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But instead of becoming unglued in a situation most teams would have a tough time overcoming, Towson thrived, winning its first road game of the season and keeping its postseason hopes alive. The Tigers overpowered Villanova, 49-35, to improve to 4-4 on the season and 3-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
"For this year's team, and the bigger picture, it means one step closer to our goal," said Towson head coach Rob Ambrose. "We all know what that is. But in a much bigger perspective for every kid in that locker room, this win defines 'team'. If you don't care about yourself, and all you care about is your teammates, you can do amazing things. Right now, we are a very, very good team."
Offensively, this was the highest scoring game of the season for the Tigers, who came in averaging 23.3 points per game. Last year, they averaged 34.8 points per game so scoring 49 against a team that was allowing just 19 points per game and just 137 yards per game on the ground is a big step forward. This was the same Villanova team that defeated an explosive Old Dominion team on the road, 38-14, two weeks ago.
Towson needed its offense to step up yesterday after allowing 28 points in the first half (and were still up 35-28). Senior quarterback Grant Enders had one of the best games of his career, throwing for four touchdown passes and rushing for a career-high 122 yards and a touchdown.
Sophomore Terrance West upped to his Towson record to 39 career rushing touchdowns, adding two for the night and also had a 78-yard receiving touchdown to give him 40 overall touchdowns. Last year's Jerry Rice Award was on his game but also playing with a heavy heart.
"The rest of the season is dedicated to my grandmother who passed away last week," said West.
The Tigers showed that they could overcome last week's distractions. Now they have to continue that momentum into next week's game at Delaware.
"With the distractions, we just came together and it just made us stronger," said sophomore middle linebacker Monte Gaddis, who led the team with 12 tackles.
"We were more of a family and just did what we had to do to get the win."
"There were a lot of outside sources," said Enders. "We didn't let it affect us. It helped us. We are closer now than we've been all season."
*****
Before we check out the rest of the CAA, let's take a look at some of the non-conference opponents Towson has faced this season. LSU was off this week, but Kent State improved to 7-1 with a 35-23 road win over #15 Rutgers. The Golden Flashes forced seven turnovers including picking off the Scarlet Knights' starting quarterback Gary Nova six times.
Old Dominion moved to 7-1 and 4-1 in the CAA with a 31-26 win over Delaware (5-3, 2-3 CAA) in Norfolk, Va.. The Blue Hens put up a good fight, cutting the score to two with 12:21 left in the game, but couldn't convert the two-point attempt.
New Hampshire (7-2, 5-1 CAA) continues to lead the league after doubling up Rhode Island, 40-20, on the road. Sean Goldrich threw for 245 yards and one touchdown to lead the Wildcats.
James Madison (6-2, 4-1 CAA) stayed in second place but had difficulty with Georgia State (1-8, 1-5 CAA), winning just 28-21 in Harrisonburg, Va.
Maine (3-5, 2-3 CAA) used a strong defense to down William & Mary on the road, 24-10.
