BALTIMORE – The Towson University football team proved to be Charm City's top college football squad, scoring 24 unanswered points to take down Morgan State 36-10 and earn its second victory in the Battle for Greater Baltimore series.
 
Key Game Stats:

• After Morgan State scored a touchdown with 4:20 left, Towson scored 24 unanswered points in over 27 minutes of play, finishing the game on a 36-3 run.
• Towson's defense held Morgan State to 14 yards in the first quarter.  Towson outgained its opponent 223-45 in the first half and 401-167 in the game.
• Aidan O'Neill was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals, adding three extra points for 15 points on his own.
• Six different Towson receivers earned multiple receptions with Tom Flacco going 18-for-28 with two touchdowns and an interception in his first career start as a Tiger.  Shane Leatherbury caught five passes for 93 yards, including a 53-yard reception.
• The Towson defense held Morgan State to 2.7 yards per offensive play.  Keon Paye had a team high 6.5 tackles while Robert Heyward had six.  Baltimore-native Diondre Wallace had four tackles, a sack and an interception.

Postgame Quotes:
Towson head coach Rob Ambrose:

• "Tonight was a fantastic atmosphere in Baltimore with Towson and Morgan State fans, a true sign of how great this city is with football.  Morgan State was a great host in all aspects of the game, its fans, its administrators, its stadium, everything was true class."
• "There was an effort and a focus that has not been here for three years, and it's different.  When we do things we were supposed to do, we did them really well."

How it Happened:

• After a kickoff return near midfield by Morgan State to begin the game, a tackle by Keon Paye third yards behind the line of scrimmage fizzled the Bear drive after one first down.  Driving from the 10, a pair of runs from Tom Flacco, including one for 23 yards off a first down, helped Towson drive into Morgan State territory, but a stop on a 4^th and one gave the ball back to the Bears.
• Next drive, Morgan State got just outside the Towson red zone.  On a 3^rd and seven, Diondre Wallace got to the quarterback for a 13-yard sack.  On the ensuing play, the punt was touched by the potential returner and recovered in the end zone by Morgan State's Zach Castano for a touchdown.
• Towson responded with a fast drive, going from its own 20 to inside the Morgan 5 on two players, including a 53-yard pass from Flacco to Shane Leatherbury.  Aidan O'Neill kicked the 19-yard field goal to put Towson on the board as the Tigers trailed Morgan State 7-3 with 2:18 left in the 1^st.
• Towson's defense stuffed Morgan State three times on rushing attempts to force a punt from the end zone.  Following a Jabari Allen 15-yard reception to end the first quarter, Towson again pushed into the Morgan State red zone, leading to a 36-yard field goal by O'Neill to pull Towson within one at 7-6 Morgan with 13:09 in the 2^nd.
• Morgan State pushed towards midfield with a third-down conversion on a pass, then later, Ricky DeBerry forced a fumble near the sideline, with Robert Heyward recovering.  Towson's runners went to work, with Yeedee Thaenrat converting a 4^th and short, then Flacco passing to Shane Simpson in the corner.  A two-point conversion from Flacco to Leatherbury made it 14-7 Towson with 7:12 left in the 2^nd.
• Morgan's next drive ended quickly after Wallace leaped and intercepted the pass across the middle and brought the ball to the Morgan 29.  After a set of downs, O'Neill converted a 38-yard field goal to push Towson up 17-7 with 4:29 left in the 2^nd.
• Towson pushed one final time at the end of the half but was stopped on a 4^th and goal.  Towson led 17-7 at the break.
• Into the second half, Flacco led a Towson air attack 80 yards in seven plays, going 4-for-5 on passes, for a third quarter opening touchdown, completing the drive to Chris Clark for the 1-yard score.  Extra point made it 24-7 Towson with 11:51 remaining in the 3^rd.
• Morgan State drove down the field the next drive, using a combination of short passes and QB runs, off keepers and rollouts, to get inside the Towson 10.  Towson held on a long 3^rd down, forcing a Morgan State field goal attempt.  Conversion made it 24-10 Towson with 7:22 left in the 3^rd.  Towson quickly responded, taking advantage of a failed Morgan State onside kick attempt.  The Tigers drove the ball 31 yards in 28 seconds with Kobe Young scoring on a power run to the left.  An extra point sent the score to 31-10 Towson.
• Each defense held for the next drive of the other.  A Morgan State interception of Flacco did not lead to offense as Towson forced a turnover on downs.  Flacco led another air attack, starting with a long completion down the middle to Brent Richardson.  Though stopped on 3^rd and one, Pat Toomey bounced a punt that was downed on the Morgan State 1 with 12:07 left in the 4^th.
• Though Morgan State broke out of its 10, Towson forced a fourth down.  A bad snap on the punt attempt went through the end zone for a safety, making it 33-10 Tigers.  On the ensuing drive, Towson drove down the field and converted a 39-yard field goal to send Towson up 36-10 with 4:09 left.
• Morgan State's final drive ended in a turnover on downs as Christian Dixon stopped DJ Golatt Jr. two yards short of the final down marker in Towson territory.  Ryan Stover came in at quarterback and ran out the rest of the clock on a drive, sending Towson to the 36-10 victory.

Inside the Numbers:

• Towson improves to 19-6 against Morgan State all-time, including its third straight win.  It is the first win for the Tigers at Morgan State since 2007.
• This is the second year in a row Towson has won its season opener.  It is the first time since 2013, a victory over Connecticut, that Towson earned a win in a road season opener.
• Towson's 26-point victory is the largest margin of victory since the team's 44-17 victory over UAlbany in 2013.
• 36 points is the most scored by Towson in an away game vs. Morgan State since 1993. 
• Aidan O'Neill became Towson's all-time leader in field goals with a 19-yard kick towards the end of the first quarter for his 32^nd make, surpassing the mark with his 33^rd on a 36-yard field goal with 13:09 left in the 2^nd.  He tied Ed Kulic (1998-2001) and Randy Bielski (1976-79) for the all-time record.  With four on the night, he has 35 field goals made in his college career.

Up Next:
Towson plays its second of three straight road games next Saturday, September 8^th, heading to Wake Forest for a noon kickoff.  The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
 
Season Tickets Still Available: 
This fall, fans can help the Tigers celebrate their 50th season with a special $50 season ticket package to all five home games. Those that purchase season tickets have the option of an equal number of road tickets for the Villanova game (Sept. 15, 3:30 p.m.) or Delaware (Oct. 27, 3:30 p.m.). In honor of the 50th year of football at Towson, fans can purchase season tickets for just $50. Additionally, season tickets in the Gaburick Gold Back Seats are priced at $75.