TOWSON, Md. - On Saturday night, Villanova opened the game by moving the ball from its own 11-yard line to the Towson six-yard line. The Wildcats were chopping away at the Towson defense with quarterback draws and runs from the spread offense that had the Tigers somewhat confounded.
On the 12th play of the drive with a 2nd-and-goal from the six-yard line, freshman quarterback Dustin Thomas went back to pass and was hit by Towson senior linebacker Chris Patterson. The middle linebacker from Germantown, Md., who was filling in for an injured Kyle Polk, forced a fumble that was picked up by junior defensive end Romale Tucker at the Villanova 19-yard line.
Nothing hurts an offense worse and turns a game around then a caused turnover. Creating turnovers has been an issue for the Tigers for several years.
Last year, they picked off just two passes and recovered seven fumbles while the offense turned it over 23 times, a -14 turnover ratio. It was a major factor for the team's final 1-10 record, including an 0-8 mark in the CAA.
"It's not magic," Towson Coach Rob Ambrose said after his team dealt #20 Villanova a 31-10 loss on Saturday night at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. "Turnovers and penalties make a huge difference in a game. When you have the ball more than they do, you have a better chance to win.
"We protect the ball better offensively and we are doing it a heck of of a job on defense taking it away from them," Coach Ambrose added. "Being physical and running to the football is paying off big-time."
Towson is off to a 2-0 start and it's no coincidence that the Tigers have forced five turnovers and have turned it over just twice for a +3 ratio.
Junior safety Jordan Dangerfield has been a key part of "laying the wood" to opposing receivers and running backs since he arrived at Towson from Hofstra in 2010. Last year, the Royal Palm Beach, Fla. native led the team with 96 tackles with two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
This season, Dangerfield already has one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. In just two games, he's already contributed to three caused turnovers - the same amount he had in 11 games last year.
In the third quarter on Saturday night, Towson drove to its own 45-yard line, but was forced to punt after a pair of rare incompletions from sophomore quarterback Grant Enders.
The Wildcats, who was down 14-0 at this point, were on the move again. Austin Medley ran for 25 yards on the second play to the Towson 38-yard line.
After losing three yards on a rush and five yards for a substitution infraction penalty, the Wildcats were placed back at the Towson 40-yard line. On 2nd-and-17, Thomas hit Dorian Wells for an 18-yard pass that should had given Villanova a first down. Instead, Dangerfield hit Wells hard enough to dislodge the ball and it was recovered by sophomore cornerback Corey Ford at the Tiger 27-yard line.
Once again, a caused turnover, a change of momentum and the drive was over.
So why the turnaround in the turnover ratio category?
"The playcalling," said Dangerfield. "We had the perfect defensive calls. We are where we are supposed to be and everybody is flying around."
Towson's defense wasn't flawless on Saturday night against Villanova. The Tigers gave up 360 total yards, including 181 rushing yards, to the Wildcats. But when they needed a big play, whether it was a jarring hit from Dangerfield or pressure on the quarterback from the defensive line or blitzing linebackers, the Tigers were able to get the job done.
In two games, the Tigers' defense has allowed just 13 points and a big part of that has been the ability to force turnovers. Winning the turnover ratio usually equates to a successful season.
