BOX SCORE TOWSON, Md. – The No. 15 Towson University football team (6-3, 4-2 CAA) came back from down 18 to tie the game in the fourth quarter, but fell to No. 23/RV Maine (6-3, 5-1 CAA) 35-28 on Saturday at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
 
Key Game Stats:

• Down 28-10 midway through the third quarter, Towson earned 18 consecutive points, including two touchdowns scored by Shane Simpson, to tie the game with 10:14 left.  Maine scored a touchdown on the next drive and held for the victory.
• Total offense was near even in the game, with Maine having 408 yards and Towson finishing with 367.  Towson notched 156 yards on kickoff returns, averaging 31.2 per return.
• Simpson finished with 50 yards rushing and 64 yards receiving, notching a touchdown each on a catch and a run.  Along with 97 yards on returns, he totaled 211 yards on all-purpose.
• Tom Flacco led Towson in passing and rushing, going 21-for-36 from the air for 211 yards and two touchdowns, adding 19 carries for 67 yards.
• Shane Leatherbury had six catches for 63 yards.
• On defense, Bryce Carter tallied up five tackles, a sack, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.  Robert Heyward led the Tigers in tackles with six.
• For Maine, Chris Ferguson went 16-for-32 for 233 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, with his tailback Ramon Jefferson going for 121 yards and three touchdowns.  Jeffrey DeVaughn had a team-high nine tackles.

Postgame Quotes:
Towson head coach Rob Ambrose:
"I was proud of our guys on how they responded, they were an entirely different football team in the second half, more like the team we had been the rest of the year.  Congratulations to Maine, those guys fought hard and they are very good.  We did not do enough to get it done.  We were in the driver's seat, but we gave that up by not doing the little things."
 
How it Happened:

• Maine struck on its opening drive with a couple of big plays, including a drive-starting 29-yard rush by Ramo Jefferson and a pass to Andre Miller for 27 yards.  The Black Bears completed the drive with a seven-yard completion in the end zone to Earnest Edwards to make it 7-0 Maine in the opening 2:57 of the game.
• For Towson's opening drive, Tom Flacco converted a couple of third downs, once on a break from the pocket for an eight-yard gain, then a pass across the middle to Sam Gallahan for 12 yards, but a third attempt to convert was not successful.  Towson punted and put the Black Bears on the Maine-9.
• Maine returned to Towson territory with the help of a 22-yard rush by Devin Young.  On 3^rd and eight, Keon Paye broke up a pass towards the sideline to end the drive.  The punt resulted in a touchback.  Towson went three-and-out on its next drive to give the ball back to Maine on the Black Bear 38.  Maine led 7-0 after the first quarter.
• First play of the second period, Edwards was found for a 46-yard reception to score a touchdown to give Maine a 14-0 advantage.
• Towson scored three players later: a 48-yard kickoff return by Cody Tippett, a drop off pass to Yeedee Theanrat for 22 yards, then a Flacco pass to the back of the end zone to Jabari Allen for the touchdown.  Towson trailed 14-7 with 14:13 left in the 2^nd having scored in just 26 seconds.
• Maine notched a first down on a pass across the middle to Drew Belcher, then the Towson held with a two-yard rush and a pair of incompletions, resuming on offense from the Towson 23.
• Started by a pass interference call on Maine, the Tigers slowly made their way into the other half of the field, getting to the Maine 37 of a couple of Flacco rushes, but an interception by Ster Sheffield ended the drive.
• The Towson defense came up with a big stop of 3^rd and six as Bryce Carter stripped the quarterback in the backfield, despite Maine recovering.  Towson halted the drive around midfield and got the ball back on a punt fair caught at its own seven-yard line.
• A one-armed catch next to the sideline by Shane Leatherbury for 22 yards highlighted the next drive, but Towson did not get further.  Maine took over on its own 32, and on the second play of the drive, had Ramo Jefferson run 64 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.  Maine led 21-7 with 1:49 left in the first half.
• A sack stalled Towson's final drive of the first half, ending in a punt.  Maine led 21-7 at the break.
• Into the third quarter, Towson took 11 plays to go 57 yards, including a 21-yard reception by Shane Simpson to get halfway through Maine territory, adding a 10-yard run to the left next play.  Aidan O'Neill knocked down a 36-yard field goal five plays later to make it 21-10 Maine almost five minutes into the third.
• The Towson defense took the reins and forced a three-and-out, started by Niquekko Cook making a tackle in the backfield on first down.  But Towson's next drive was stopped on an interception at midfield, giving the ball back to Maine.  Following a 33-yard breakout run by Jaquan Blair, Maine got to the two-yard line on a penalty, then scored on a rush by Jefferson.  Maine led 28-10 with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter.
• Facing a 4^th and three around midfield, Flacco found Leatherbury for a quick pass and catch to continue the drive into Maine territory.  On another big play on 3^rd and 13, Flacco lofted a pass into the end zone, brought down by Simpson in the end zone fighting with a cornerback.  Towson went for two and scored with a pass to the left side to Ellis Knudson to make it 28-18 Maine with 5:15 left in the 3^rd.
• The Black Bears returned to Towson territory with a couple of long conversions on passes.  On 1^st and 10 from the Towson 30, Vashon McCants Jr. got in front of the receiver and intercepted the pass from Chris Ferguson to get the ball back for the Tigers.
• Towson took advantage and used a number of rushes by Flacco and Thaenrat to come on the edge of the Maine red zone.  O'Neill knocked down a 38-yard field goal to bring Towson within a score a 28-21 Maine at the conclusion of the 3^rd quarter.
• Again, the Towson defense came up with a three-and-out, started by a Ricky DeBerry tackle of Jefferson three yards behind the line of scrimmage.  Maine punted to the Towson 33.
• Flacco took charge on the next drive, finding Leatherbury across the middle for nine yards, then running up the middle for 19 yards to convert for a first down and get into Maine's half of the field.  Simpson took the ball 12 yards two players later, then the drive was extended on a Maine pass interference penalty.  Facing 3^rd and goal from the five, Simpson took a backwards pass from Flacco and raced into the end zone for the touchdown.  The score was tied at 28-28 with 10:14 to play.
• Maine had success on second down plays on the next drive with four plays of at least 15 yards to get just outside the end zone.  On another second down, Jefferson pushed his way into the end zone on a six-yard run to put Maine back in front 35-28 with 6:29 left.
• Towson looked to respond, beginning with a high-arc pass and completion to Leatherbury for 17 yards, then a Kobe Young bolt for 12 yards to the Maine 35.  Flacco kept the drive alive with a 14-yard sprint on 3^rd and 10 to be just outside the Maine red zone, then another third down conversion on an offsides continued the drive.  With 4^th and goal on the four-yard line, the Towson run was stopped short of the goal line.  Maine ran out the clock to end the game.

Inside the Numbers:

• Shane Simpson has scored at least one touchdown in all nine Towson games this season.
• Tom Flacco stands with 200 completions on the year.  On total offense, he has 3,049 yards, averaging 338.8 yards a game.
• Towson's attendance was 7,356, the second-highest attendance of the season.
• With tonight's defeat, Towson is now tied for fourth place in the CAA at 4-2.

Up Next:
Towson returns to the road next Saturday, Nov. 10^th to play Elon at noon in North Carolina. 
 
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