TOWSON, Md. - The Tigers could look to several reasons why they lost to Maryland, 28-3, on Saturday at Byrd Stadium.
The biggest culprit of the day was turnovers as sophomore quarterback Peter Athens was picked off twice along with a fumble while redshirt freshman Derrick Joseph fumbled on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter. In their first three games, the Tigers had committed just three turnovers.
In the first half, the Tigers had numerous opportunities to score a touchdown. But, dropped passes, penalties and poor execution led to their downfall.
It all started on the first drive as the game as Maryland marched all the way down from its 35-yard line to the Towson 30-yard line. On 3rd down and 10, quarterback Danny O'Brien threw an incomplete pass to Kevin Dorsey. However, a personal foul penalty was called on junior Jordan Dangerfield and the Terps were given an automatic first down on the Tiger 15-yard line. On the next play, running back D.J. Adams found a seam on the right side and ran almost untouched for an easy touchdown to give the Terps a 7-0 lead.
That was the only touchdown the Towson defense would allow in the first half. But, the offense couldn't capitalize although the Tigers had their chances.
On their second drive, the Tigers had the ball at their own 25-yard line after senior defensive tackle Marcus Valentine blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt by Nick Ferrara.
Anchored by the running of Terrance West and Sterlin Phifer, the Tigers drove down to the Maryland 37-yard line. On 4th-and-1, the Tigers attempted to get the first down with a toss to West on the left side, but he was tackled for a four-yard loss by Mario Rowson.
Once again, the Tiger defense would come up with a stop on fourth down as Dangefield stopped Adams at the Towson 29-yard line.
On the ensuing drive, Towson put together an incredible 16-play, 66-yard drive that took an amazing 9:08 off the clock. This was the perfect drive except for one thing - the Tigers didn't finish.
The Tigers converted a 2nd-and-23 from the Maryland 33-yard line as Athens found junior Tom Ryan, who brought the ball to the Maryland 11-yard line. On third-and-one, junior Dominique Booker ran for nine yards to give the Tigers a first-and-goal at the Maryland two-yard line.
Towson had three opportunities to score from the two-yard line and went with three rushes from Booker, who couldn't get in. After a one-yard gain up the middle, he took a sweep to the left side and was inches away from crossing the goal line. But, he was ruled just short and on third-and-goal, Booker once again attempted to go left and this time, Maryland read the play. Booker was stopped by Eric Franklin and Demetrius Hartsfield for a five-yard loss.
Sophomore D.J. Soven converted a 23-yard field goal with 10:07 left in the second quarter. The Tigers were down just 7-3, but a tie would have sounded a lot better.
On Maryland's next drive, the Terps once again took the ball into Towson territory, but were forced to punt. Ferrara's punt was downed at the Towson two-yard line with 6:57 left.
The Tigers were now in a difficult position. However, on 3rd-and-10 at the Towson three-yard line, Athens rolled right on a play-action fake and found senior fullback Tyler Wharton wide open for a 19-yard reception. That play keyed another incredible 16-play drive that took the ball to the Maryland 11-yard line.
During the drive, Towson had a personal foul penalty that cost them 15 yards and a false penalty for five yards. From the Towson 31-yard line, Athens found an open man in junior Alex Blake, who let the ball slip through his hands that could have either been a score or set up one.
Despite the miscues, the Tigers were able to drive the ball all the way down the field. However, Towson had no timeouts left and on 3rd-and-11 with nine seconds left, Athens completed a pass to Ryan at the Maryland 7-yard line. But, it was in the middle of the field and the Tigers' special teams unit had to rush on the field with just seconds left. Soven just got the kick away (a 24-yarder), but it was wide right.
Towson Coach Rob Ambrose wasn't happy by the last few plays of the half. "Offensively, we were kicking their (behinds) in the first half," he said. "What annoys me is that we had to take three timeouts (before the final drive). I couldn't waste the timeout to kick the field goal. We left too many points on the field. Period."
Towson went into the half with just three points after putting together two 16-play drives against an FBS defense. In their last three games against FBS teams, Towson wasn't even close to being competitive at the half.
While it shows that Towson has made tremendous strides as a football program, the Tigers still have to execute better and eliminate costly mistakes in the red zone.
