NEWARK, Del. – A top-25 battle is set on Saturday, Oct. 27 in Newark as CAA rivals the No. 10 Towson University football team and No. #21 Delaware will meet for a 3:30 game at Delaware Stadium.
 
The game will be broadcast online on Fox Sports Digital/Fox Sports Go.  Matt Janus and Ken Dunek will have the call in Newark.  See the CAA letter attached for more information.
 
Spiro Morekas, the Voice of the Tigers, will be on the call live from Tom & Mary Casey Stadium, joined by Gordy Combs on CBS Sports Radio 1300.
 
Towson has risen for the fifth consecutive week in the national rankings after dominant 56-28 victory at UAlbany to come in at #10 in the STATS FCS Poll and #10 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.  Delaware has won its last three contests, the last a 38-14 road win over New Hampshire, to come in at #21 in both polls.  Towson comes in at 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the CAA for first place while Delaware is tied for third in the CAA at 3-1, also being 5-2 overall.
 
Towson and Delaware will come together for its 20th meeting, including having played every year since 2004.  Delaware leads the all-time series 11-8, but Towson won last year's game, an 18-17 victory off a last-minute touchdown from Ryan Stover to Sam Gallahan.  The Tigers have won three of the last four games vs. the Blue Hens.

For Towson students, a bus has been made available for transportation to the Delaware game.  Follow the link on the right for more information, including pricing.
 
Towson Football Celebrating 50th Year
The Towson University football program is celebrating its 50th year this season.
 
Since its start in 1969, Towson has two national runner-up finishes (1976, 2013), two CAA titles (2011, 2012), an undefeated season in 1974 and 11 seasons, across Division III, II and I-AA (FCS), finishing in the top-26 nationally.
 
The celebration started with a meeting of all four Towson head coaches on June 20th: Carl Runk (1969-71), Phil Albert (1972-91), Gordy Combs (1992-2008) and Rob Ambrose (2009-present).
 
Towson Ranked Top-10 in Both Polls
Having won its last five games, including wins over then top-15 Villanova and Stony Brook, Towson stands in the top-10 in each major poll.  The Tigers are at #10 in the STATS FCS Poll and #10 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.
 
Towson has been ranked each of the past five weeks.  Towson had been ranked at some point in each season from 2011 through 2014, including as high as #2 in the 2013 season.
 
The CAA currently has six of its 12 teams ranked, the highest among all FCS conferences.  James Madison (#3 in STATS, #3 in Coaches), Elon (#8, #6), Stony Brook (#15, #15), Delaware (#21, #21) and Maine (#24, RV) are also in the rankings.  Rhode Island is also receiving votes.  Villanova and New Hampshire were ranked in previous weeks.
 
Flacco Named to Walter Payton Watch List
Tom Flacco has been added to the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award Watch List.
 
The Walter Payton Award is given annually, since 1987, to the top offensive player in FCS football.  Flacco was placed on this list by the first round of additions.
 
The last Tiger to be nominated for the Walter Payton Award was Terrence West in 2013.  West was one of three finalists that year, leading Towson to the FCS National Championship game.  In 1988, Dave Meggett was the second-ever winner of this award.  Along with West, Towson has had two other finalists: Joe Lee in 1999 and Tony Vinson, who finished third in the voting, in 1993.
 
Towson All-Time vs. Delaware
Separated by fewer than 60 miles, Towson and Delaware will meet for the 20th time, including every year since 2004.
 
Delaware leads the all-time series 11-8, with Towson winning three of the last four games. 
 
Last year was the first time the teams met under second-year head coach Danny Rocco, an 18-17 victory for Towson.
 
Under Rob Ambrose, Towson is 4-5 vs. Delaware since the 2009 season.
 
Date           Location               Result
10/23/82__ Newark, Del._____ L, 7-51
10/15/83__ Towson, Md.____ W, 13-4
10/27/84__ Newark, Del.____ L, 23-56
11/21/92__ Newark, Del.____ L, 27-55
11/6/93___ Newark, Del.___ W, 32-30
9/11/04___ Newark, Del.____ L, 17-21
10/1/05___ Towson, Md.___ W, 35-31
10/28/06__ Newark, Del.___ W, 49-35
9/22/07___ Towson, Md._____ L, 7-27
11/8/08___ Newark, Del.____ L, 21-31
10/17/09__ Towson, Md.____ L, 21-49
11/6/10___ Newark, Del._____ L, 0-48
10/29/11__ Towson, Md.____ L, 30-35
11/3/12___ Newark, Del. W, 34-27 (OT)
11/2/13___ Towson, Md.____ L, 31-32
10/18/14__ Newark, Del.___ W, 24-17
10/31/15__ Towson, Md.____ W, 19-0
10/29/16__ Newark, Del._____ L, 6-20
10/28/17__ Towson, Md.___ W, 18-17
 
Last Time vs. Delaware (Towson 18, Delaware 17)
(10/28/17 - Towson, Md.)
Ryan Stover hit Sam Gallahan in the back corner of the end zone to give Towson an 18-17 come back victory over #23 Delaware on Homecoming.
Passing
Ryan Stover (TU): 20-32, 187 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
J.P. Caruso (UD): 6-15, 43 yards, 1 TD
Rushing
Ryan Stover (TU): 8 rush, 56 yards
Kani Kane (UD): 22 rush, 113 yards
Receiving
John Tsimis (TU): 5 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD
Diante Cherry (UD): 1 catch, 17 yards
Defense
Robert Heyward (TU): 12 tackles, 1.5 TFL
Bryce Carter (TU): 3 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
Troy Reeder (UD): 9 tackles
Nasir Adderley (UD): 8 tackles, 1 INT
 
Last Time Out (Towson 56, UAlbany 28)
(10/20/18 - Albany, N.Y.)
Scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter, Towson scored 56 points, its top score since November 17, 2012, in a 28-point victory over UAlbany.
Passing
Tom Flacco (TU): 23-36, 306 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Vincent Testaverde (UA): 10-22, 210 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
Tom Flacco (TU): 14 rush, 80 yards
Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks (UA): 14 rush, 55 yards
Receiving
Shane Leatherbury (TU): 7 catches, 114 yards, 1 TD
Juwan Green (UA): 4 catches, 135 yards, 2 TD
Defense
Mantriel Reaves (TU): 8 tackles, 0.5 TFL
Grant Udinski (TU): 2 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF
AJ Mistler (UA): 13 tackles, 1 INT
Kareem Brown (UA): 12 tackles, 0.5 TFL
 
Towson Picked 10th in CAA Preseason Poll
Towson was voted 10th in the CAA preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches and media relations directors.  Towson went 5-6 last season and finished tied for seventh in the CAA at 3-5.
CAA Preseason Poll (first place votes, points)
1. James Madison (21), 241
2. New Hampshire (2), 206
3. Delaware, 182
4. Stony Brook, 169
5. Elon (1), 168
6. Villanova, 164
7. Richmond, 127
8. Maine, 81
9. UAlbany, 78
10. Towson, 74
11. William & Mary, 55
12. Rhode Island, 39
 
Top Passing QB in the CAA........
Tom Flacco has turned heads this season, standing as the #1 QB in the CAA in passing yards a game with 282.3 and total offense with 355.9 yards a contest.  He is currently throwing 67.8% from the air.
 
Flacco's 282.3 passing yards a game stands 11th in all of FCS football, while his 22.6 completions a contest is also 11th.
 
His 438 total offensive yards in the game vs. The Citadel is currently the second-highest single game total by a CAA player this season.  In that game, he had 253 passing yards and 185 yards on the ground.
 
....and Getting His Name in Towson Records
Tom Flacco completed 35 (out of 51) passes against Wake Forest on September 8th, tying for seventh all-time in Towson history in a single game.
 
Flacco was the first Tiger to earn over 30 completions in a game since Sean Schaefer in 2008.
 
Streaking Shane
Shane Leatherbury stands in the top-3 in the CAA in numerous categories, including being second with 92.1 receiving yards a game (22nd in FCS) and second with six receptions a contest (t-20th in FCS).
 
Simpson Racking Up Yards
Shane Simpson has been a deadly weapon for Towson, standing first in all of FCS football with 175.3 all-purpose yards a game.
 
The redshirt junior is Towson's primary running back, kick returner and punt returner., totaling 1,227 all-purpose yards off 341 rushing, 163 receiving, 571 kick returning and 152 punt returning yardage.
 
He has also scored at least one touchdown in all seven Towson games.  He has nine touchdowns on the season.
 
Tigers in the NFL
With the National Football League starting on Sept. 9th, two Tigers made active rosters.  At the beginning of the season, Jordan Dangerfield '13 made the Pittsburgh Steelers roster while Jermon Bushrod '07 continues his career with the New Orleans Saints.
 
On October 7th, Ryan Delaire, joined the San Francisco 49ers active roster, but was waived two weeks later.
 
Tye Smith '15 is with the Tennessee Titans, but was injured and is not on the active roster.    Two other Tigers, Darius Victor '17 and Terrance West '14, were with the Colts and Saints respectively in the preseason.
 
In addition, Frank Beltre '13 competed with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League in 2018.
 
Towson University Finishes 2nd in Helper Helper Community Service
As a university, Towson finished second nationally in the 2018 NCAA Team Works Helper Helper Community Service Competition from January to April 2018.
 
With football in the mix, Towson student-athletes participated in 44 events during the competitions, logging 6,427 hours of community service.
 
Ambrose - 4th Longest Tenured CAA Coach
Head coach Rob Ambrose is serving at the helm of Towson for his 10th season in 2018, making him the 4th-longest tenured coach in the CAA.
 
With William & Mary's Jimmye Laycock (39th season) retiring after the 2018 season, Ambrose will move up to 3rd in tenure next year. 
 
Also ahead of Ambrose in years is New Hampshire's Sean McDonnell (20th season) and Stony Brook's Chuck Priore (13th season).
 
O'Neill Sets School Career FG Record
Junior Aidan O'Neill set a new school all-time record for career field goals made on September 1st.  In his career, O'Neill has connected on 43 field goals, including four on September 1st vs. Morgan State to set the new record.
 
His surpassed the mark set by Ed Kulic (1998-2001) and Randy Bielski (1976-79) for the previous all-time record of 32.  O'Neill also holds the single-season record with 18 made field goals in 2016.
 
Wallace Approaching Towson Top-10 in Tackles
Senior Diondre Wallace has 261 career tackles, including 146 unassisted, earning at least 45 tackles in all four seasons played.
 
Two more tackles would place Wallace in the top-10 all time in Towson history.  Randy Bielski had 263 tackles from 1976-79.
 
The all-time leader in tackles in Towson history is Jeff Boller, who had 382 from 1979-82.
 
Fenner Rising Up the INT Ranks
Including one interception this year, redshirt senior Monty Fenner has six picks in his collegiate career.  He is two away from tying for 10th all-time in Towson history.
 
Towson's all-time leader in interceptions is Gary Rubeling, with 25 from 1980-83.
 
Eight Graduates Suiting Up for Towson
In the true form of student-athlete, eight Towson players take the field as college graduates.  SIx of them are Towson graduates and two are graduate transfers.
 
Sam Gallahan, Joseph Green, Zain Harps Upshur, Matt Kauffman, Grant Udinski and Troy Vincent Jr. all graduated from Towson this past year and continue to play for the Tigers.
 
Ricky DeBerry earned his degree from the University of Oklahoma while Tom Flacco graduated from Rutgers University.
 
All eight players were honored, along with all other graduates continuing to play college football, in a press release by the National Football Foundation.
 
Scouting Delaware
Delaware, which lost its ranking at the start of the year after losing at home to Rhode Island, is back in the top-25 after winning three straight games, including a victory over then top-5 Elon.
 
The Blue Hens are coached by Danny Rocco in his second season with Delaware, coming to Newark after five seasons at Richmond.  Along with time at Liberty, he passed the 100-career win mark this season. 
 
Delaware is fifth in the CAA in scoring offense, averaging 28.9 points per game.  Junior quarterback Pat Kehoe is the signal caller, standing third in the conference with 194.1 passing yards per game, completing 53% with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
 
The team's top receivers have 378 and 372 receiving yards respectively.  6-foot-3 redshirt senior Joe Walker has 17 catches for 378 yards and two scores while senior Vinny Papale has caught 19 passes for 372 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Two players split the rushing duties: senior Kani Kane has totaled 445 yards on 102 carries with six touchdowns while sophomore DeJoun Lee has rushed 69 times for 348 yards.
 
Delaware's defense is one of the top units in the CAA, standing second in the conference with 18.1 points allowed a contest.  Opponents have been held to 21 or fewer points in five of Delaware's seven games, plus the Blue Hens have a league-best 11 interceptions.
 
The reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Week, redshirt senior Troy Reeder has numerous team-highs: 75 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.  Classmate defensive back Nasir Adderley has three interceptions and 38 tackles.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –