Gearing up for the fall

By: Tyler Beard, Staff Writer

Tiger Bowl V kicked off Saturday at Johnny Unitas Stadium and the Black Team came out with the 10-9 victory in the annual spring game.

The game showed glimpses of the quarterback competition between redshirt senior Connor Frazier, junior Heath Dahlgren and redshirt freshman Ellis Knudson.

Head Coach Rob Ambrose said he hasn’t made a decision on who might start in the fall, but he has an idea.

“Without looking at the film, I would tell if you if we started today that I would play at least two of them in the opener,” Ambrose said after the game.

Dahlgren had the best game statically, with a 60-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Joe McCargo, an 80-yard screen touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Richy Anderson, a transfer from Penn State and a 53-yard pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Brian Matthews.

Ambrose simply stated, “Maybe” when asked if Dahlgren would be one of the two quarterbacks that he would start in the opener.
Matthews had a big day offensively for the Tigers, coming away with three catches that were all over 30 yards. Matthews also blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown. However, the teams didn’t count special teams’ touchdowns.

“It’s humbling,” Matthews said. “I’ve been working hard; me and my team have been working hard to get to where we need to be today.
We had a good spring, we grew and with the chemistry brewing, I’m only looking forward to greater things.”

Junior running back Darius Victor also performed well in the scrimmage, showing off a quick burst on an 18-yard run.

“I just want to improve my total skill set,” Victor said. “Whether that’s blocking or open field speed or just patience, improving myself so I can help improve the team.”

Redshirt junior Bryton Barr, who made a few tackles and sack, highlighted the Tigers’ performance. Barr missed most of last season with a knee injury and said he was excited to be back on the field.

“I just want to thank all my teammates for letting me get back on the field with them,” he said. “It’s one of the greatest feelings because it’s been almost two years now off the field and feeling one of those first [hits]; there’s nothing better than that.”

The Tigers also had senior kicker Sam Hurwitz, a transfer from the University of Arizona, and redshirt freshman kicker Danny Sutton hit field goals from over 35 yards.

Ambrose said he was impressed with what he saw in the game and said the position battles will be interesting.

“The number of positions for guys competing for starting jobs has never been greater,” he said. “It’s not because we don’t have players but because we have too many players. We have a lot of talent.”

The position battles will continue through the summer, leading to Towson’s first game at East Carolina on Sept. 5.

Towson finished 4-8 last season, a year after making the Football Championship Subdivision Championship game.

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