With its game against James Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia this Saturday at 3:30 p.m., the Towson University football team will play its final five games in conference. My father used to tell me that if you have more than one task to do, always do the hardest first. Well, the Tigers have five tasks left, and they are faced with the hardest first.

JMU comes into Saturday's game ranked number two in the nation behind North Dakota State. The Dukes have the number one offense in the CAA and the number one defense in the CAA. They have no obvious weakness.

Towson will come into Saturday's showdown off a rousing 56-7 victory over Bucknell last Saturday. It was a record setting day. Tom Flacco broke the school record with six touchdown passes, and Shane Leatherbury tied the school record with five touchdown receptions in the ballgame.

Here is an oddity: Dan Crowley set the school record with five touchdown passes in 1994 against Charleston Southern. He threw all five of those touchdown passes in the first half. Tom Flacco breaks the school record with the six touchdown passes last week, and he threw them all in the first half. Odd.

The Tigers also got a kickoff return for a touchdown from D'Ago Hunter. It was the 13^th kickoff return for a touchdown in Towson history. Since we are talking numbers here, the first three players to return a kickoff for a touchdown in school history, were Mike Barth, David Meggett and Maurice Sydnor. They all wore the number 1. Derrick Joseph would be the next Tiger to return a kickoff for a TD in 2011. Derrick wore the number 80 in 2011. He would also return kickoffs for TDs in 2012 and 2013. In those two seasons, Derrick wore the number 2.

Shane Simpson has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, he wears the number 13. In 2016, linebacker Keon Paye returned a kick for a TD against William & Mary. Keon wears number 12. So, when D'Ago returned the kick for a TD this past Saturday, wearing number 81, he wore the highest number of any Tiger to return a kickoff.

Back to the rest of the season. The Tigers have three road games and two home games. If the past is any yardstick, Towson will have to go 4-1 to feel like it is safely in the FCS playoffs. 3-2 and they are really on the bubble.

This team has dealt with the injury bug all season long. Look at this past Saturday, only five of the original eleven starters on defense played.

All the injuries have meant that lots of guys who were not expected to get extended playing time have been thrown into the fire. All the play they have gotten so far should certainly help in this final run to make the FCS Playoffs. The most difficult test kicks off at 3:30 p.m. this Saturday.

Gordy Combs and I will have the call for you Saturday starting at 3:15 p.m. on CBS Sports Radio 1300 and TowsonTigers.com. We hope you will tune in.

Until next week, GO TIGERS!!!