Towson comeback falls short in season opener against Maine, 21-18
By Kylie Jones, Sports Editor and Symone Hargrove, Staff Writer
The Towson Tigers opened their season with a 21-18 conference loss against the Maine Black Bears.
Tigers’ Head Coach Pete Shinnick attributed the loss to Towson’s rocky offensive start.
“The first half did not go anywhere close to what we had planned,” Shinnick said. “We made way too many mistakes in that first half against a really good team.”
Despite the Tigers’ offensive struggle, Towson stopped key drives from the Black Bears that held them scoreless throughout the first quarter.
The first quarter closed with Towson linebacker Seth Chesnut taking down Maine receiver Keyon Concepcion for a 2-yard loss on a pass.
Both teams entered the second quarter scoreless, but Towson quickly fell behind due to a number of penalties.
After gaining 13 yards on the first drive of the quarter, Towson faced an illegal substitution penalty resulting in a replay of third-down and an incomplete pass. A false start penalty on fourth down handed the ball over to Maine.
“It was just really missed opportunities,” Towson quarterback Andrew Indorf said. “We had a bunch of penalties in that first half that kept backing us up.”
While the Tigers continued to try and find a breakthrough, Maine began to dominate on the offensive end, scoring touchdowns with successful extra points on their next three drives.
Towson trailed 21-0, but they didn’t stop fighting.
On their sixth driving attempt, Indorf found wide receiver Cleveland Charlton down the field for a successful 56-yard pass, advancing the offense to Maine’s 13-yard-line.
A short pass to receiver Aaron Enterline was all Towson needed for a touchdown. Following the score, Enterline caught a pass from Indorf on the conversion to put two more points on the board for the Tigers.
Yet, Towson still trudged behind 21-8 at the end of the first half.
“My comment at halftime to our team was guys, we haven’t done this. We haven’t been like this for the four weeks we’ve been together in camp,” Shinnick said. “We gotta calm down, relax, do what we’re coached and do it the way we’re capable of.”
Despite Towson’s first two drives of the second half being unsuccessful, Indorf found Charlton again. This time, for a 59-yard pass to a touchdown. The Tigers’ kick attempt from Zaydaan Faridi was good, bringing the score to 21-15.
Towson’s defense held off the Black Bears for the remainder of the third quarter, entering the fourth quarter down one touchdown.
The Tigers opened up the fourth quarter with gained yardage until a one-hour weather delay halted play. Following the conclusion of the delay, Towson scored on a field goal from Faridi– his first for the Tigers– which brought Towson within three points of Maine.
Towson was able to hold the Black Bears scoreless for the entire second half, yet still fell short after a pass incompletion and a forced fumble left them trailing at the end of regulation, 21-18.
“This is a terrible way to start the season,” Shinnick said. “This stinks. This hurts. This stings. These are plays and games you can’t get back, but we gotta learn from it, we gotta grow from it. If we can do it, we can be a good football team.”
Towson’s next matchup is slated for Saturday, Sept. 5 at Navy and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.