TOWSON, Md. - After their bye week, the Tigers (2-0) return to face former Patriot League rival Colgate (1-2, 0-1) on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Unitas Stadium for Towson's annual Homecoming Game.
The Tigers haven't had much success against the Raiders, dropping all nine previous meetings. The last time Towson faced Colgate was in 2007 when the Raiders downed the Tigers, 27-17, in Hamilton, N.Y.
In 2002, Colgate edged the Tigers, 9-7, in the Raiders' last visit to Towson. They also downed the Tigers by 26-7 at home in 2003, Towson's last year in the Patriot League before moving to the Atlantic 10 (now CAA).
The Raiders are coached by Dick Biddle, who owns a 120-55 record in 16 seasons at the helm. Biddle has led the Raiders to a 70-20 record in the Patriot League, which includes five trips to the FCS playoffs. Last season, the Raiders went 7-4 overall and 3-2 in the Patriot League.
This year, the Raiders return 14 starters, including senior tailback Nate Eachus (5-10, 216 pounds). Eachus ran for 1,871 yards last year and led the country in rushing with 170.1 yards per game with 21 touchdowns. He was named to the 2010 AP All-American first team and earned just about every other accolade a running back could have, including the CFPA Elite Running Back of the Year.
In the Raiders' 37-34 overtime win over Albany in the season opener, Eachus ran for 165 yards on 36 carries. He was held to 98 yards on 25 carries against Holy Cross in a 37-7 loss on the road but missed last week's game against Dartmouth (a 37-20 loss) and is not expected to play this week due to an undisclosed injury.
Freshman Danny Epstein (5-10, 200) took over against Dartmouth, rushing for 46 yards on 16 carries. But, the key player for Colgate (assuming Eachus doesn't play) is sophomore quarterback Gavin McCarney (6-2, 190). The athletic quarterback from Jefferson Township, N.J. leads the team in rushing with 333 yards (5.6 ypc) and five touchdowns.
Considering he's never started a game before this season, McCarney's been terrific for the Raiders as an overall offensive threat. McCarney has thrown for 535 yards while completing 59-of-84 passes (70.2%) with two passing touchdowns and one interception. With Eachus gone against Dartmouth, he picked up the slack with 122 yards on 23 carries and three touchdowns.
Offensively, the Raiders have been pretty good considering they have a brand new quarterback and just lost their best player for a game. They average 21.3 points per game with 219.3 yards rushing per game and 178.3 yards per game in the air. Turnovers have not been a major issue as the Raiders have one fumble and one interception while causing three turnovers.
At receiver, Colgate has three very tall targets for McCarney. Junior Chris Looney (6-3, 200) leads the team with 19 catches for 171 yards while sophomore Daniel Cason (6-3, 194) has added 16 receptions for 161 yards and one score with eight receptions from junior Jonathan Mputu (6-3, 210). The offensive line is very talented and led by senior Vittorio Ottanelli (6-4, 299), who was named to the All-FCS Offensive second team. Senior OG Jamie Germano (6-3, 297) was a first-team All-Patriot League member last year.
Defensively, the Raiders suffered some key losses due to graduation and haven't quite recovered. In three games, they've allowed 36 points per game, 177 yards per game on the ground and 206.3 yards per game in the air.
They lost both defensive ends from last year in Zach Smith and Lamont Sonds, who combined for 18.5 sacks. Sophomores Andrew Nairin (6-3, 229) and Shane Wilson (6-2, 239) have taken their place. Nairin has 11 tackles while Wilson has recorded five tackles. The Raiders haven't recorded a sack in three games, but do have nine tackles for loss.
In the middle of the line, juniors Chris Horner (6-3, 271) and Tyler Danielson (6-1, 292) are solid at defensive tackle. They've combined for 14 tackles this season.
At linebacker, the leader is junior Patrick Friel (6-3, 225), who leads the team with 31 tackles, including five tackles for loss. Senior Chris DiMassa (6-1, 239) adds size at inside linebacker. He was named to the All-PL first team last year and has recorded 19 tackles with two pass breakups so far this year. The other linebacker, senior Adam Lock (6-2, 231), is fourth on the team with 12 tackles.
In the secondary, the Raiders have two returning starters in senior cornerback Kenny McKenzie (5-9, 174) and sophomore safety Chad Frey (6-1, 209). Sophomore Wendell Lewis (5-8, 168) mans the other corner spot while senior Vinnie Nicosia (6-0, 215) plays free safety.
Colgate will try and spoil the Tigers' Homecoming on Saturday night. The game will be broadcast on WNST-AM 1570 and will be streamed on TowsonTigers.com. There will also be a live in-game blog available on TowsonTigers.com.
