- is not an easy thing to do,” Ambrose said. “Football players are creatures of habit and we try to keep it that way. Getting back into the rhythm of what we do, and how we do, it usually starts off slower.”

“I knew that was going to happen, it didn’t stop me from being ridiculously frustrated by it, but I knew it was going to happen.”

Towson, who had opened each of their previous opening drives this season with scores, instead ended their opening drive against the Raiders with a 4-yard sack on an all-out blitz by the Raiders.

After dishing out a three-and-out right back at Colgate, Towson’s offense looked to redeem themselves on the next drive. They fell short after junior receiver Tom Ryan fumbled what would have been a first down pass.

Colgate, with the ball at the Towson 22-yard-line, turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert on fourth and eight.

The Tigers offense carried their next drive into the second quarter, recording their initial first-down and first points on the night to take a 7-3 lead. Enders was able to manage a 78-yard touchdown drive with long gains in the air to Ryan for 20 yards and sophomore tight end James Oboh for 22 yards.

Freshman tailback Terrence West, who had his first two collegiate touchdowns against Villanova, capped of the drive with his third.

“We came out a little slow, things weren’t clicking like we wanted,” Enders said. “We stuck with the game plan, and eventually we started executing.”

McCarney and the Raiders offense again moved into Towson territory looking for a score, but gave up a 7-yard sack on a long fourth down to set the Tigers offense up for a 8-play, 56-yard touchdown drive. Enders ran in his – touchdown of the year on a two-yard keeper.

The Tigers continued to pile it on in the third quarter, scoring on the first drive of the second half on a 49-yard touchdown reception by senior fullback Tyler Wharton. The next drive, Lewis coughed up the football at mid-field to set the Tigers up for a 3-play drive with junior tailback Dominique Booker breaking for a 15-yard touchdown run.

Junior linebacker Anthony DiSanzo picked off McCarney on the next drive, and again the Tigers’ offense was able to punch in a goal line touchdown rush by West.

The rush by West put the Tigers over the 30-point mark for the third time this season. Prior to this season, Towson had only put up 30 points against an opponent once in the last 3 years. The Tigers offense has outscored opponents in the third quarter 49-7 this season.

Colgate found the end zone for the first time with 14:31 left in the game. The Raiders put together a 74-yard drive on nine plays with Lewis getting the call for the score.

Towson, with backup quarterback Peter Athens under center, set up another touchdown drive with West punching in his third touchdown of the night. West finished the game with 85 yards on 13 carries, to lead all Tigers. The CAA rookie of the week after the Tigers’ last game scored three of his five collegiate touchdowns against Colgate. The other two came against Villanova.

“The advantage to Terrence as a freshman is that he’s a second semester freshman. He’s more mature,” Ambrose said of the military-school transfer. “Terrence’s scope is broad, when he’s good, he’s phenomenal.”

The undefeated Tigers travel to College Park next week to take on the Maryland Terrapins for their last non-conference game of the season. The Tigers are 0-3 against NCAA FBS opponents, with losses to Navy, Northwestern and Indiana. Ambrose will face off against Head Coach Randy Edsall, the former University of Connecticut head coach under whom Ambrose served as offensive coordinator.

Edsall and the Terps lost a devastating home game to the Temple Owls earlier in the day.

“It’s another game, it’s another opponent," Ambrose said. “The good news is we get to play in the state of Maryland. Let’s see if we can’t win over somebody else who kind of share our colors”

“Do I care about Uniforms? Whatever.”

First Quarter: Towson 0, Colgate 3

The Good: Towson's defense has been able to somewhat contain a rolling Colgate offense in the red zone. After allowing a 17-play, 8 minute opening drive, Towson was able to hold the Raiders to just 3 points in the first quarter and dished out 2 3-and-out drives.

The Bad: Towson's defense in between the 20's has been suspect all year, yet they boast one of the best stat lines in the NCAA FCS. Colgate, like most teams, has been able to shove it down the Tiger defense's throat. If not for their red-zone defense, these stat lines would be a lot different.

The Ugly: Towson's offense, a 3 and out and a fumble on what would've been their first 1st-down.

An Idle Week Helps Tigers

Even with a week off from action, the undefeated Tigers (2-0, 1-0 CAA) actually moved up in The Sport Network NCAA FCS Poll. Towson, still just short of cracking the top 25, received 184 votes - up from 116 votes a week ago.

The Tigers return to non conference action this Saturday against Colgate, but having their first conference game early the season has helped boost their national recognition. After their victory for the previous No. 20 ranked Villanova, Towson earned the best record in the CAA as the only team with a conference win.

After a week off, Towson will need an impressive win against the unranked Raiders. They face their biggest challenge of the year next week when they travel to College Park, Maryland to face the Terps.

The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top-25 College Football Poll

Team (First-place votes) Record Points Previous Rank

1. Georgia Southern Eagles (115) 2-0 3,742 1

2. Northern Iowa Panthers (15) 1-1 3,485 2

3. Appalachian State Mountaineers (9) 2-1 3,402 3

4. Montana State Bobcats (1) 2-1 3,179 5

5. Richmond Spiders (11) 3-0 3,082 6

6. William & Mary Tribe (1) 2-1 3,078 4

7. Delaware Blue Hens (1) 2-1 2,918 7

8. North Dakota State Bison (1) 2-0 2,728 8

9. Wofford Terriers 1-1 2,353 9

10. Montana Grizzlies 2-1 2,353 12

11. New Hampshire Wildcats 1-1 2,290 11

12. James Madison Dukes 2-1 1,927 13

13. Chattanooga Mocs 2-1 1,855 14

14. Southern Illinois Salukis 1-1 1,614 15

15. Lehigh Mountain Hawks 2-1 1,596 16

16. Jacksonville State Gamecocks 2-1 1,466 17

17. Massachusetts Minutemen 2-0 1,247 21

18. South Dakota Coyotes 2-1 955 24

19. McNeese State Cowboys 1-1 846 23

20. Sam Houston State Bearkats 2-0 688 NR

21. Eastern Washington Eagles 0-3 594 10

22. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks 1-2 568 19

23. Southern Utah Thunderbirds 2-1 546 NR

24. Murray State Racers 2-1 446 NR

25. South Carolina State Bulldogs 1-2 336 25

Others receiving votes: Liberty 333, Jackson State 260, Central Arkansas 249, Old Dominion 240, Youngstown State 228, Towson 184, Maine 105, Indiana State 102, Sacramento State 101, Holy Cross 82, Weber State 52, Bethune-Cookman 50, Tennessee Tech 41, Alabama State 41, Eastern Kentucky 37, Yale 37, Hampton 37, Elon 31, South Dakota State 27, North Dakota 26, Portland State 26, Cal Poly 23, Brown 20, Rhode Island 19, Western Illinois 18, UC Davis 13, Central Connecticut State 13, Stony Brook 11, Penn 10, Villanova 9, Dartmouth 8, Idaho State 7, Campbell 7, Delaware State 6, UT Martin 6, Lafayette 4, Monmouth 3, Southeastern Louisiana 2, Jacksonville 2, Dayton 1, San Diego 1, North Carolina Central 1.

Final: Towson 31, Villanova 10

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Towson opened up conference play Saturday night with a stunning 31-10 upset victory against the Villanova Wildcats. Coming off a 42-3 win against the Morgan State Bears, the Tigers (2-0, 1-0 CAA) never trailed to the visiting Wildcats (0-2, 0-1 CAA).

"This team won a national championship," Towson coach Rob Ambrose said. "Just to be uttered in the same breath as them fills you in with an automatic degree of respect."

Towson's second victory of the season doubles its win count from a year ago. Since taking over the program, Rob Ambrose has only one other win in the Colonial Athletic Association, a 2009 road victory against Rhode Island. The Tigers victory marks their first win streak since 2007, when they opened the season with wins over Central Connecticut and Morgan State.

To say this win was long awaited for by Towson students and fans is an understatement. After the game, the student section rushed the field.

"I'm an alum," Ambrose said. "This isn't just a job. This is my home. It's like the thing where the Grinch's hurt blows up -- I don’t smile that much, but this is a hell of a day for Towson."

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Third Quarter: Villanova

The Good: It's unusual for Towson being on the upside of a turnover battle. It's equally unusual to win the penalty battle. What has Ambrose told these kids to keep them mentally stacked up against the 20th best team in the country with one of the winningest coaches in the FCS?

The Bad: Towson's defense can't keep bending like this and expect not to give up points to an offense that - while young - is very strong and very fast. New quarterback Chris Culicerto scored on his first drive, dodging a few sacks and finding Kenny Miles in the endzone. Villanova's 3 turnovers are what's keeping this defense alive. They need to make tackles in the open field and NOT get blown off the ball to hold this lead.

The Ugly: Towson's O-line was smothered on that 4th and inches attempt.