ELON, N.C. – The No. 20 Towson University football team (7-3, 5-2 CAA) dominated No. 7/5 Elon (6-3, 4-2 CAA) to earn a vital conference victory with a decisive 41-10 win over the Phoenix in North Carolina.  Towson has defeated three then-top-15 opponents this year.
 
Key Game Stats:

• 10 points ties the fewest amount of points allowed by the Towson defense in a game this year.  In addition, 31 points is the largest margin of victory for Towson this season.
• At 7-3 early in the second quarter, Towson outscored Elon 34-3 the rest of the way, including 17-0 in the fourth period.
• Towson more than doubled Elon in total offense with 486 total yards, with Elon having 238 total yards.  That includes 326 passing yards for Towson compared to 30 for Elon, holding Phoenix quarterback Jalen Greene to 5-for-19 from the air.
• Tom Flacco went 26-for-43 on passing for 326 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, adding 15 rushing yards.  His primary target was Jabari Allen, who tied a team season-high of nine receptions, picking up 143 yards.
• On the ground, Kobe Young went for 59 yards and a touchdown, while Shane Simpson had 40 yards, adding 16 on receiving.
• Aidan O'Neill went 2-for-3 on field goals, including breaking his own season record at Towson for field goals in a season and notching his 50^th field goal at Towson, and 5-for-5 on extra points. 
• Defensively, Robert Heyward led all players with 13 tackles, adding 3.5 for loss and a sack.  Keon Paye tallied four tackles and a fumble recovery while Bryce Carter had four tackles, including two for loss and a sack.
• For Elon, Greene and Jaylen Thomas each had 73 yards on the ground, with the former having a rushing touchdown.  Cole Coleman concluded with 12 tackles for the Phoenix.

Postgame Quotes:
Towson head coach Rob Ambrose:
"Great team win.  I'm very proud of this team; they had to suffer through weeks of many people telling them that they weren't any good because they lost to two nationally ranked football teams by one score each.  The way they rallied as a family, playing six seconds of football as hard as they could, it is impossible of me to be more proud of them."
 
How it Happened:

• Elon started with the first possession, picking up 17 yards on its first rush to get into Towson territory, but the Tiger defense held, including Zain Harps Upshur knocking down a runner behind the line of scrimmage.  Tom Flacco found Brent Richardson for an 11-yard catch, but had to punt later.
• Next drive, Elon burst to the Towson 38 and went for it on 4^th and one, with Upshur and Robert Heyward knocking down Jaylan Thomas on the line of scrimmage.  Towson went down the field in the hurry-up offense with passes to Richardson and Jabari Allen.  Flacco found Chris Clark falling down on the edge of the end zone for the touchdown, giving Towson a 7-0 advantage with 7:11 left in the 1^st.
• Elon had a long way to go with Yeedee Thaenrat making a big tackle on the Phoenix 15 on the kickoff.  The defensive line continued to break through, with backfield hits by Heyward and Grant Udinski forcing a punt by Elon, which sent Towson to its own one-yard-line.  Towson got a first down after a Flacco rush, but had to punt soon after.
• Starting at the Towson 49 with the punt going into the wind, Elon got inside the Towson red zone.  With Elon on the Towson 3 for 1^st and goal, Towson held there, including Vashon McCants batting away a pass intended for the end zone.  Elon kicked a 21-yard field goal to make it 7-3 Towson seconds into the second quarter.
• Flacco's movement gave Towson multiple yards as the Tigers began on their own 13.  A pass to Shane Simpson in the flat for 13 yards then across the middle to Clark for 22, then Flacco ran down the sideline for 14 yards to get to the Elon 24.  An interception on 4^th down ended the drive as Elon took over on its own 14. 
• Elon had three completions in a row for over 12 yards each to reach the Towson 33 on next drive.  Again Elon went for it on 4^th down: three Tigers got pressure and forced a quick pass, then Heyward and Monty Fenner stopped the receiver in the backfield to force the turnover on downs.
• Next play, Flacco dropped a long pass into the stomach of Jabari Allen for 30 yards to bring the Tigers back into Elon territory, then another completion by the pair for 20 sent the Black & Gold to the red zone.  Flacco threw a dart to Shane Leatherbury into the end zone for 16 yards and the touchdown, sending Towson up 14-3 with 5:28 to play in the 1^st half.
• The Towson defense came up with another big stop as on 3^rd and eight, Heyward pulled down the quarterback for a loss of nine.  Towson came down the field for one final time in the first half with big receptions by Leatherbury and Sam Gallahan, but was stopped after getting into Elon's side of the field.  Towson went into the locker room up 14-3.
• Into the second half, Simpson started with three straight runs for a combined 15 yards, then a completion to Gallahan brought Towson just outside midfield, then Flacco off the run gained 21 yards to come to the Elon 30.  On 3^rd down, Flacco found Jabari Allen, with a defender on his back, for a catch and first down, then later, a roughing the passer got Towson closer.  Flacco avoided a tackle and shoveled a pass to Leatherbury for the touchdown, giving the Tigers a 21-3 lead with 9:32 to go in the 3^rd quarter.
• The other side, Bryce Carter pulled down Jalen Greene 10 yards behind the line on first down, effectively ending Elon's second half opening drive.  Elon punted after a three-and-out.
• Towson returned to the Elon red zone, including a 19-yard catch along the sideline by Jabari Allen, but was pushed back on a couple of sacks.  A 47-yard field goal attempt was missed, giving the ball back to Elon.
• Elon's rushing attack found success on the following drive, having four carries of double digit yards, including a Greene quarterback run for 17 yards for the touchdown, making it 21-10 Towson with 2:01 to go in the third. 
• Leatherbury spearheaded the next drive with a 13-yard catch and a 16-yard end around run.  As the third quarter clock was expiring, Aidan O'Neill knocked in a 45-yard field goal to make it 24-10 after three.
• Into the fourth, the Towson defense forced a three-and-out in less than a minute.  The other way, Flacco found Jabari Allen twice, then Ryan Stover ran up the middle for nine yards to get to the Elon 38.  Towson was eventually forced to punt as Pat Toomey put the ball on the Elon 3.
• Despite a 20-yard rush, Elon had 3^rd and four from its own 32.  Grant Udinski forced a fumble on the quarterback, and Keon Paye fell on it to put Towson on the Elon 30.  O'Neil put points on the field goal with a 45-yarder to make it 27-10 Towson with 8:53 left.
• The Towson defense again forced a three-and-out as the offense got the ball back on its own 44.  Kobe Young took a couple of runs and burst into the Elon red zone as the clock clicked under five minutes.  Yeedee Thaenrat finished the drive with a touchdown to make it 34-10 Towson.
• An odd bounce on the using kickoff gave the ball right back to Towson.  Young wasted no time with a rush to the end zone for 16 yards to make it 41-10 Towson with just over two minutes left.
• Elon had some rushes on its final drive but did not score.  Towson took the victory 41-10.

Inside the Numbers:

• Towson earns a victory over a top-5 opponent for the first time since beating Eastern Washington in the 2013 playoffs.
• Towson has now won three games against then top-15 opponents: Elon, Stony Brook and Villanova.  The Tigers' only defeats are ranked FBS opponent Wake Forest and two ranked FCS teams.
• With a 45-yard field goal in the third quarter, Aidan O'Neill hit his 19^th field goal of the year, a new Towson single season record.  O'Neill broke his own record of 18 from 2016.  He also extended his career field goals mark at Towson to 51.
• Tom Flacco is rising up the single season record books in Towson history.  Through today's game, he is tied for second with 25 passing touchdowns, sixth with 228 completions, seventh with 2,752 passing yards and ninth with 356 passing attempts.
• Diondre Wallace rose to No. 7 in Towson history in tackles, currently standing with 278.
• With three points allowed in the first 30 minutes, Towson had its top defensive first half of the season and tied for best defensive half in a road game on the season, having allowed three points in the second half at Morgan State on Sept. 1.  Towson allowed zero points in the second half vs. William & Mary on Oct. 13^th.

Up Next:
Towson comes back to Johnny Unitas® Stadium for a showdown against No. 9/10 James Madison on Saturday, Nov. 17^th at 2 p.m. to finish the regular season. 
 
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