Tigers hope to crunch on Blue Hen
By Jordan Kendall, Assistant Sports Editor
Photo by Joe Noyes/ The Towerlight
After dominating the Great Danes of Albany from the start, the Tigers finish out a two game road trip heading to Newark to face the Delaware Blue Hens. Against Albany, the Tigers never trailed in the game.
In the first quarter Redshirt Junior Running Back Shane Simpson ran for a three yard touchdown and has scored in each game for Towson in 2018. Redshirt Senior Punter Pat Toomey kicked a 27 yard field goal after Junior Kicker Aiden O’Neill left the game. Towson led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter just like the previous game vs William and Mary. In the second quarter Redshirt Junior Quarterback Tom Flacco ran for a five yard rushing touchdown, one of two for him in the game. The Tigers continued to dominate on offense, Junior Running Back Yeedee Thaenrat ran 42 yards for his 4th touchdown in 2018. Sophomore Wide Receiver Jabari Allen caught a 17 yard touchdown, and Redshirt Junior Wide Receiver Shane Leatherbury caught a 41 yard pass for a score. Green caught his second touchdown of the game on a 50 yard completion to end the half. O’Neill hit a 45 yard field goal to give the Tigers a 20 point lead. Flacco rushed for 80 yards on 14 carries including a 33 yard run. Sophomore Defensive Back Vashon McCants Jr. caught an interception on Albany’s opening drive of the fourth quarter. Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Ryan Stover took over after Coach Rob Ambrose pulled Flacco. He found Sophomore Running Back Kobe Young for a one yard pass and a score. The Tigers won their fifth straight game 56-28. As well as the offense played, Redshirt Junior Linebacker Ricky DeBerry felt proud about the Tigers D, “I think we’ve done a good job staying consistent, but sometimes as a defense we have a tendency to let off the gas. When our offense gets the ball they’re unstoppable, so as long as we can prevent people from scoring I feel we’re doing our job.”
The Tigers now move on to face the Blue Hens, who beat New Hampshire 38-14. Redshirt Junior Quarterback Pat Kehoe has thrown for 1359 yards and 13 touchdowns so far. He has only thrown four interceptions, however only completes about 53 percent of his passes. The leading receivers for Delaware are Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver Joe Walker, with 378 yards and two touchdowns on 17 catches, and Redshirt Senior Tight End Charles Scarff with 242 yards and six scores on 19 receptions. Senior Running Back Kani Kane leads the team in rushing with 445 yards and six touchdowns on 102 carries averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Redshirt Senior Linebacker Troy Reeder leads the Hens in tackles with 71. He also has 2.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss, which he leads the team in each category. Senior Linebacker Ray Jones has 48 tackles with 4.5 for loss. Senior Defensive Back Nassir Adderley leads the team with three interceptions and four pass breakups. He has also forced a fumble.
Delaware is currently 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the CAA. They are on a three-game winning streak and have scored 28 points or more in each of their last three games. They are currently 3-1 at home, winning their last home game 28-16 over Elon. They are in a four-way tie for second place in the CAA along with Elon, James Madison, and Stony Brook. The Tigers come in red hot, winners of five straight games and owning sole possession of first place in the CAA and are the only undefeated team in conference play. Coming into the 10/20 games, Towson was ranked 13th in the FCS and Delaware was ranked 25th. Towson is the third highest ranked team in the CAA in this poll, and after the dominating win vs Albany should rise closer to the top ten and possibly entering it. Coach Ambrose appreciates the high rankings so far, but realizes it only matters in November. “It gives the fans something to talk about, but in the end it’s gonna be where we finish.” The Tigers go for a sixth straight win against Delaware, kickoff from Newark is at 3:30.
