TOWSON, Md. - As the 12th-ranked Tiger football team gets set to take on the 7th-ranked Wildcats of New Hampshire this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Johnny Unitas® Stadium, the Tigers have a chance to do something they have already done twice before this season - earn their first-ever win over an opponent.

When the Tigers took on Colgate on September 24, the Tigers were facing a Raiders team that had won all nine previous meetings. When the Tigers faced William and Mary on October 22, the Tigers were 0-7 all time against the Tribe.

The final scores from those meetings this year - Towson 42, Colgate 17 and Towson 38, William and Mary 27. 

As New Hampshire comes to town this week, the Tigers have never beaten the Wildcats in seven all-time meetings. The Tigers have a chance to beat a third team they have never beaten before in the same season. I don't know where to find a stat like this, but it's unlikely there have been many teams that have beaten three teams in a season that they had never beaten before. This will not be an easy task though.

New Hampshire is traditionally at the top of the CAA standings. Coach Sean McDonnell has had his team in the playoffs seven straight years. From 2004 to 2009, the Wildcats finished 1st or 2nd in the CAA's North Division. 

But, it's not just in the standings that McDonnell has had the Wildcats on top. He also has New Hampshire near the top of the NCAA offensive stats on an annual basis. The New Hampshire coach is a protégé of Oregon Coach Chip Kelly. Anyone who has watched the Ducks know that they run their offense fast and furiously.

For the many who are coming to "the U" on Saturday, you will see an offense in that mold.  UNH quarterback Kevin Decker is fourth in the nation in total offense at 315 yards per game. The Wildcats are 13th in the nation in total offense at just over 434 yards per game.

But, guess what? The Tigers are 10th in the nation in total offense at 438 yards per game.  If this game goes to form, it will certainly be a shootout. Or, in the Tigers' case, it could be a run out. The Tigers average 235 rushing yards per game, tops in the CAA. However, New Hampshire is 71st out of 117 FCS schools in rushing defense.

Numbers mean nothing once these two teams walk out onto the field as they both know that a win on Saturday will give them the inside track to the CAA championship. 

With a victory, the Tigers control their own destiny. The Wildcats can also control their own destiny with a win. For Towson, this is uncharted territory. With all of the success that Towson had at the Division III and Division II levels, the Tigers never won a conference championship.

How is that possible? Well, the Tigers were never in a conference until joining the Patriot  League in 1997. If my ciphering is correct, a Towson win on Saturday and a loss by Maine against Massachusetts will give the Tigers a conference championship. 

Not many (if any) thought that was possible back on September 3 before the Tigers kicked off against Morgan State. Speaking of the Bears, good luck to them this Saturday when they take on Norfolk State. A win gives the Bears a shot at the MEAC championship.  Wouldn't it be something if the Tigers could get a rematch with the Bears in the FCS playoffs?

I think back now to an interview I did with Tiger linebacker Danzel White before the Morgan game. I asked him about staying focused for an 11-game season. He responded by telling me that this team was going to play 15 games this season. He was trying to tell me that this group had their sights set on going all the way. 

Walking away after that interview, I thought Danzel was confident and maybe a little delusional. On Sunday night, I found myself going to Google Maps to look and see exactly where Frisco, Texas is. Danzel wasn't so delusional after all.

So we hope to see everyone out at "the U" on Saturday afternoon. I know I have been anxious for kickoff since about 3:45 p.m. last Saturday.

By the way, Frisco, Texas is a suburb just north of Dallas.  It is also where the NCAA FCS Championship Game is played which gets me to thinking - Frisco is to Dallas what Towson is to Baltimore. Hmmmmmm.

Programming Note:  Please come out and join me this Thursday night from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Bill Bateman's Bistro in Towson for another edition of Tiger Talk. I'll be flying solo this week as my cohort Damon Lewis will be traveling to Kansas with the Tiger men's basketball team. Coach Rob Ambrose and I will go over last week's game against Maine and look to this week's game against New Hampshire. 

If you can't make it to Bateman's, you can tune in on WNST-AM 1570 or right here on TowsonTigers.com. See you at Bateman's.