TOWSON, Md. - Returning to Johnny Unitas® Stadium, Coach Rob Ambrose and the Tigers will be seeking to pull off a major upset when they host defending national champion University of Richmond, the number one-ranked team in the nation, on Saturday, October 31 at 1:00 p.m.
The Spiders, who have won 16 consecutive games, own a perfect 7-0 record and lead the Colonial Athletic Association with a 5-0 mark. The first defending national championship team ever to visit Unitas Stadium, Richmond won the NCAA FCS title last December by beating Montana, 24-7.
The Spiders have not lost since October 11, 2008 when they fell to James Madison, 38-31.
If you are going to play a Halloween Game, it makes sense to be playing the Spiders of Richmond. In celebration of Halloween, children in costume will receive admission to the game for $6.00. There will also a pre-game Halloween Parade at 12:30 p.m. on the track surrounding the football field.
As always, if you can't make the game, there are two great ways to follow the action. The game will be webstreamed live on Towsontigers.com and it includes the radio broadcast of the game. If you can't be in front of a computer all day, the game can be heard live on your radio on WNST 1570-AM.
Towson has an all-time record of 3-1 on Halloween. The Tigers' last game on Halloween was a 27-21 win over St. Mary's (Cal.) in 1998.
Although the injury-riddled Tigers are 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the CAA, Coach Ambrose is excited about the opportunity that this week's game presents.
"It's our chance to do something special," he says. "Richmond has a very, very good team and deserves to be ranked number one. They are talented and they are experienced and they have tremendous depth. But no team remains number one forever. Every team loses sometime. It's exciting for us to have a chance to play the top-ranked team in the country."
When the Spiders visit Unitas Stadium this week, they will be returning to the site of one of their most shocking losses ever. Although that 2007 game wasn't played on Halloween, the Spiders were subjected to a horrifying finish that may have given them nightmares for weeks.
On October 6, 2007, the 14th-ranked Spiders thought they had avoided an upset when they took a 21-17 lead with 29 seconds left on a 14-yard touchdown run by Tim Hightower (now a running back for the Arizona Cardinals). After kick off, the Tigers had a first down at their own 33-yard line with 22 seconds remaining. Then, quarterback Sean Schaefer drove the Tigers to a game-winning touchdown as he completed four consecutive passes. On the last play of the game, Schaefer threw a 14-yard TD pass to Demetrius Harrison for a shocking 23-21 win.
It should be noted that the Spiders responded very well to the stunning setback. Richmond has won 28 of 32 games since losing to the Tigers at Unitas Stadium in 2007.
Last season, Richmond staged an impressive run to its first national championship. After the Spiders beat Eastern Kentucky in the first round by 38-10, they surprised three-time defending national champion Appalachian State, 33-13. In the NCAA semi-finals, Richmond nipped Northern Iowa, 21-20. Richmond became the third different CAA team since 2003 to win the national title with a 24-7 victory over Montana.
Richmond opened the 2009 season with an impressive 24-16 win at Duke. In his second year as the Spiders' coach, Mike London has led them to a 7-0 record that includes a 16-15 win at Delaware and a 21-17 victory at James Madison. The Spiders' 16-game winning streak is the longest streak in NCAA FCS football.
The Spiders come to Unitas Stadium with an outstanding defensive unit that is allowing 15.6 points per game, a mark that places them 13th nationally. While allowing only a CAA-leading 69.9 rushing yards per game, the Spiders are giving up only 290 total yards per game.
Senior quarterback Eric Ward directs the Spiders' offense. He has completed 110 of 177 passes for 1,274 yards and ten touchdowns. Ward is ranked third in the CAA in passing efficiency.
"Eric Ward has made amazing progress in his career," says Coach Ambrose. "When I was the Offensive Coordinator at Connecticut last year, I saw him on film against Virginia early in the season and I thought he was good. Then, I saw him in the national championship game against Montana and I was amazed at the way he developed in one season. He is an outstanding quarterback now."
The Tigers are trying to bounce back from a disappointing 27-7 loss at Northeastern last week, a game in which the Huskies capitalized on two Towson mistakes to grab a quick 14-0 lead.
"The way Northeastern played says so much about the CAA," says Coach Ambrose. "They were struggling coming into the game but they played hard and they played physical. That was the difference in the game."
Injuries have taken their toll on the Tigers, especially on offense. Quarterback Peter Athens, a first-year freshman who started the first six games, suffered a season-ending knee injury against Delaware two weeks ago. His absence has clouded Towson's quarterback situation. Another first-year freshman, Tommy Chroniger, started at Northeastern and could be the starter against Richmond. Junior Jeremy Jayne, sophomore Blair Peterson and freshman "red shirt" Brian Potts have also seen action this season.
"We were very comfortable with Pete Athens at quarterback," says Coach Ambrose. "But, now we are scrambling again. We've used five quarterbacks this year so it's obvious we're still trying to figure this out."
On the offensive line, the Tigers have lost sophomore tackle Henry Glackin for the season. Junior center Steve Jordan made 20 consecutive starts before missing the game at Northeastern with an injury. His status for the Richmond game is uncertain. The offensive line has been changing on a regular basis in recent weeks. However, senior right tackle Dan Bridges has been the one constant.
"Dan Bridges has been a rock all season," says Coach Ambrose. "He has been out there for every play and he has provided a lot of leadership, especially with so many young players on our line."
Led by linebackers Danzel White and Alex Butt, the Tiger defense continues to play well. Although Towson ranks tenth in the CAA scoring defense by allowing 33.9 points per game, that number is deceptive. Towson has allowed 237 points but Tiger opponents have scored 48 points while the Tiger defense is on the sidelines. Towson opponents have scored four touchdowns on interception returns, two touchdowns on kickoff returns, two safeties and one defensive extra point. In reality, there have only been 189 points scored against the Tiger defense in seven games.
The Tigers are eighth in the CAA in rushing defense, allowing 155.3 yards per game. Towson is third in the CAA by allowing 174.0 passing yards per contest. Allowing 329.3 total yards per game, the Tigers are ninth in the CAA in total defense.
White ranks fifth in the CAA with 66 tackles in seven games, a 9.4 average. Butt has made 46 tackles in seven games, a 6.6 average that ranks him 23rd in the CAA. Junior cornerback Jeremy Gardner has made 40 tackles in seven games. He is ranked ninth among CAA defensive backs with 5.7 tackles per game.
Saturday's game is the start of a brutal stretch of the schedule for Towson. After facing top-ranked Richmond, the Tigers will visit #5 William & Mary on November 7 and host #4 Villanova on November 14.
TIGER TIDBITS: Towson and Richmond are playing for the sixth time ... Richmond leads the series by 3-2 ... Last year, the Spiders intercepted five passes en route to a 45-14 win.
According to the NCAA, Towson has played the third-toughest schedule in the nation ... Tiger opponents have a .592 winning percentage ... Delaware (.615) has played the most difficult schedule in NCAA FCS while Lehigh (.594) is ranked second ... Since the Tigers' last four opponents have a combined 22-7 (.759) record, Towson is likely to finish the season with the toughest schedule in the nation.
