TOWSON, Md. ? On the verge of becoming the 20th quarterback in NCAA FCS to pass for 10,000 career yards, senior quarterback Sean Schaefer of Towson University made the occasion a memorable one as he passed for a seasonal high 373 yards and threw four touchdown passes to lead the Tigers (3-4, 1-2) to a memorable 37-32 Colonial Athletic Association Homecoming victory over the University of Rhode Island (2-5, 0-3) before a crowd of 7,369 at sunny Johnny Unitas ® Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

      In a matchup between the two passing teams in the CAA, Schaefer outdueled senior quarterback Derek Cassidy of Rhode Island as the Tigers and the Rams staged a wild fourth quarter in which 41 points were scored. Between them, Schaefer and Cassidy completed 47 of 79 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns.

      “It was really a wild fourth quarter,” said Towson Coach Gordy Combs. “We were able to win despite a number of youthful mistakes. I thought we played very well defensively until the fourth quarter. But, fortunately we made the big defensive plays at the end.”

      After the Tigers took a 37-19 lead with 6:28 remaining on Schaefer's 38-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end John Godlasky, the Rams' offense came to life.

      A one-yard touchdown run by Jimmy Hughes with 4:46 remaining capped off a 82-yard, seven-play in 1:42 as the Rams pulled to within 37-26.

      With 3:47 remaining, linebacker Joseph Harris recovered a Schaefer fumble after a sack at the Towson 30-yard line. On the next play, Cassidy found wide receiver Shawn Leonard in the end zone for a 30-yard TD, cutting the Rams' deficit to 37-32. The Rams elected to try the two-point conversion but Cassidy's pass to Leonard in the end zone was broken up by sophomore Ollie Thomas.

      On the second play after the ensuing kickoff, junior Matt Castor ran 49 yards for a first down at the Rams' 37-yard line. However, the Rams' defense held and forced a punt to the URI 11-yard line.

      Taking over at their own 11-yard line with 2:24, the Rams moved upfield quickly as Cassidy ran for 23 yards on first down and completed a 13-yard pass to Leonard.  After Cassidy ran to the Towson 29-yard line, the Tiger defense dug in. Freshman Dan Atwood and senior Jeff Snow broke up passes on the first two plays and the defense pressured Cassidy into hurrying his last two passes.

      The Tigers took over at their own 29-yard line with 1:05 remaining and ran out the clock.

      Everyone anticipating a high-scoring contest was slightly disappointed as the teams went to halftime tied at 9-9.

      Before the Rams' offense ever took the field, their special teams had staked them to a 9-0 lead. Just 2:13 after the opening kickoff, the Tigers lined up in punting formation. However, the center snap went over the head of junior punter Bill Shears and into the end zone. Shears retreated into the end zone and kicked the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety, giving the Rams a quick 2-0 lead.

      Moments later, freshman Brian Johnson-Farrell took Shears' free kick at the Rams' 28-yard line. Johnson-Farrell raced up the URI sideline and returned the kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown. When kicker Louis Feinstein converted the extra point, Rhode Island owned a 9-0 lead with 12:36 remaining in the first quarter.

      “We were behind by 9-0 before we even knew it,” said Combs. “Fortunately, we didn't panic and got back into the game rather quickly.”

      Trailing by 9-0, the Tigers marched 56 yards in 13 plays. When the drive stalled at URI 22-yard line, senior place kicker Mark Bencivengo booted a 40-yard field goal to cut the Tigers' deficit to 9-3.

      Late in the first quarter, the Tigers marched 80 yards on eight plays to tie the score. On the final play of the first quarter, Schaefer threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to junior Casey Cegles, who made a juggling catch in the end zone. When Bencivengo missed the extra point, the score was tied at 9-9.

      Surprisingly enough, neither team scored in the second quarter as the Tigers spent most of the quarter backed up to their end zone. The Tiger defense played very well in the first half. After the Rams took the 9-0 lead, they were forced to punt on five straight possessions. In the first half, the Rams were held to 73 yards of total offense and five first downs.

      On the Tigers' first possession of the second half, they took the lead and Schaefer reached a milestone. When Schaefer fired a 64-yard touchdown pass to junior David Newsom with 10:47 left in the third quarter, he gave the Tigers a 16-9 lead and became the 20th quarterback in NCAA FCS history to pass for more than 10,000 career yards.

      It was also the first TD reception for Newsom in his career.

      An interception by junior cornerback Rodney Mitchell at the Tiger 27-yard line gave the Rams a golden opportunity to score their first offensive touchdown of the game. After the Rams drove to the Tiger five-yard line, the defense kept URI out of the end zone. A 20-yard field goal by Feinstein cut the Rams' deficit to 16-12 and set the stage for a wild fourth quarter in which the two teams scored 41 points.

      Castor, who ran for a career high 111 yards, gave the Tigers a 23-12 lead when he capped off a 68-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 12:10 remaining in the game.

      With 9:44 left, the Tigers extended their lead to 30-12 when Schaefer found senior Tommy Breaux open down the sideline and completed a 60-yard touchdown pass. It was the first career TD reception for Breaux, who had a career high five catches for 90 yards in the win.

      “It seemed like the ball took a long time getting to me,” the 6-8 Breaux said. “I just kept telling myself to catch it before I started running. It was great to score a touchdown in a game we won.”

      Unfazed by their 30-12 deficit, the Rams marched 67 yards in three plays to score their first offensive touchdown of the game. A 42-yard TD pass from Cassidy to Leonard made it a 30-19 game.

      After a 36-yard kickoff return by sophomore Hakeem Moore, the Tigers found themselves in great field position. Facing a fourth down-and-two at the URI 38-yard line, Schaefer used a play-action fake and tossed the 38-yard touchdown pass to Godlasky, giving the Tigers a 37-19 advantage.

      “We knew they would present some defensive challenges for us,” said senior safety Drew Mack, who had eight tackles and broke up three passes. “But, we made it hard on ourselves. We missed a lot of opportunities to pick off some passes. I know I had one drop and there must have three or four others.

      “When they started moving the ball late in the game, it was most because we lost containment on their quarterback,” he added. “We had everyone covered and he was able to run for some yards.”

      Schaefer, who completed 25 of 34 passes for 373 yards and four touchdowns, enjoyed his most productive game of the season. It marked the 12th time in his career that he passed for more than 300 yards in a game and it was also fifth time that he has thrown for four or more TD's in a game.

      With 10,211 career passing yards, he is the 20th-leading passer in NCAA FCS history. Schaefer has now completed 905 passes in 1402 attempts for 10,211 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career.

      “It was really to score some points,” said Schaefer, who led the Tigers to their highest offensive output since a 49-35 win over Delaware on October 28, 2006. “We know that we can do this every week when we are clicking. Truthfully, my two turnovers made the game close and those were my fault. This was a great win for our confidence and we're really happy to get a win.”

      While Schaefer passed for 373 yards, he completed passes to seven different receivers. Breaux led the Tigers with five catches for 90 yards while sophomore Steve Holmes caught four passes for 70 yards. Godlasky added a career high four catches for 65 yards while Newsom caught two passes for 72 yards and a TD.

      Senior wide receiver Marcus Lee had four catches for 19 yards as he extended his streak of catching at one pass to 40 consecutive games. He has now caught a pass in every game of his college career. The second-leading receiver in school history, Lee has 195 receptions for 2,162 yards and 11 touchdowns.

      In his first game playing inside linebacker, senior Jordan Manning made a team high 11 tackles. The Tiger secondary played well, breaking up ten passes and holding the Rams to 265 yards, some 18 yards below their seasonal average.

      While Mack had eight tackles and broke up three passes, sophomore Ollie Thomas had four tackles and broke up three passes.

      The Tigers' win ended a six-game losing streak to CAA teams, dating back to last season. It was Towson's first CAA victory since a 23-21 victory over Richmond last October.

      It was also Towson's 25th Homecoming victory against 11 losses.

            The Tigers will be idle next before resuming their season on October 25 at fourth-ranked New Hampshire