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Towson Beats Richmond, Stays Perfect At Home
By Simon Habtemariam
The last time Towson beat Richmond, the Tigers orchestrated a 29-second game winning drive to dethrone the No. 14 Richmond Spiders in 2007.
With 2.5 minutes left during the game, Towson coach Rob Ambrose's offense put together an eight-play, 54-yard drive to put the ball on the Richmond 11-yard line.
Richmond called back-to-back timeouts to ice sophomore place kicker D.J. Soven, who held the game in his hands with four seconds left during the game. But Soven converted the ninth game-winning kick in program history.
No. 25 Towson (4-1, 2-0 CAA) topped Richmond (3-3, 0-3 CAA) during the Tigers' closest game of the season, 31-28.
"A win in the conference against a nationally ranked opponent is a good day for Towson," Ambrose said.
For the first time this season, Towson's offense failed to outgain its opponents. A week after outgaining the Maryland offense by more than 50 yards, Towson played its closest game of the year through all four quarters.
"I'm not going to say I was annoyed to be in this position," Ambrose said. "It's not how you start. It's how you finish."
Richmond's offense had no problem moving on the Towson defense on any of its drives. The Spiders never punted on the night and racked up 459 yards on the Tigers. Quarterback Aaron Corp, who came into Saturday's game third in the CAA in passing yards, ended the night completing 31 of 34 passes for 353 yards for two touchdowns.
Tigers' defensive back Nick Oates forced a fumble deep in Towson territory to end Richmond's opening offensive drive. This teed up sophomore quarterback Grant Enders to lead the Tigers on a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive.
Freshman tailback Terrence West got the call on the Richmond 3-yard line for his sixth touchdown of the year. The true freshman leads the CAA's best rushing offense with four touchdowns.
Richmond's offense again moved easily into scoring position against the Tigers. On the first two Spider drives of the game, Corp was perfect on 11 pass completions for 96 yards. Richmond's drive stalled at the Towson 19-yard line and the Spiders had to settle for a field goal.
After its defense handed the Tigers a three-and-out drive, Richmond's offense continued its red-zone woes. Corp remained perfect on the drive, but the offense stalled at the Towson 9-yard-line. Will Kamin's 26-yard field goal attempt missed wide left.
Towson's offense began an aggressive drive on the ground against Richmond. The combination of West, Enders and Richmond native Dominique Booker combined for 63 yards rushing on an 80-yard drive. West again got the call for the touchdown.
With short time left during the half, Corp woke up the Richmond offense with a 33-yard pass to senior receiver Tre Gray to the Towson 6-yard line. This play by the CAA's leading receiver set up tailback Kendall Gaskins for Richmond's first touchdown of the game.
Gaskins, who has scored during every game this season, is battling with West for the conference scoring crown. His touchdown with 1:02 left during the first half put him ahead of West by one touchdown.
Towson tried to respond with a scoring drive before the end of the first half. Poised to score with 11 seconds before halftime, Ambrose called for a rush by Booker. The junior tailback drew out the play, consuming the time left in the half -- ending Towson's scoring chance.
"If I had a crystal ball, would I have done it [called for a run play], no," Ambrose said. "I got a tremendous teaching moment for the entire football team."
After Towson's offense then went three and out to begin the second half, Richmond again put together a lengthy drive into Towson's side of the field. After 15 plays for 70 yards, the Spiders looked to take the lead for the first time of the night. Redshirt freshman linebacker Kenton Powell, starting for a suspended Alex DiSanzo, broke through the interior of the Richmond offensive line for a five-yard loss on third down. Instead of taking the lead, the Spiders kicked a field goal to cut their deficit to 14-13.
Towson's next drive took up the remainder of the third quarter, with West punching in a three-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Corp continued to make a mockery of the Towson secondary, leading the Spiders 90 yards for their second touchdown of the game. Corp connected with Ben Edwards for a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Spiders then dialed up a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 21 apiece.
Towson fought back on a 65-yard drive to put the Tigers ahead of the Spiders with 6:10 left during the game. West continued his quest for the conference rushing touchdown lead. The freshman back broke an impressive 25-yard run for a touchdown.
The Spiders had no trouble piecing together an eight-play, 70-yard drive to tie the game with 2:27 left during the game. Corp continued his impressive night, complete with an eight-yard strike to Stephen Barnette in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 28.
Ambrose's offense consumed the rest of the game clock with its final field-goal drive for the win.
With the win against the Spiders, Towson remains undefeated at home and perfect against Colonial Athletic Association opponents. The Tigers opened 2011 with convincing home wins against cross-town rival Morgan State; CAA powerhouse Villanova; and Colgate, a team they had never beaten before. The Tigers then traveled to Maryland and closed their non-conference schedule with a 28-3 loss.
Towson now sits atop the premier conference in the NCAA FCS, tied with James Madison. Going into Saturday's contest, Towson was one of eight nationally ranked CAA programs. No other conference in the NCAA FCS had eight teams in the top 25 rankings.
"If there's one thing our guys do not lack, it's [swagger]," Ambrose said. "And it is earned."
Towson has spent the first six weeks of the college football season in the state of Maryland with four home games, an away game in College Park and an early bye week. The Tigers will travel to Norfolk, Va., to face CAA newcomer No. 21 Old Dominion University.
Posted Oct. 8, 2011 |
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