Good football teams can be distracted by tough losses. Experienced teams understand the goal at hand and are able to move on.
Towson has become the later type of football team, coming back from a shocking 32-31 loss two week ago at home against rival Delaware, to defeat #16 William & Mary, 15-9 in Williamsburg, Va.
A "must-win"
Head Coach Rob Ambrose might not have used the word "must-win" because even with a loss, Towson had a great chance to make the playoffs. But this was a statement game for a team that has now won an amazing 10 straight road contests. They showed once again they could bounce back from adversity and win against the number one defensive team in the country at its own game.
In other words, Towson needed to win an ugly, low-scoring affair that featured mistakes on both sides and some odd bounces that finally went Towson's way. The bounces certainly didn't go Towson's way last week against Delaware when the perfect storm occurred for the Blue Hens to make their biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the long history of their program.
“I am so proud of this team,” said Ambrose. “To come down here and beat a very tough William & Mary team with its great defense is quite an accomplishment. We usually score a lot more points, but the goal is to win the game. That's what we did.”
A low-scoring affair
Towson came into this game averaging 40.3 points per game, but that was going to be a tough task to duplicate against a team that was allowing just 12.5 points per game.
The Tigers could have scored a lot more than 15 points as eight penalties and two missed field goals put pressure on their defense to make big stops, which they did most of the day.
Sophomore safety Donnell Lewis had terrific day with 10 tackles and one diving interception. Junior defensive end Ryan Delaire picked up two sacks with eight tackles and senior linebacker Monte Gaddis finished with nine tackles.
But breaks also went the Tigers' way. True freshman Andre Dessenberg hasn't had a lot of playing time, but the 6-2 wide receiver might have made his biggest play as a Tiger.
On the first drive for Towson of the third quarter, senior quarter Peter Athens' pass was intercepted by Airek Green at the Towson 38. Green returned it 13 yards to the Towson 25, but senior offensive guard Anthony Davis forced a fumble and Dessenberg recovered the ball at the Towson 26.
Even though Towson's drive stalled at its own 29, Dessenberg's recovery ended what might have been the Tribe's best chance to score in the second half.
The Tiger defense
In the game against Delaware, Towson's defense couldn't get the Blue Hens off the field on third (6-of-15) and especially fourth downs (4-of-4). Against the Tribe, the defense stepped up on third (4-of-11) and especially fourth downs (0-of-4).
One of the prime examples came on the first drive of the second half for William & Mary. From its own 30, the Tribe drove right down the field, led by running back Mikal Abdul-Saboor, who had 38 yards on seven carries. But the Tigers defense stood up near the red zone as they forced an incomplete pass from Brent Caprio to Tre McBride on fourth-and-three at the Towson 29.
The game-winning drive
The momentum of that stop allowed Towson to score on its next possession, which may have been the most unorthodox game-winning drives in the history of the program. Towson moved the ball from their its 29 down the William & Mary 13.
After Athens' pass into the end zone intended for freshman Willie Ponder failed, the Tigers decided to go for the 30-yard field goal on 4th-and-nine. But instead of kicking it, sophomore holder Connor Frazier took the snap and ran for 10 yards to the William & Mary 3.
One play later, junior Terrance West ran it in from three-yards out for his 28th touchdown of the year and 72nd of his career. Towson was up 13-9 but instead of kicking the extra point, Ambrose decided to go for a two-point conversion.
Athens dropped back and then took off to the one-yard line, where he fumbled the ball. William & Mary safety Jerome Couplin recovered the ball in the end zone, scooped it up and then fumbled the ball. Frazier, who was playing wide receiver, scooped up the ball for the two-point conversion.
"Obviously it surprised us," said Tribe linebacker Luke Rhodes referring to the fake field goal. "Critical situation like that, we had people there to make plays and we just didn't make plays tonight."
A look around the CAA
Towson's finale will now take place against a James Madison team looking to be the spoiler. The Tigers have never beaten the Dukes in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. James Madison was upset at home on Saturday by Stony Brook (4-6, 2-5 CAA), 41-38. That dropped the Dukes to 6-5 overall and 3-4 in the CAA with their playoff hopes all but gone.
That means the CAA title goes to Maine at 7-0 while Towson and (you guessed it) New Hampshire will battle it out for second place at 5-2.
New Hampshire beat Albany (1-10, 0-7 CAA), 37-20, on the road to put the Wildcats in position to possibly make their 10th straight playoff appearance. However, they are just 6-4 overall and need a win against Maine at home to have a chance.
In other CAA action, Richmond (5-6, 3-4 CAA) upset Delaware (7-4, 4-3 CAA) on the road, 46-43, to dampen the Blue Hens' playoff chances.
As mentioned earlier, Maine wrapped up the CAA title with a 41-0 win over Rhode Island (3-9, 2-6 CAA) in Orono, Maine. The Black Bears, who did not play the Tigers this season, certainly deserved the title as quarterback Marcus Wasilewski was sensational again on Saturday, completing 22 of 26 for 307 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
