TOWSON, Md. - Towson's 28-17 win on Saturday against
Rhode Island showed that the 2011 squad wasn't represented by just one player or one side of the ball. The defense held
Rhode Island to just 230 yards
of total offense when the Tiger offense amassed just 154 yards
of rushing, nearly 100 yards less than their season average.
But, there were many stories that will come out of this 2011
football season and several are still to be written. So, how did Towson
go from 1-10 (0-8
CAA) in 2010 to 9-2 and 7-1 in the
CAA in 2011?
This was Rob Ambrose's third season at the helm and his message was
finally sinking in to the players that were here before he got here and
the players that just arrived.
While freshman Terrance West will get
most of the headlines for this turnaround and
deservedly so, the key position on offense is quarterback.
Towson's issues at that position since Sean
Schaefer graduated in 2008 are well-documented. But, even with
Schaefer, the Tigers were becoming a very unbalanced, pass-happy
team. They needed a quarterback who could give them a run-option, but
with the ability to also move the team in the air when needed.
When sophomore Grant Enders arrived, it wasn't obvious right away that he would be the man. But Ambrose didn't need him to be
Schaefer. With a young but improving offensive line and the additions of West, sophomore Boston College transfer
Sterln
Phifer and redshirt freshman Colorado transfer
Trea Jones, the Tigers were going to be an improved running team.
Enders needed to be more than a game manager but less than a gun-slinger. On Saturday, with the running game nearly stuck in neutral, they needed
Enders to be more of the gun-slinger and the
Lackawanna Junior College transfer came through by completing 20 of 26 passes for 212 yards and two
TDs with no turnovers on a windy afternoon at Meade Stadium. He also led the team in rushing with 60 yards.
Enders is exactly what
Towson needed this season. He may not be putting up the numbers like
Aaron Corp of Richmond, Warren Smith of Maine or Kevin Decker of New
Hampshire,
but Enders has been very efficient this season with 1,867 yards passing, 14 passing
TDs, over a 68% completion rate and eight interceptions. He also has 379 yards rushing and four rushing
TDs to place him second on the team behind West, who has 1,242 yards rushing and a school-record 27 touchdowns.
Let's compare some stats with last season. The Tigers averaged just 15.5 points per game last season and now average 34 points per contest.
They rushed for just 133 yards per game last year and
now average 240 yards per game this season.
But, there are several huge keys
this season on offense aside from the obvious improvements. The first
is turnovers as the Tigers committed 23 last year (15 interceptions) and this season, they
have just 16 overall.
The second key is third down and fourth down conversions. Last year, the Tigers
converted 52 of 163 (32%) third downs and 12 of 30 (40%) fourth downs.
This season, Towson has converted 74 of 140 (53%) chances on third down and 13 of 22 fourth
down opportunities (59%).
Defensively, the Tigers haven't exactly been dominant, allowing around 25 points per game and around 360 yards per game. But, they have been very opportunistic.
While the offense has
committed 16 turnovers, the defense has
forced 24 turnovers, giving the Tigers a +8 turnover ratio. Last
year's defense forced only nine turnovers (-14 turnover ratio) and
picked off only two passes all
season. While the pass rush hasn't been there all season in 2011, the Tigers
have gotten more pressure on the quarterback with 22 sacks compared to
14 in 2010.
Against Rhode Island,
the defense had two sacks (one by sophomore Kyle Polk and one by junior
Matt Morgan) while holding the Rams to just 60 yards rushing.
On special teams, Towson has been waiting for an explosive kick returner to bring one to the "house" since Maurice
Sydnor ran one back in 1995. Freshman Derrick Joseph leads the
CAA in kickoff returns at around 27 yards per return, which includes the 93-yard TD return against New Hampshire on Nov. 12.
How does a team go from worst to first? How does a program become
the first ever to make the postseason in three divisions (III, II, I)? By
believing that they could achieve what nobody outside of that locker
room could.
