ELON, N.C. – Senior quarterback
Connor Frazier set a school record for net rushing yards by a quarterback in a single-game (132) as the Towson University football team fell at Elon University, 17-13 on a rainy Saturday afternoon. In addition to his rushing performance, Frazier threw for 151 yards for the Tigers in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener for both squads.
HOW IT HAPPENED- Towson got on the board first as the Tigers scored on their second drive of the game. On second and goal, junior Darius Victor ran four yards into the end zone for the touchdown. Senior Sam Hurwitz converted the point after and the Tigers led 7-0 with eight minutes to go in the first quarter.
- The Tiger offense went back to work on their next possession. A catching interference on the punt return allowed the Tiger drive to start at its own 44-yard line.
- A pair of short rushes by freshman Shane Simpson and Frazier paved the way for a 49-yard run by Simpson to the end zone. The point after attempt failed and Towson (2-2, 0-1 CAA) led 13-0 with 4:30 to go in the first quarter.
- Elon got on the board before the first quarter ended as Connor Christiansen completed a 35-yard touchdown pass with 53 seconds to play in the quarter.
- Neither team was able to convert in the second quarter as Towson and Elon each had two drives. The Tigers ran 20 offensive plays for 78 yards but were unable to convert the opportunities.
- A Towson fumble on the second play of the third quarter gave Elon the ball at the Towson 26. Christiansen threw a 21 yard pass which paved the way for Brandon Gentry's five yard touchdown run. The extra point was good which gave Elon a 14-13 lead with 14:14 to go in the third quarter.
- Towson had a chance to get those points back as senior Tungie Coker recovered a fumble on the Elon 16 yard line with 8:54 to go in the third quarter. However, the Tigers were unable to convert as the Phoenix (2-2, 1-0 CAA) recorded a sack when the Tigers went for it on fourth down and the Tigers turned it over on downs.
- That change of possession proved costly as John Gallagher made a 45 yard field goal. Elon took a 17-13 lead with 3:02 to go in the third quarter.
- Elon had a chance to extend its lead as Gallagher tried a 46-yard field goal with 8:54 to play but the kick came up short.
- The two teams traded possessions and Towson got the ball back at their own 25 with 2:08 to play. Frazier threw an 11-yard pass to junior Christian Summers that moved the ball to the Towson 36. After a pair of incompletes, Frazier connected with senior Brian Dowling for a nine-yard pass that moved the ball to the Towson 45.
- On fourth and one, Frazier scrambled and rushed for 26 yards bringing the ball to the Elon 29 with under a minute to play. Again forced to go for it on fourth and three, Frazier completed a seven yard pass to Summers which brought the ball to the Elon 15. Frazier rushed for no gain and the clock ran out before the Tigers could get another pass off.
QUOTABLE- "There wasn't much that went right today," said Towson Head Coach Rob Ambrose. "We knew what we wanted to do and we did it in the first quarter. Give Elon a lot of credit, they had a good game plan and those kids played really well."
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE- Frazier's 132 net rushing yards set the school record for net rushing yards in a game by a quarterback. It broke Chris Hart's record of 124 rushing yards set against Indiana during the 2010 season.
- The Tigers struggled to convert on fourth down in the game as they were 3-for-9.
- Towson ran for 248 yards in the game.
- Senior Jon Desir led the Tiger defensive efforts with eight tackles and a half a sack.
- Towson did not record a punt until there were seven minutes to play in the game.
- Towson kept the ball on the ground on a rainy day as the Tigers ran 80 plays and 45 of them were rushing attempts.
Towson is now off for its bye week, the Tigers return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10 as they host James Madison at 3 p.m. The game will be part of the Family Weekend festivities on Towson's campus.
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