As someone who has witnessed nearly all of the 21 previous games between the Tigers and Morgan State, I can testify that there have been some dramatic highs and lows.

The record book says that the Tigers have a 16-5 lead in the series. But it sure doesn't seem that way.

In fact, there was a time when it didn't seem like the Tigers would ever beat Morgan State.

In 1979, Towson hosted Morgan State in the program's first game as an NCAA Division II program. It was also a matchup between an established small college powerhouse (Morgan) and a program hoping to become an established small college power.

In that first meeting between the new local rivals, Morgan handed Towson a 34-7 loss. In 1980, the Bears pulled out a near-miraculous 14-10 victory at Hughes Stadium. In 1981, Morgan State won its third game in a row with a 17-13 victory in the season opener for both teams.

By 1982, the Tigers were on the verge of becoming one of the top Division II teams in the East. In September, the Tigers pulled off a major upset when they traveled to Bucknell and shocked the Bison, 22-18. The following week, Towson overcame a late deficit and stunned Maine when Sean Landeta kicked a game-winning field goal with one second remaining, 35-32.

On October 9, 1982, the Tigers hosted Morgan State for their Homecoming Game. It was a rather brave move by the University, hosting a team the Tigers had never beaten for Homecoming.

A crowd of nearly 7,000 people jammed into what-was-then-called Towson Stadium for the matchup.

Although nobody talked about it, everyone involved with the Towson football program knew that the wins over Bucknell and Maine would be tainted if the Tigers couldn't finally beat Morgan.

The Tigers took a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Senior quarterback Joe Anderson completed a 17-yard pass to Marc Brown, moving the Tigers inside Morgan State territory. When tailback Paul Cillo picked up 13 yards on a draw play, Towson had a first down at the Morgan State 22-yard line.

However, the Tigers couldn't get any closer and Landeta booted a 34-yard field goal to put Towson ahead.

The Tigers and the Bears battled through the unseasonably warm weather in a defensive struggle. A 27-yard field goal by Godwin Nnanaw midway through the second quarter tied the game at 3-3.

Early in the third quarter, Morgan State marched to the Towson 29-yard line. But the Tiger defense stuffed James Fields on fourth down-and-two, turning the Bears away.

Midway through the third period, the Bears strung together a 17-play drive and took a 10-3 lead as they marched 93 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. When Alphonso Harris took a pitch and went around right end for a one-yard touchdown run, the Bears were ahead for the first time.

Looking to get his offense on track, Towson Coach Phil Albert made an adjustment.

"For most of the game, we were playing with a tight end and two receivers," he said. "We switched things up in the fourth quarter and went with three wide receivers. We threw the ball wherever we were getting single coverage. They gave Marc (Brown) single coverage and he came up with all the big catches."

With 13:12 left in the game, Mark Kauffman returned a punt to the Tigers' 41-yard line. The drive got off to a slow start when Morgan defenders stopped a double reverse for an eight-yard loss.

Facing third-and-17 at the 33-yard line, Anderson completed a 19-yard pass to Brown, moving the Tigers into Morgan territory. Two plays later, Anderson hooked up with Brown for a 33-yard play, putting the Tigers at the Morgan 12-yard line. After misfiring on two passes to Brown, Anderson hit him on a sideline pattern and he went into the end zone with a 12-yard touchdown pass. Brown's reception cut the Tiger deficit to 10-9 with 10:35 remaining.

While the Tigers were celebrating their touchdown, the unthinkable happened. Landeta, who had converted 31 consecutive conversion kicks, missed the PAT and the Tigers were still trailing, 10-9.

"At first we felt down about it," said linebacker Bob Poist. "But then we realized it wasn't that significant anyway. We knew we had to score again anyway, if we were going to win."

On the Tigers' touchdown drive, Anderson completed three passes to Brown for 64 yards and the touchdown.

A clipping penalty on the ensuing kickoff backed up the Bears to their own eight-yard line. The Tiger defense stuffed three running plays, forcing a punt from the 13-yard line. Under heavy pressure, Arnold Clinton got off a short punt. Kauffman caught the punt at the Morgan 44-yard line and returned to the 39-yard line.

With the Bears geared to stop the passing game, the Tigers utilized Cillo. Aided by a pair of defensive penalties against Morgan, the Tigers moved inside the Bears' 20-yard line. On second down at the 10-yard line, Cillo ran to the right, faked out a few defenders and dove into the end zone for a touchdown with 6:05 remaining. Leading by 15-10, the Tigers decided to try for the two-point conversion. Once again, Anderson hooked up with Brown in the corner of the end zone to give Towson a 17-10 lead.

Morgan quarterback Darrell Coulter tried to move his team against an inspired Tiger defense. Facing fourth down-and-13 at the Bears' 27-yard line, Coulter threw upfield where Don Danley intercepted the pass with 2:59 remaining. Danley's interception was an interesting footnote to the game. Normally a wide receiver for the Tigers, he was inserted into the game when the Tigers needed extra defensive backs in a certain-passing situation.

Determined to keep Morgan off the field, the Tigers kept the ball on the ground. With a third-and-seven at the 45-yard line, Brian O'Neal ran the ball on a draw play. His only carry of the game netted nine yards and a first down at the 36-yard line.

After that, the Tigers ran out the clock on an emotional 17-10 win over the Bears.

By scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter to pull out the win, the Tigers were following a familiar script. It marked the fourth time in five games that Towson pulled out a win in the fourth quarter.

"We know that the fourth quarter is our quarter," said Anderson, who completed 11 of 25 passes for 162 yards. "We joke about it all the time. A couple of guys have suggested that we save time and just spot the other team a few points."

Coach Nat Taylor of Morgan said, "Towson outplayed us in the fourth quarter - just like they've done against everybody else. We got a little conservative and tried to sit on the lead. When you have young players, they tend to relax more. They must have felt the 10-9 lead would hold up."

Coach Albert added, "Our team has done it this way all year. Each time you do it, you build up a lot more faith. With our wins over Bucknell and Maine, we got some national recognition. But the Morgan game was just as important to us. Morgan has a long football tradition."

Led by linebackers Jeff Boller and Bubby Hammond, the Tiger defense gave Towson a chance to win the game. The Tigers came up with key stops on several occasions and forced three turnovers.

Honored as the ECAC Division II Offensive Player of the Week, Brown caught six passes for 134 yards against Morgan. He went on to finish the season with 61 catches for 1,222 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brown set school records in each category. He went on to play in the United States Football League for one season.

Cillo ran for 908 yards and scored nine touchdowns in his senior season.

The 1982 Tigers finished the season with a 7-4 record while playing a very difficult schedule that included Bucknell, Maine, Delaware, Delaware State and James Madison. Their success set the stage for the memorable 1983 season when Towson became one of the top teams in NCAA Division II.