Towson offense gets shut out by West Virginia, loses 65-7
By: Jake Shindel, Senior Editor
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Towson University Football (2-1) lost 65-7 to West Virginia University (1-2) on Saturday as the defense surrendered six rushing touchdowns.
Towson’s passing offense totaled 98 yards, while the team finished with 82 rushing yards.
“We never got into a rhythm offensively,” Head coach Rob Ambrose said. “Obviously, we need to play better.”
Towson won the toss and deferred to the second half, giving West Virginia the ball. The team drove down the field and put seven points on the board after quarterback JT Daniels completed a pass to receiver Kaden Prather for the two-yard touchdown. Most of the drive was led by running back Tony Mathis, who totaled five rushes for 47 yards.
Towson’s offense did not step onto the field for their opening drive, as kick returner D’Ago Hunter returned the kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. After the extra point, the Tigers tied the game 7-7 at the 11:14 mark of the first quarter.
West Virginia scored on their next drive after a couple of costly penalties by Towson, including a 15-yard facemask penalty which negated a tackle for loss for the defense. The 5:34 drive for the Mountaineers spanned 75 yards over 12 plays, ending in a three-yard rush touchdown by Mathis. West Virginia took a 14-7 lead.
A Towson punt gave West Virginia the ball back, and the team found the endzone on the drive’s first play after an 82-yard rush by running back CJ Donaldson. Towson had a three-and-out on their next drive and was forced to punt back to West Virginia. At the end of the first quarter, West Virginia led 21-7.
A conversion on fourth and nine continued West Virginia’s drive, which ended in a three-yard rush touchdown for Donaldson, his second of the game.
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Towson’s drive ended in another three-and-out, their third of the game. West Virginia got the ball back and took it 57 yards in eight plays for the touchdown. Mathis put the ball in the end zone on a two-yard rush for his second touchdown as West Virginia took a 35-7 lead with 5:59 left before halftime.
West Virginia had a big gain on first down, with Daniels completing a 51-yard pass to receiver Sam James. The drive ended with a field goal to give WVU a 38-7 lead. Towson’s first first-down of the game came on their fifth drive.
Towson put together a 24-yard drive, their longest of the game to that point, and a turnover on downs gave the ball back to West Virginia with just over a minute until halftime.
A 49-yard drive ended with Donaldson’s third rushing touchdown in the first half, which helped put the Mountaineers up 45-7 at halftime. Towson quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome finished the first half 7-14 for 59 yards, while linebacker Mason Woods had eight tackles going into the break.
“If you watch what [Woods] is doing, he’s getting better practice after practice, rep after rep, game after game,” Ambrose said.
Towson started the second half with quarterback Scott Smith III . West Virginia scored on their first drive of the half off of an 11-yard run by running back Garrett Greene. West Virginia took a 51-7 lead.
The game ended with a 65-7 defeat, with Towson’s offense getting shut out during the game. Running back Devin Matthews led the team in carries and yards, with seven rushes for 38 yards. Woods, along with defensive back Ubayd Steed, paced the team in tackles with nine apiece, while Woods also contributed a pass breakup.
Towson will host the University of New Hampshire Saturday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m.
