Towson Football falls to New Hampshire after struggling to generate offensively

By: Beau Fighera, Courtney Ott, and Jake Shindel

Towson University Football lost 37-14 against the University of New Hampshire on Saturday after the team could not recover from special teams woes in the first quarter.

“Extremely disappointed,” Head Coach Rob Ambrose said. “Poor discipline, too many distractions during the week.”

He said depth chart changes made leading up to the game affected defense and special teams.

Overall, the Tigers went for 239 yards of offense compared to 365 for New Hampshire and were held to 130 rushing yards. Towson’s offensive line allowed six sacks.

New Hampshire won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, but an unexpected onside kick and consequent recovery gave them the ball to start the game. New Hampshire quarterback Max Brosmer went two out of four for 24 yards while running back Dylan Laube contributed 18 yards on the ground en route to a field goal on their first possession of the game.

Towson’s first offensive drive stalled, forcing a punt on their first drive of the game. Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome totaled 28 yards off of three-for-three passing but was also sacked on the drive. 

The Tigers’ next drive resulted in a punt, and Laube took the ball 92 yards to the house, giving New Hampshire a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Defensive end Dylan Ruiz recorded three tackles and two sacks in the first quarter for New Hampshire.

New Hampshire took a 17-0 lead with under three minutes in the first half after they took the ball down the field on a 14-play, 77-yard drive that lasted over eight minutes. Wide receiver Joey Corcoran caught a 24-yard pass from Brosmer for the score. 

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Towson went into halftime down by 17. Ruiz had three of New Hampshire’s five sacks in the first half, as their defense held Towson to 109 total yards. Pigrome went eight out of 12 in the first half for 67 yards, while Brosmer had 90 passing yards and a touchdown for New Hampshire.

New Hampshire started with possession after halftime, and Brosmer connected with receiver Heron Maurisseau for a 51-yard touchdown, taking a 24-0 lead. Towson took the ensuing drive down the field for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-7. 

A 34-yard rush by Devin Matthews, Towson’s longest rush of the season, set Towson up for a touchdown on a 17-yard touchdown reception by Robert Schwob. 

“I challenged them at halftime to see what kind of character the team had,” Ambrose said. “I’m disappointed that the defense gave up a quick score, but impressed with the offense with how they responded.”

Towson forced a fumble on New Hampshire’s next possession but did not convert on a 4th and 8, giving the ball back to New Hampshire. New Hampshire took the ball 52 yards and scored a touchdown on a 10-yard pass to Espanet. 

The Wildcats took a 31-7 lead with just over three minutes left in the third quarter.

On Towson’s next drive, their offense moved down the field with the help of three defensive penalties from New Hampshire, and Matthews found his way into the endzone on a 2-yard run. 

At the end of the third quarter, New Hampshire held a 34-14 lead after kicking a field goal on their next possession with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter. New Hampshire kicked a 42-yard field goal with just under 3:30 left in the game to go up 37-14. 

Ambrose kept it simple when discussing what he would work on in practice this week.

“Doing what we’re supposed to do, the way it’s supposed to be done, when it’s supposed to be done,” he said. “Nothing else.”

Towson’s next game is Saturday, Oct. 1, when they travel to the University of Delaware to take on the Blue Hens at 3:30 p.m.

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