TOWSON, Md. - This was a game that many people thought would never occur. Even though Towson has been playing football in FCS (I-AA) since 1987, the Tigers were unable to play FBS teams until four years ago.
On Saturday, after 24 years of playing I-AA football, that dream will finally be realized when the Tigers take the field at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium against the University of Maryland for the very first time for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
Towson (3-0) is looking to go 4-0 for the first time since 2006 but that will be a very tough task. The Tigers will face a Maryland team (1-2) that is coming off a 38-7 home loss to Temple last Saturday. The Tigers have never defeated an FBS team in their three previous opportunities. In fact, they've never really been close.
In 2008, the Tigers took a short trip to Annapolis to face Navy. The Tigers' defense had all sorts of problems with the triple option as Shun White rushed for a school-record 348 yards while leading the Mids to a 41-13 victory. Sean Schaefer had a strong game for the Tigers with 330 yards and two passing touchdowns.
In 2009, Towson took on their its Big Ten team when the Tigers faced Northwestern.The Tigers got behind 30-0 to the Wildcats and never really recovered, losing 47-14 in Evanston, Ill. Last year, Towson got behind early again and lost against another Big Ten program, falling to Indiana by a 51-17 margin.
On Saturday, Towson goes into College Park with a little more swagger. This is not the same Towson team that has faced those last three FBS programs. However, the bigger question is which Maryland team will show up?
Before the shocking Temple loss, the Terps opened the season by defeating Miami (Fla.) on a Monday night, 32-24.
After a bye week, Maryland fell to West Virginia, 37-31, at Byrd Stadium on Sept. 17. In that contest, the Terps were down by as many as 24 points and were driving late in the game with a chance to win, but just fell short against the 18th-ranked team in the nation.
This game features several interesting connections.Towson Coach Rob Ambrose spent several seasons on Randy Edsall's staff at Connecticut, including three years as his offensive coordinator. Edsall is in his first year at Maryland after spending 13 years (75-72) at the helm at UConn.
Maryland senior running back Davin Meggett's father, Dave, played for Towson in 1987-88 and spent 10 years in the NFL. He won the Walter Payton Award for top player in I-AA football in 1989.
The Terps come into this outing averaging 23.3 points per game and allowing 33 points per game. They have had issues on run defense, allowing 183 yards per game while allowing 241 yards per game in the air.
The offense has struggled at times running the ball, as the Terrapins average 128 yards per game, but the aerial attack has been strong by averaging 277.3 yards per game.
Sophomore quarterback Danny O'Brien (6-3, 215) was last season's ACC Rookie of the Year. This year, O'Brien has completed 64 per cent of his passees for 790 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions. Part of the issue for O'Brien is learning a new offense under coordinator Gary Crowton, a former LSU assistant and BYU head coach.
In the first game against Miami, 13 of O'Brien's 31 completions went to senior wide receivers Ronnie Tyler (5-9, 185) and Quintin McCree (6-1, 190). Both receivers were suspended for the West Virginia and Temple games but will return this Saturday.
Meggett (5-8, 215) leads the team in rushing with 225 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and one touchdown. Sophomore D.J. Adams (5-10, 220), who was suspended for the first game, is second in rushing with 64 yards and also has two touchdowns. Adams is normally the short-yardage and red zone runner for the Terps.
O'Brien's top target at receiver thus far has been junior Kevin Dorsey (6-2, 205), who has 22 catches for 264 yards (12 yards per catch) and one TD. Junior tight end Matt Furstenburg (6-4, 245) is another key target, adding 12 receptions for 137 yards.
The offensive line has some experience led by senior left guard Andrew Gonnella (6-5, 295) and junior right tackle R.J. Dill (6-7, 300), who has started 20 consecutive games.
The defense will start three freshmen after losing sophomore safety Matt Robinson (36 tackles) for the season with a shoulder injury. Robinson ranked seventh in the nation with 12.0 tackles per game.
The key will be the play of the young Terps up front. Junior Joe Vellano (6-2, 285) is the leader up front and was a consensus preseason All-ACC selection. He has nine tackles and two fumble recoveries this year.
Senior Maurice Hampton (6-2, 295) gets the nod at the other tackle spot. But, the Terps have been rotating bodies there and could also use talented junior A.J. Francis (6-4, 295), who had 44 tackles and 2.5 sacks last year.
At defensive end, sophomore David Mackall (6-3, 240) has a sack and 13 tackles in three games after moving over from linebacker last year. The other end is likely to be freshman Keith Bowers (6-2, 260), who has recorded eight tackles in two starts this season.
At linebacker, Maryland moved senior Kenny Tate (6-4, 220) from his spot where he was an All-ACC safety to the Star position, which is a hybrid outside linebacker/safety spot. Tate ranks fourth on the team with 26 tackles and also has one interception. Last year, he had 100 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.
At the middle linebcker or "Mike" spot, redshirt freshman Lorne Goree (6-1, 230) gets the nod. He has 15 tackles and one sack this year. Goree and Mackall both attended Fork Union Military Academy with current Towson freshman running back Terrance West.
Junior Demetrius Hartsfield (6-2, 235) plays the weakside linebacker ("Will") spot and is second on the team with 33 tackles, including a sack.
The secondary features an established cornerback in senior Cameron Chism (5-10, 190). He has 19 tackles and one fumble recovery this year with one interception. The other corner will be sophomore Dexter McDougle (5-10, 190), who has 11 tackles and two fumble recoveries.
At free safety, junior Eric Franklin (6-2, 205) is third on the team with 31 tackles and has one fumble recovery. Freshman Titus Till (6-2,195) will get the start with Robinson out of the lineup.
The Tigers take on the Terps at Byrd Stadium at 3:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on TowsonTigers.com and broadcast on WNST-AM 1570. In addition, the game can be seen on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.
