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TOWSON, Md. -- Sophomore running back Darius Victor rushed for a career-high 194 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Towson University football team to a 31-20 win over North Carolina Central on Saturday night at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

Victor averaged 8.1 yards per carry en route to posting the 23rd best rushing performance in school history. The sophomore's 53-yard run in the third quarter was a career-long and put him over 1,000 career rushing yards. Including tonight's performance, Victor has rushed for 100 or more yards in three of four games this season.

The Tigers, who have won consecutive games, improve to 2-2 on the year. North Carolina Central has lost two straight and falls to 1-3.

For the first time this season, Towson scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the game. After a 27-yard punt return by senior Derrick Joseph gave the Tigers good field position, Towson went 42 yards on five plays and Victor's first touchdown of the night from 13 yards out gave the home team a 7-0 lead early.

An Andre Clarke 10-yard rushing touchdown and a 50-yard touchdown pass from Malcolm Bell to Quenti Atkinson sandwiched a Towson field goal and gave the Eagles a 14-10 lead midway through the second quarter.
 
The Tigers responded before the break. After junior quarterback Connor Frazier threw his first interception of the season, which was also Towson's first turnover of the year, early in the second quarter, he connected on three straight passes during the final Tiger drive of the opening half. He capped the drive with a 22-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Spencer Wilkins to give Towson a 17-14 halftime edge.

The Tigers attempted to grab control of the game on their first drive of the third quarter. Victor broke open a 53-yard run down to the NCCU one-yard line and scored on the next play for his second TD of the game that put Towson up 24-14.

The Eagles would add a pair of field goals to cut their deficit to 24-20 late in the third quarter before junior Christian Carpenter snagged Towson's first interception of the year and the fifth of his career on the final play of the period. That play would prove to be the turning point of the contest.

The Tigers then put together an 11-play, 91-yard touchdown drive that took 5:52 off the clock. The drive, Towson's longest of the season based on yardage, was capped by Victor scampering for his third touchdown of the game from 15 yards out. The score put the Tigers ahead 31-20 with 9:08 remaining.

Towson controlled the game from that point, holding the ball for 10:35 in the fourth quarter to seal a second straight win.

Frazier completed 15 of 22 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 39 yards. Wilkins grabbed eight passes for a team-high 100 yards and a touchdown.
 
Reigning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Week James Simms led the Tigers with 11 tackles. Senior Drew Cheripko had a career-high two sacks and game-high two tackles for a loss. Sophomore D'Sean Cummings also had a sack, his first in a Tiger uniform.

Towson outgained North Carolina Central 261-82 on the ground, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. The Tigers also took advantage of their opportunities to score, posting touchdowns on all three drives that entered the red zone.

The Tigers will continue their three-game homestand next Saturday when they open CAA play against 2013 regular season league champion Maine. The game, set to kickoff at 7 p.m., can be seen live on Comcast SportsNet and will also be broadcast live on CBS Sports Radio 1300.


-TowsonTigers.com-