Tigers triumphant in homecoming game

By: Tyler Beard, Staff Writer

Two defensive touchdowns led Towson to a 28-21 victory over the No. 23 Villanova Wildcats in the Homecoming game on Saturday.

“I have a lot of emotions and thoughts in my head,” Head Coach Rob Ambrose said. “I want to congratulate my guys for finishing the job and representing Towson University football on Homecoming the right way.”

Towson’s (4-3, 2-2 CAA) first defensive touchdown was from freshman linebacker Chris Tedder, who intercepted Villanova’s (3-4, 2-2) Zack Bednarczyk pass in the third quarter and returned it 34-yards.

Photo by Joe Noyes.
Photo by Joe Noyes.

The Tigers had their second defensive touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a potential game-tying drive from the Wildcats.

The Wildcats faced fourth down at the Tigers’ 24-yard line and the pass rush made Bednarcyzk throw a wild pass into the Tigers’ secondary. Junior defensive back Romell Haley intercepted the pass and returned it 86-yards for the touchdown.

The play extended Towson’s lead to 28-14 and helped seal the game for the team.

“That’s something we emphasized in practice, creating turnovers,” redshirt defensive tackle Jon Desir said. “We’re trying to get defensive touchdowns because we know that’s a big momentum change and that’s something we really like to work on.”

Desir aided Towson’s defense with eight tackles, two pass deflections and also blocked a field goal in the second quarter.

Towson’s offense was limited to just 47 plays and 24 minutes of possession but still managed 292 yards.

The Tigers scored on their first offensive series, as redshirt senior quarterback Connor Frazier found redshirt wide receiver Brian Dowling in the back of the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown.

Football vs. Villanova 001 - Noyes
Photo by Joe Noyes.

Later in the first quarter, Frazier chose to ran the ball up the middle and found open space for a 78-yard touchdown run, which gave Towson a 12-0 lead.

“We were just running a read zone play and I saw the defensive end bite down on Vito [Darius Victor], so I pulled the ball,” Frazier said. “The safety ran over to try and tackle Vito and there was just nobody there and I just took off.”

Frazier finished the game with 128 passing yards, one passing touchdown and 67 rushing yards.

Junior running back Darius Victor ran for 67 yards and sophomore running back Marquel Dickerson had 34 rushing yards.

Towson also had big plays from special teams, including a 41-yard field goal from senior kicker Sam Hurwitz.

Junior punter Jake Ryder averaged 46.6 yard per punt and also pinned two punts inside of Villanova’s 20-yard line.

The Tigers’ next game is a home matchup against the Delaware Blue Hens (3-4, 2-2 CAA) on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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