Towson Stuns No. 10 William & Mary in Thrilling Upset Victory
By: Henry Ortiz, contributing writer and Jackson Palich, contributing writer
Coming off a bye, the refreshed 1-3 Tigers return to conference play against William & Mary. As the 5th seed in the CAA, the Tigers will have an uphill battle to claim their second win against the 4-1 Tribe.
After a defensive 3 and out forced, The Tigers drove into W&M territory but stalled shortly after, setting up Senior Kicker Keeghan Vaughn for a career-long 49-yard field goal, which he’d go on to nail, giving the Tigers the lead out the gate.
“For me it was just knowing that every single guy on this team, every coach, every support staff just has the utmost confidence in me, and they always remind me of that,” said Vaughn. “It helps my confidence knowing I make every kick for the team.”
Towson would respond by getting the ball right back through an interception by DB Kam Snell, and the offense would continue to roll. QB Sean Brown led the offense down the field and capped off the 11-play 82-yard drive with a perfectly placed fade to Senior John Dunmore, for a 12-yard touchdown. The Tigers’ offense came out about as good as it could get, ending an emphatic first quarter up 10-0.
After back-to-back punts, the William & Mary offense woke up and crafted a 12-play drive of their own, but the resilient Tiger defense held strong in the red zone and forced a field goal. Towson would go on to get a field goal of their own, but Sean Brown’s first mistake of the game cost the Tigers 3 points after he threw an interception with less than two minutes left in the half, tying the game at 13-13.
The Tigers responded with a 91-yard drive out of the half, highlighted by a 27-yard catch by Zay Perkins and emphasized by a John Dunmore TD catch over the middle. The Tigers needed a drive like that out of the half, after losing all momentum in the second quarter.
W&M would respond by swiftly driving down the field, but after QB Darius Wilson failed to escape the pocket Towson would capitalize. Linebacker CJ McClendon would force a strip-sack and LB Branson Peters would take it 70 yards to the house, giving the Tigers a two-score lead. With their backs against the wall the Tiger defense delivered, swinging the momentum back in their favor.
The Tigers’ defense would go on to force another fumble after a lengthy review, this one punched out by DB Emiril Gant and recovered by lineman Dion Crews-Harris. Towson would go on to convert the short field, with Tyrell Greene Jr. taking the injured Devin Matthew’s place for a three-yard TD.
“It came naturally actually,” said Greene. “I’ve been doing this all my life. I was just waiting for my opportunity.
The Tigers took advantage of the two William & Mary turnovers, scoring a season-high 21 points in the third and retaking the lead by a score of 34-13
Right as Towson thought they had the game won, a penalty-ridden drive took the Tribe down the field, where they scored on a one-yard run by RB Imoh Malachi. The Tigers would hold on, but a questionable fourth quarter outshined their triumphant third quarter. Towson recorded 14 penalties for 112 yards, a number that they’ll need to work on to finish the season.
“We want to be one of the smarter, more disciplined teams,” said Head Coach Pete Shinnick. “That’ll be something that we’ll go back to the drawing board with this week.”
The Tigers finished off a combative game, 34-27, taking home the win. The Tigers are back on the road to Norfolk, VA to take on the Spartans. Kickoff is slated for Oct.12 at 2 p.m.