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Football

Tigers Open CAA Play Against Villanova

TOWSON, Md. - Conference play can be cruel to those not ready to step up the intensity. Towson, which is coming off a 42-3 season-opening win over Morgan State, will have to take it to another level when the Tigers face 20th-ranked Villanova on Saturday night at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
 
The Tigers have struggled recently against one of the powerhouse programs of the Football Championship Subdivision. In 2009, Villanova romped over the Tigers by 49-7 at Unitas Stadium. That same season, Villanova went on to win the FCS Naitonal Championship by defeating Montana, 23-21.
 
Last year, the Wildcats jumped out to a 36-0 halftime lead before coasting to a 43-7 win at Villanova Stadium. Villanova rushed for 243 yards and allowed just 180 total yards, 17 rushing yards and eight first downs by the Tigers.
 
But, the Wildcats haven't always dominated this series. While Villanova does have a 5-2 edge, the Tigers defeated the 'Cats in back-to-back years, winning by a 40-19 margin at home in 2005 and by 21-13 on the road in 2006.
 
This year, Villanova returns five starters on offense and five on defense from a 9-5 team that lost at Eastern Washington in the FCS semifinals, 41-31. They also lost starting quarterback Chris Whitney, who threw for 2,241 yards with 22 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while rushing for 606 yards and 13 TDs. Whitney, RB Aaron Ball (794 yards) and All-American "athlete" Matt Szczur (240 yards receiving, 171 yards passing, 368 yards rushing) have all graduated.
 
The Wildcats, who lost to Temple 42-7 in their opener in Philadelphia, are a very young team. They became younger when they lost senior wide receiver Norman White to an injury against the Owls. He will miss the season after fracturing his left foot and that's a huge blow as White was coming off a great junior campaign. He earned first-team All-CAA honors in 2010 after catching 69 passes for 886 yards and 11 touchdowns.
 
But, that doesn't mean the Wildcats lack talent or depth. Temple is one of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference and just overpowered the younger Wildcats, rushing for 240 yards and recording 475 total yards. Villanova also turned the ball over four times and did not force any turnovers.
 
The key for Villanova is the play of redshirt freshman quarterback Dustin Thomas (6-0, 200 pounds), who completed 11 of 25 passes for 109 yards and three interceptions against Temple. Thomas also ran for 59 yards on 17 carries, including a touchdown. Thomas, who is a very good fit for their spread offense, also had a 31-yard run.
 
They are still looking for Ball's replacement at running back. Freshman Kevin Monangai (5-8, 195) was listed as the starter against Temple, but senior Lawrence Doss (5-7, 195) had more carries. Villanova uses a lot of deception and motion in their sets, so the wide receiver or quarterback could carry the ball just as many times as the running back.
 
With White gone, the top receiver back is junior Dorian Wells (5-9, 195), who caught 37 passes for 554 yards and four touchdowns last year. Senior Mikey Reynolds (5-6, 175) also adds experience and was the fourth-leading receiver last year with 27 receptions for 279 yards. He led the team with 5 receptions for 51 yards last week and also had 3 carries for 5 yards against Temple.
 
The offensive line features two true freshmen and a sophomore. Junior LT Billy Vogel (6-4, 280) is a transfer from Nebraska-Omaha while junior center Dan Shirey (6-2, 280) is a preseason All-CAA performer.
 
On defense, Villanova runs a 3-3-5 scheme and the Wildcats' leader up front is sophomore Antoine Lewis (6-2, 290). Lewis registered 48 tackles, including four tackles for loss and one forced fumble last year. The third-team All-CAA performer added five tackles in the opener.
 
At linebacker, true freshman Dillon Lucas (6-0, 215) was a tackling machine in high school (365 stops) and continued that trend in the first game with nine tackles.
 
The secondary features another third-team All-CAA performer in senior cornerback James Pitts (6-0, 185), who recorded 84 tackles last year with three interceptions. Sophomore cornerback Craig James (5-11, 195) played sparingly last season but opened up strong with 10 tackles against the Owls.
 
The Tigers (1-0) host Villanova (0-1) on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Unitas Stadium. The game will be broadcast on WNST-AM 1570 and can also be heard on TowsonTigers.com.
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