TOWSON, Md. - Seeking to win their home opener for the seventh consecutive season, Coach Rob Ambrose and the Tigers host local rival Morgan State University in the season opener for both teams on Saturday evening, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
Located less than five miles from each other, Morgan and Towson will be meeting for the 23rd time in a series that Towson leads by a 16-6 margin. This will be the ninth time that the Bears and the Tigers have faced each other in the season opener. Each team has won four of those season openers. Morgan State won three consecutive season-opening meetings from 1979 to 1981 but Towson has won four of five since then.
In 1998 and 2002, the Tigers hosted Morgan State in the season opener and won both games. In 1998, the Tigers pulled out a 15-10 win. In 2002, the Tigers celebrated the opening of their new stadium with a 49-28 victory. Morgan State avenged that loss in 2003 with a 19-16 verdict at Hughes Stadium.
In 2005 and 2006, Towson and Morgan met in back-to-back season openers at Unitas Stadium. In 2005, the Tigers edged Morgan, 29-26, on a field goal by Ron Halbruner with one second remaining. In 2006, the Tigers handed Morgan a 30-2 loss as quarterback Sean Schaefer threw for 262 yards and a touchdown in addition to scoring a pair of touchdowns.
The Tigers, who are opening their season at home for the first time since 2007, have high hopes for the 2011 season. Although the Tigers have eight returning starters on offense and defense, there are going to be plenty of new faces on the field this season.
"We have a lot of veterans returning and we have a number of newcomers who haven't worn a game uniform for us," says Ambrose, who is starting his third season as the Tigers' coach. "We are still a very young team but our young players have a considerable amount of experience.
"The talent pool among our newcomers is exceptional," he adds. "We have very good depth at a number of positions and that makes such a difference. Depth breeds competition and competition breeds success so we feel good about the direction we are headed."
In addition to 46 letter winners, the Tigers have attracted five talented transfers from NCAA FBS programs. From the University of Connecticut, the Tigers added quarterback/wide receiver Leon Kinnard and wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard. Tailback Sterlin Phifer and linebacker Alexander DiSanzo transferred from Boston College while tailback Trea Jones joined the Tigers from Colorado.
With eight starters returning, the Tigers should be a strong defensive team. On the defensive line, the Tigers will be counting on senior tackle Marcus Valentine and junior defensive end Frank Beltre. One of the Tiger captains, Valentine is a third-year starter who made 40 tackles last season. A pre-season All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, Beltre ranked second among CAA defensive linemen with 85 tackles last year.
Junior linebacker Danzel White, another team captain, returns to lead the linebacking corps. In 2009, he led the Tigers with 105 tackles in ten games. Junior safety Jordan Dangerfield leads the Tiger secondary. As a sophomore, he was second among all CAA defensive backs with 96 tackles. He also broke up five passes and recovered two fumbles.
Offensively, junior tailback Tremayne Dameron leads the Tigers' running game. In two seasons, he has run for 1,065 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in 22 games. Dameron will have plenty of help in reserve. In addition to Phifer, he will be backed up by junior Dominique Booker and freshman Terrance West.
Senior tackle Henry Glackin is the veteran leader of the Tigers' offensive line. A fourth-year starter, he will team up with four experienced sophomores on the line. Sophomore tackle Eric Pike also provides leadership on the line.
Sophomore Peter Athens and newcomer Grant Enders have staged a tense battle for the starting quarterback position all during the pre-season. Coach Ambrose will name a starter this week.
Like Towson, Morgan State enters the season opener with an experienced team. The Bears posted a 4-7 record last season after winning four of their first seven games. Morgan State is picked to finish sixth in the MEAC pre-season poll. The Bears are coached by Donald Hill-Eley, who is starting his tenth season as the Bears' coach.
"I know that we are going to be facing a very well-coached team this week," says Coach Ambrose. "Donny has done a tremendous job getting his players to buy into his system. Like us, they are trying to find a way to build their program and they are doing it with freshmen and transfers. Morgan State has experienced players with good size and good speed.
"I think it would be so great for the Baltimore area if Towson and Morgan could build our programs and become successful at the same time," added Ambrose. "That would mean the Towson-Morgan game would be a big event every time we played."
For the Tigers, the Morgan State game is the first of three consecutive home games to open the season. After hosting the Bears, the Tigers will face CAA rival Villanova on Sept. 10 and Colgate on Sept. 24. This is the first time since the 2005 season that the Tigers have played their first three games at home.
TIGER TALES: Saturday night's game will be Spirit of Baltimore Night with a number of youth groups attending the game ... Long-time Sports Information Director Peter Schlehr, who retired in June, will also be honored during the game ... Schlehr was the Tigers' SID for 36 years and worked 378 consecutive Tiger football games.
Saturday night's game will be televised by Comcast SportsNet with Brent Harris and Brad Jackson calling the action ... The game will also be aired on WNST-Radio (1570 AM) with Spiro Morekas and Ron Meehan handing the broadcast.
