After a
heartbreaking loss to the Dukes of James Madison, the Towson Tigers will come home to Unitas Stadium for the next two weeks. First up are the Black Bears of Maine this Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. followed by the Old Dominion
Monarchs on October 20, also at 7 p.m. With Towson now 2-3 overall, and 1-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), these two
games are must-wins if the Tigers are to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Many fans will look
at that 2-3 record and think that the Tigers have taken a step back from last
year. I would say take a harder
look. Towson's three losses are to teams
with a combined 13-3 record. Kent State
is 4-1 with their only loss being to an SEC school. Madison's only loss is to West Virginia who
is undefeated and ranked fith in the latest FBS poll. The Tigers' third loss is to ninth-ranked FBS LSU who is 5-1,
and their only loss is on the road to Florida.
Let's also remember
that all three of the Tigers' losses are on the road. Towson is 2-0 at Unitas Stadium, and to get
where they want to go - the playoffs - they will most likely have to win their
final three home games. The CAA schedule
makers didn't do the Tigers any favors, but Coach Rob Ambrose and his staff and
players will not make any excuses.
The
loss this past Saturday to Madison was tough to say the least. After not having scored a touchdown through
the first three quarters and five minutes of the fourth, the Tigers put
together a great drive of 92 yards to take a 10-6 lead with just over three
minutes left.
But as my partner on the
broadcasts, Towson Hall of Fame quarterback Ron Meehan said at the time, it
seems like when one team breaks through, the other will follow.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, that's exactly
what happened as the Dukes took the ensuing kickoff and drove 79 yards to score
the decisive touchdown with just 1:24 left on the clock.
One big difference
from this year's version of the Towson football team is the defense has
really improved from last season. The
defense played a fantastic game yesterday, and really have all season
long. This bodes well for the Tigers
because if you have a stout defense, you will be in every game.
One other note on
the Madison game, you won't ever see a gutsier call than the one Coach Ambrose
made. With nine minutes left in the game
and the Tigers trailing 10-6, Towson had fourth and inches at their own 18 yard
line. Instead of punting, the Tigers
went for it and picked up the first on a quarterback sneak by Grant Enders. Had Towson not gotten that first
down, Madison certainly would have put more points on the board and seriously
hindered any chance the Tigers had at coming back to win the game. Instead, the Tiger drive continued and
eventually ended with Towson scoring the go ahead touchdown. I have said this from the day Rob was hired,
he will try anything at any time. The
players have got to love this, knowing that their leader has so much confidence
in their ability.
So this week the
Tigers will take on the Maine Black Bears. Jack Cosgrove's squad came up with a huge road win against the Delaware
Blue Hens this past Saturday. Maine will
come in with the identical record as the Tigers, 2-3 and 1-1 in CAA play. Towson will need the help of the home crowd
to offset the Black Bears coming in with confidence. Maine will also come in looking for a little
revenge. The Tigers went up to Orono, Me.
last year and smacked them around Alfond Stadium, 40-30.
It should be quite a
ballgame; I hope you can all be there for the excitement of Towson football.
Don't forget Damon Lewis and I will be at Bill Bateman's
Bistro on campus for another edition of Tiger Talk this Thursday night. Coach Ambrose will join us along with
other guests from the athletic department. The show airs from 6-7 p.m. If
you can't be at Bateman's, you can hear Tiger Talk right here on
TowsonTigers.com, or on your iPhone or Android device.
