TOWSON vs. MAINE
WHEN: Saturday, September 27, 2014 -- Kickoff at 7:00 p.m. -- Tickets
WHERE: Johnny Unitas® Stadium -- Towson, Md.
GAME NOTES: Towson | Maine
TV: Comcast SportsNet (Joe Beninati, Andy Gresh, Rob Carlin)
RADIO: CBS Sports Radio 1300 (Spiro Morekas, Ron Meehan) | Listen Live
FOLLOW: Live Video | Live Stats | Twitter
STORYLINES
•Towson is seeking its third straight win after starting the year 0-2.
•The Tigers are 19-5 in CAA play over the last three seasons and have won three straight CAA openers.
•Maine won the 2013 CAA regular season title, while Towson finished tied with New Hampshire for second place.
•The Tigers have won the last two meetings against Maine, including a 24-19 victory at Unitas Stadium in 2012.
•Sophomore running back Darius Victor is coming off a career game in last Saturday's win over North Carolina Central. Victor ran for a career-high 194 yards and scored three touchdowns. He's the only player in the CAA to have three 100-yard rushing games this season.
•Senior wide receiver/return specialist Derrick Joseph leads the country (FCS) in punt return yards. Joseph averages 24.4 yards per punt return. He returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown at Delaware State.
The Series
•Saturday will be the 12th all-time meeting between Towson and Maine.
•The Tigers won the first two and three of the first four meetings between the squads before the Black Bears won four straight from 1988-2010.
•Towson has won the two most recent matchups in 2011 and 2012. The teams did not meet last year when they each finished in the top two in the CAA standings.
Last Week
•Sophomore running back Darius Victor rushed for a career-high 194 yards and three touchdowns to lead Towson to a 31-20 win over North Carolina Central. The Tigers outgained the Eagles 261-82 on the ground, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Towson also took advantage of its opportunities to score, posting touchdowns on all three drives that entered the red zone. The Tigers controlled the ball for 10:35 in the fourth quarter to seal their second straight win.
•Maine comes to Unitas Stadium looking to avoid its first three-game losing skid since 2007. The Black Bears are coming off a 40-10 loss at Boston College last Saturday. Freshman Micah Wright pulled down his first career TD reception to give Maine an early 7-0 lead, but BC controlled the game from that point. The Eagles out-gained Maine 549-139 and held the ball for 38:50.
Offense Coming Alive
•After going eight quarters without an offensive touchdown, Towson broke out in a big way against North Carolina Central. The Tigers racked up a season-high 422 yards of total offense and scored an offensive touchdown in each quarter against the Eagles.
•Senior wide receiver Spencer Wilkins became Towson's first 100-yard receiver this year with eight catches for 100 yards. He also grabbed a 22-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, his first TD of the year.
•Sophomore running back Darius Victor rushed for a career-high 194 yards and three touchdowns. It was the 23rd best rushing performance in school history. His 24 rushing attempts is also a career high. Victor now has four 100-yard rushing performance (CCSU, Delaware State and NCCU this year, Fordham last year).
•Towson's final scoring drive last week was its longest in yards (91) this season.
Victor Hits 1,000
•Darius Victor's 53-yard run in the third quarter of last week's game was not only a career long, but it also made him the 24th Tiger to reach 1,000 career rushing yards.
•Entering Saturday's game, Victor has 1,086 career rushing yards, ranking him 21st all-time at Towson in career rushing yards. He's just 15 yards behind Larry Washington for 20th place and 30 yards behind Brian O'Neal for 19th.
Scouting the Opponent
•After a 1-2 start, Maine has recently fallen out of the FCS Top 25. The Black Bears are currently receiving votes in the Sports Network poll.
•Maine boasts the third-best scoring defense in the CAA, allowing only 19.7 points and 326 yards per game. The Black Bears are especially tough against the pass, giving up just 156.7 yards per game through the air.
•Maine's Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga leads the CAA by averaging 12.0 tackles per game. Towson's James Simms ranks second, just one tackle behind.
•Nigel Jones paces the Black Bear rushing attack. He's averaging 68.5 yards per game.
•Dan Collins is only averaging 118.7 yards per game through the air, but the quarterback has thrown three touchdowns to zero interceptions thus far.
FCS & CAA Rankings
•Towson leads the CAA and ranks second nationally in the FCS in punt return average (29.0 yards per return).
•The Tigers rank second in the CAA and 10th nationally with only two turnovers lost.
•Towson leads the CAA and ranks 31st nationally by scoring on 87.5 percent of its trips into the red zone.
•The Tigers ranks second in the CAA and seventh in the FCS by allowing just 14.2 yards per kickoff return.
•Towson boats the third best rushing attack in the CAA at 178.5 yards per game.
•Senior Derrick Joseph leads all of the FCS by averaging 24.4 yards per punt return. He also leads the CAA and ranks second nationally with 383 combined kickoff and punt return yards this season.
•Sophomore running back Darius Victor leads the CAA in rushing yards (457), yards per carry (6.1) and rushing touchdowns (4). He's 12th in the FCS in total rushing yards.
•Senior Ryan Delaire is tied for third in the CAA in sacks (3) and tied for fourth in the league in tackles for a loss (5).
•Redshirt freshman James Simms ranks second in the CAA and 13th in the FCS by averaging 11.0 tackles per game.
Protect the Rock
•Towson ranks second in the CAA and 10th in the FCS with just two turnovers this season.
•The Tigers did not have a giveaway in their first three games. Through four games, Towson is +2 in the turnover department.
-TowsonTigers.com-
