TOWSON, Md. - Sophomore quarterback Peter Athens and graduate student Bart Blanchard directed long scoring drives to highlight Towson University's second scrimmage of the pre-season.
Played in 89-degree heat in Johnny Unitas® Stadium, the scrimmage was divided into two halves. In the first half, the Tigers played with traditional scrimmage rules and ran 48 plays. The second half of the two-hour scrimmage consisted of situational plays from different places on the field.
"Almost everybody helped themselves today," said Coach Rob Ambrose. "We took some steps forward and we're close to being where we need to be. I keep telling our coaches that we need to be getting a little better every day. We are making progress."
In the scrimmage, the Tigers used four different quarterbacks and Coach Ambrose liked what he saw from all of them. While declining to comment on which quarterback has the edge for the starting position on Opening Night, he said, "All of them are doing well. We think we are going to have some positive, experienced options this season. The competition is going well and the quarterback who starts will be the one who gives us the best opportunity to win."
In addition to Athens and Blanchard, junior Chris Hart and sophomore Brian Potts directed the offense in the scrimmage.
Blanchard, a transfer from The Citadel, improvised as he threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end James Oboh. Under pressure, Blanchard rolled to his right and threw a long pass to Oboh at the five-yard line. Although the pass was tipped by senior safety Ray White, Oboh stayed with the play and caught the tipped pass before running into the end zone for the first touchdown of the scrimmage.
The touchdown reception capped 52-yard, five-play drive.
Later in the half, Athens marched the Tigers 61 yards in eight plays for another touchdown. Athens, who started six games for the Tigers as a first-year freshman last year, completed three of four passes for 47 yards on the drive. Senior Hakeem Moore caught two of those passes for 37 yards. His 22-yard catch on third down-and-two moved the Tigers to the 13-yard line.
Sophomore Tremayne Dameron, the Tigers' leading rusher in 2009, completed the drive when he scored on a five-yard run, breaking several tackles before powering his way into the end zone.
In the scrimmage, Dameron had eight carries for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Hart also led the Tigers on a scoring drive. He marched the offense 40 yards in nine plays before freshman Bryce Thompson kicked a 32-yard field goal.
The Tigers' kicking game seems to be much-improved this season and Coach Ambrose is pleased by that.
"The kicking game was a major focus for us in the off-season," he said. "We are pleased with the kickers we have and we like the fact that they are getting better."
Senior Nick Wallace, a transfer from Maryland, is competing with Thompson and another freshman, D.J. Soven, for the kicking duties. Wallace helped his cause with several long kickoffs that landed inside the five-yard line.
Thompson and Soven are also competing for the position as the Tigers' starting punter.
TIGER TALES: With less than two weeks remaining until the season opener at Indiana University on Thursday, September 2, the Tigers are planning to have one more inter-squad scrimmage next week ... More than 20 players sat out the scrimmage on Friday afternoon but the Tiger coaching staff expects most of them to be ready for the season opener.
Senior cornerback Jeremy Gardner did well returning punts in the scrimmage ... He had two punt returns for 36 yards, including a 27-yarder that he nearly broke for a touchdown ... He also broke up two passes on defense.
Sophomore defensive end Romale Tucker was very active in the scrimmage ... He recorded two sacks and two tackles for lost yardage ... Tucker also made an impressive one-on-one tackle on Dameron on a third-and-one play.
The battle for the tight end position is one of the most heated competitions on the team ... Senior Ryan Hanley is competing with sophomore Mike Evans for playing time while newcomers Cory Kirby, David Vaughan and Oboh have also been impressive.
The Tigers are preparing for a challenging 11-game schedule which opens at Indiana University on Thursday, September 2 ... This marks the third straight season that Towson opens its season against an NCAA BCS opponent.
