By now you know the Towson University football team defeated #13 New Hampshire this past Saturday at Unitas Stadium, 44-28. We are now at the midway point of the 2013 regular season. The Tigers are a perfect 6-0 and ranked third in the latest Sports Network poll.

Clawing to a win over UNH
The Tigers turned the ball over twice early and fell behind 20-3. This, coming on the heels of Towson falling behind Stony Brook last week 14-0, put the Tigers in a tough situation. In addition, this was a top 25 football Towson was facing. What transpired after the Tigers fell behind is one for the ages: Towson outscored New Hampshire 41-7 for the rest of the way.

In the game against the Wildcats, Towson accumulated 731 yards of offense to break a 17 year-old school record (670 yards, vs. St Francis (Pa.), 1996). There is a big difference between the two, and there is a common thread.

St. Francis (Pa.) was a non-scholarship football team that went 3-7 in '96, and New Hampshire is a top 20 full scholarship program. The common thread? Rob Ambrose was the offensive coordinator against the Red Flash, and the head coach against the Wildcats.

It only gets tougher
I pointed out last week this team had won four of its first five games on the road. They were not easy trips. Now, in the last two weeks, they have come from double-digit deficits to victory. So, against Stony Brook two weeks ago, the Tigers pulled off a 28-point turnaround, and against New Hampshire it was 33-point turnaround. But I am sure Coach Ambrose, his staff and his players will tell you that they have not accomplished anything yet. The schedule does not get any kinder.

This week the Tigers will take on another Wildcat team: Villanova. The Wildcats come into  Unitas Stadium ranked 15th in the nation and off a tough 20-16 win at home over William & Mary. 

Villanova trailed in this game 13-3 before coming back.  They are also a team the Tigers beat handily up in Pennsylvania last year. Towson hung 49 points on Andy Talley's team last October 27. It was also the game that started the Tigers' current 10-game win streak.  It's the second-longest win streak in school history; the longest streak dates back to 1974-75.

Homecoming
Saturday's game is also homecoming. For those of us who graduated from Towson, it's always a great weekend.

Hall of Fame ceremony
It will kick off on Friday night with the Hall of Fame banquet. Two of the inductees are connected to the football program. Rich Bader was a Tiger assistant football coach in five different decades and Karl Nieberlein was one of the greatest offensive linemen in school history. 

The 1993 and 1994 football teams will also be honored on Friday as Teams of Distinction. Both of these teams went 8-2 and just missed making the 1-AA playoffs. Those teams gave us many great memories, and it will be special to see many of those players return.

Versus Villanova
Hopefully we can set a new attendance record at The U this Saturday night. The game is on national television, and it would just be wonderful to have Towson show up not just on the field but also in the stands. Hope to see you there.

Don't forget, every Friday on this website we have a new edition of the "Tiger Football Report." Coach Ambrose will talk about the record-setting win against New Hampshire and also about the tough match-up with Villanova this week. You can watch the show anytime at your leisure on the Towson Sports Network.

Towson Hall-of-Famer Ron Meehan, Zach Maskavich, Damon Lewis anad I will have all the action of this week's game starting at 6 p.m. on Towsontigers.com or on the Towson Tigers app on your smart phone. It should be a blast.

MY FCS Top Ten