TOWSON, Md. ? After playing back-to-back games on the road, Towson University returns to Johnny Unitas ® Stadium on Saturday afternoon when the Tigers host Columbia University at 3:00 p.m.

Saturday's game will be part of Family Weekend festivities at Towson University. In addition, it will also be Band Day and the first 5,000 fans will receive a Tiger football schedule key tag.

Hoping to bounce back from consecutive losses on the road, the Tigers will be facing Columbia for the third time ever. The Lions, who won both previous meetings in 1996 and 1999, are making their first-ever visit to Unitas Stadium.

Columbia opened its 139th season of football on Saturday with a 29-22 loss to Fordham University. The Lions, who compete in the Ivy League, have an impressive football history which includes a 7-0 victory over Stanford in the 1934 Rose Bowl. Columbia will be playing the 996th game in school history on Saturday.

Playing their final non-conference game of the year, the Tigers will be seeking their 13th consecutive win over a non-league opponent at home. Towson has not lost a non-conference game at home since October 27, 2001 when the Tigers lost to Monmouth, 24-17.

Columbia is the first Ivy League team to face the Tigers since October 2, 2004 when they trimmed Cornell at Unitas Stadium, 21-11. The win over Cornell was the 200th victory in school history.

Through the years, the Tigers have faced five different Ivy League teams and own a record of 2-5 against Ivy Leaguers. In addition to their 0-2 mark against Columbia, the Tigers are 1-1 against Cornell. Towson lost its only meetings with Pennsylvania (1996) and Yale (2003), both road games. The Tigers are 1-0 against Brown University, thanks to a 56-42 win over Brown in the 2002 season.

Towson has a 2-0 record at home against Ivy League teams and a 0-5 record on the road.

On Saturday, Columbia will be playing a game in the state of Maryland for the first time since November 13, 1954 when the Lions lost to Navy in Annapolis, 51-6. Columbia and Navy played each other 23 times from 1900 to 1955. Navy led the series by 13-9 with one tie. Columbia also played Johns Hopkins University three times in the 1920's and posted a 2-0-1 record against Hopkins.

“Facing Columbia is like playing a brand new opponent,” says Tiger Coach Gordy Combs. “We aren't sure what to expect because they've only played one game this season. Columbia played well against Fordham last week and led for most of the game so I'm sure they will be ready for us this week. We know their coach, Norries Wilson, from his years as an assistant at Bucknell and we have a tremendous amount of respect for him. He's in his third year at Columbia and I'm sure he will get their program going in the right direction.”

The Tigers are trying to bounce back from a very disappointing 31-3 loss at Coastal Carolina on Saturday night. The loss dropped the Tigers' record to 1-3 on the season.

“We need more consistency in all facets of the game,” said Coach Combs. “We need to be more consistent on offense but that's difficult because we were missing four offensive starters at Coastal.”

The Tigers are optimistic about the return of three injured players for the Columbia game, including senior strong safety Drew Mack (Buena Regional H.S./Landisville, N.J.). A pre-season All-Colonial Athletic Association selection, Mack suffered a knee injury in the season opener at Navy. He has missed the last three games and the Tigers have missed him on defense.

“It will be a tremendous lift to get Drew back this week,” says Combs. “He is such an important player for our defense and I'm sure we have missed him. Replacing his knowledge and leadership has been difficult.”

Offensively, the Tigers are hoping to have junior tackle Dan Bridges (Francis Scott Key H.S./Union Bridge, Md.) return to the lineup this week. The Tigers' most experienced lineman, Bridges had started 25 consecutive games before he was sidelined at Coastal Carolina. Bridges had suffered a concussion in the Tigers' loss at Richmond and freshman John Esposito (Hanover Park H.S./Florham Park, N.J.) took his place in the lineup.

“Any time you lose a starting offensive lineman, it's a problem for the offense,” says Combs. “It disrupts the continuity of the offense and affects everyone else. We're hoping to have him back in the lineup this week.”

Junior tailback Matt Castor (Linganore H.S./Mt. Airy, Md.) has missed two games after spraining his ankle in the win over Morgan State. The Tigers are optimistic that he will be back in the lineup against Columbia.

The Tigers struggled offensively in the loss at Coastal Carolina. After taking the opening kickoff and driving downfield for a 28-yard field goal by senior Mark Bencivengo (Steinert H.S./Hamilton, N.J.), the Tigers were shut out for the rest of the game.

Record-setting senior quarterback Sean Schaefer (Northern H.S./Dunkirk, Md.) was held to a seasonal low 142 yards, completing 20 of 36 passes. He was sacked four times. The NCAA FCS active passing leader, Schaefer has completed 829 of 1291 passes in his career for 9,287 yards and 58 touchdowns. He is currently the sixth-leading passer in CAA history and needs two more passing yards to move into fifth place.

Senior Marcus Lee (St. John's College H.S./Silver Spring, Md.), a pre-season All-CAA team pick, had a season high 7 catches for 54 yards at Coastal. With his 7 receptions, he moved into 3rd place on Towson's career pass receiving list with 180 catches for 2,043 yards and 10 touchdowns. Lee, who has at least one reception in every game of his career, has a streak of catching a pass in 37 consecutive games.

With 38 tackles in four games, senior linebacker Jordan Manning (St. Joseph H.S./Mays Landing, N.J.) ranks second in the CAA. The Tigers' team leader in tackles as a freshman and sophomore, Manning made 9 tackles at Coastal Carolina to move into eighth place on Towson's list of career leaders. He has 271 tackles in his career and trails P.D. Moore, '80 by 3 tackles. Former All-American defensive tackle Rodney Smith, '89 is sixth on the all-time list with 276 tackles.

TIGER TALES: The Tigers, who return to CAA action next week with a home game against Northeastern, are playing three consecutive home games for the first time since 2005 ... In 2005, they played their first three games of the year at home ... The Tigers host Rhode Island on October 11 in the annual Homecoming Game.

Saturday's game presents a historical contrast ... While Columbia is playing the 996th game in school history and playing in its 139th season, Towson is playing its 40th season of football, giving the Lions a 99-year advantage ... The game against Columbia will be the 412th game in school history.

 Former Baltimore Colts quarterback Marty Domres, '69 is one of Columbia's most prominent football alumni ... Another All-America quarterback, Sid Luckman, '39, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame ... The owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, is a 1963 graduate of Columbia ... In fact, the playing surface at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium, is named Robert K. Kraft Field, in his honor ... Presidential candidate Barack Obama graduated from Columbia in 1983 while legendary aviator Amelia Earhart is a 1920 graduate.