TOWSON, Md. - As we look back at the 2011 Towson Football season, I would normally review every game (I have done so for the last 10 years at CAAZone.com), but this time, I'd like to make it a little more condensed. So, let's do things a little differently and go from A to Z.
A is for Rob Ambrose. He earned CAA Coach of the Year honors after leading the Tigers to their first conference championship. Worst to First.
B is for Dominique Booker. The Tigers missed the outstanding junior running back who had 379 yards rushing (5.5ypc) and two TDs along with 8 catches for 98 yards and one score in just nine games. He missed the last four games due to a foot injury.
C is for Colgate. The Tigers earned their first-ever win over the Red Raiders came on Sept. 24, 42-17. They also beat William & Mary and New Hampshire for the first time ever.
D is for Derrick Joseph. The redshirt freshman had the first kickoff return for a touchdown in 16 years in the Tigers' 56-42 win over New Hampshire.
E is for Grant Enders, the sophomore quarterback who played for Lackawanna Junior College (Pa.) in 2010 and joined the Tigers during the summer. He was a dual threat for the Tigers who rushed for five touchdowns and threw for 16 more TDs with just eight interceptions.
F is for Frank Beltre, the junior defensive end who earned first-team All-CAA honors. He led the team with four sacks and 12.0 tackles for loss.
G is Gerrard Sheppard, the UConn transfer who made several acrobatic catches over the middle the season. He wound up with 22 catches for 274 yards and two touchdowns. He and fellow UConn transfer Leon Kinnard arrived at Towson in time for training camp in August.
H is for right tackle Henry Glackin, the only senior on an underrated Towson offensive line. Glackin, who started as a true freshman, earned second-team All-CAA honors this year.
I is for INTERCEPTIONS. Last year, Towson had just two interceptions. TWO! This season, the Tigers had 13 interceptions, including three each by junior linebacker Alexander DiSanzo and redshirt freshman linebacker Kenton Powell.
J is for Jordan Dangerfield, the hard-hitting junior safety who earned first-team All-CAA notice. Despite missing two games with an injury, he still led the team with 93 tackles, adding two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
K is for Leon Kinnard, the speedy receiver and punt returner who helped electrify the Towson passing game this year. The sophomore and former Loyola Blakefield High School quarterback finished second on the team with 36 catches for 402 yards and one touchdown.
L is for LSU. Towson officially signed on to play the number one team in FBS next season in Baton Rouge.
M is for Maine. When Towson defeated No. 7 Maine on the road by a 40-30 score on Nov. 5, that all but put the Tigers in the playoffs and gave them an edge for the CAA title in case of a tie-breaker.
N is for New Hampshire. When the Tigers defeated the Wildcats on Nov. 12, 56-42, they took down another team they had never defeated. They could also thank the Wildcats, who defeated Maine a week later to allow Towson to win the 2011 CAA Championship outright.
O is for Old Dominion. 4th and 29. Grant Enders to Tom Ryan for 63 yards and a touchdown with 1:07 left in the game might be the play of century for a 39-35 win.
P is for Playoffs? Towson finally could talk about playoffs near the end of the season after the win over New Hampshire. Coach Rob Ambrose finally let the cat out of the bag in the post-game press conference following the win on Senior Day.
Q is for qualifying for the playoffs. Towson is the first team to quality for the NCAA post-season in Division III, II and I-AA (FCS).
R is for Rhode Island. The Tigers defeated the Rams, 28-17, to clinch their first-ever CAA Football championship. Grant Enders led the team with 60 yards rushing and 212 yards passing.
S is for Tye Smith. The true freshman cornerback from North Carolina had two interceptions, including one return for a touchdown against New Hampshire. Smith played in 11 games and started the last four contests.
T is for Tom Ryan, the junior wide receiver who led the team with 39 catches for 560 yards and caught the 4th and 29 pass from Enders which went about 32 yards as Ryan cut outside and ran for about 30 more yards, dragging about three defenders with him into the end zone.
U is for Underdog. Towson was picked to finished last in the CAA and wound up first. So much for preseason predictions.
V is for Villanova, which the Tigers defeated on Sept. 10 by 31-10. Yes, the students rushed the field after the win which seems silly now, but not back then when the Tigers gone 0-8 in the CAA the year before.
W is for Terrance West, the fabulous freshman who was named as the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year and rushed for 1,294 yards with a school-record 29 touchdowns. And he sat out the opening game against Morgan State! The "Beast" is only getting started.
X is for the X-factor on this football team. Senior FB Tyler Wharton led the team with five receiving touchdowns and finished with 14 catches for 203 yards after catching just five receptions in his first three seasons.
Y is for Damon Yaffe, the former radio personality known as the "Bulldog" who was a quality control (offense) coach for the Tigers this season.
Z is for Tiger Zoo. Didn't know what else to call the student crowd that came out in record numbers this year. The capacity crowd of 11,196 at the Lehigh playoff game brought Towson's record season attendance to 62,645, an average of just under 9,000 per game.
