The Game: Towson (1-2, 0-1 CAA) @ San Diego State (3-0, 0-0 Mountain West)
When: Sat., Sept. 25 – 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT)
Where: Dignity Health Sports Park – Carson, Calif.
TV Online Broadcast: Stadium
----Broadcasters: Ari Wolfe (PxP), Jordan Palmer (Analyst)
Radio Online Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
----Broadcasters: Spiro Morekas (PxP), Gordy Combs (Analyst)
Series: First Meeting
CARSON, Calif. – The Towson University football team is heading across the country for a game against FBS opponent San Diego State on Saturday, Sept. 25 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
The game will be broadcast on Stadium, with Ari Wolfe and Jordan Palmer on the call live from Dignity Health Sports Park, the home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy. Spiro Morekas and Coach Gordy Combs will also have the audio call on towsontigers.com.
Towson has competed against one FBS program every season the Tigers have played since 2008. This is Towson's first trip to California since playing St. Mary's on Nov. 4, 2000 and the first visit to a West Coast state since the Black & Gold's FCS semifinal victory over Eastern Washington on Dec. 21, 2013.
Towson has fallen in its last two games, the last a 35-7 home defeat to top-5 North Dakota State, to enter Saturday at 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. San Diego State has not yet played a Mountain West Conference game, defeating Utah 33-31 at home in overtime for a 3-0 record.
Towson is not currently ranked in either national FCS poll. San Diego State is receiving votes in the FBS rankings: the AP Top-25 and USA Today coaches poll.
This is the first-ever meeting between Towson and San Diego State. Towson has never played a current Mountain West member, nor has San Diego State played a current CAA school.
TALE OF THE TAPE
TOWSON RETURNS TO THE FIELD
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Towson did not play football during the 2020-21 academic year. The CAA suspended the fall season, then Towson opted out of the spring season.
When Towson took the field on Sept. 4, 2021 against Morgan State, it was 651 days (93 weeks) since its previous game vs. Elon on Nov. 23, 2019.
Towson was one of 35 FCS teams across the country that opted out of the 2021 spring season. Eight more FCS programs would opt out of the spring by season's end. All players retained their year of eligibility with the NCAA.
When Towson announced its opt out from the spring on Oct. 19, 2020, head coach
Rob Ambrose said the following: "In today's world, there are no easy decisions anymore, everything is a long, planned out decision. The first thing we did is we took a step back once we knew there was going to be a plan for this, and we asked the players, and we listened. It is amazing how aware, broad-minded, forward-thinking and how intelligent our student-athletes really are. We surveyed the guys, more than 75% of the team did not want to trade a full season next year for a six-game season this spring. After listening to the players, I could not come up with a good reason on why we should do this."
Towson Director of Athletics
Tim Leonard added: "With football being a high-contact sport, the student-athletes and coaches agree that potentially sacrificing a normal fall season for a shortened spring year is not the safest course of action. We support our student-athletes and coaches in this decision, and we look forward to a return to the field for the 2021 season."
THREE TIGERS RECOGNIZED IN 2021 CAA PRESEASON AWARDS
Three Tigers were recognized with preseason honors from the CAA:
D'Ago Hunter is the 2021 CAA Preseason All-Conference Team kick returner while linebacker
Christian Dixon and punter
Shane McDonough were each honorable mention.
Hunter became Towson's primary special teams returner in 2019, earning 26.7 yards a kick return on average, just under two yards behind the CAA leader in that category that season.
In his first year as Towson's punter in 2019, McDonough finished second in the CAA in punt average with 43.6 yards per punt, having nine punts of over 50 yards and 14 punts placed inside the 20.
Dixon moved into a starting role at linebacker in 2019, finishing in the top-25 in tackles in the league. He tallied up 77 tackles, two forced fumbles and nine tackles for loss on the year plus tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks.
GRZYMKOWSKI EARNS COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT® SELECTION
Aaron Grzymkowski was honored as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® Division I Football Team selection,
Grzymkowski earned his undergraduate degree with a 3.671 grade point average (GPA) and is currently enrolled in graduate school with a 4.0 GPA in applied information technology.
This is the third straight academic year where a Towson football player has been recognized on the CoSIDA Academic All-District® teams. Tom Flacco earned the award in 2019 while each Grant Udinski and Zane Ventimiglia were honor in 2018.
BATTLE FOR GREATER BALTIMORE SERIES EXTENDED THROUGH 2027
In July, Towson and Morgan State announced an extension of the Battle for Greater Baltimore series through the 2027 season. With Morgan State being the home team in 2021, the two teams will alternate hosting rights each year.
The teams are separated by five miles, the closest pair of teams in all of FCS play. 2021 will be the 26th meeting between Towson and Morgan State.
TOWSON PICKED SEVENTH IN CAA PRESEASON POLL
Towson was predicted to finish seventh in the CAA preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches and media relations directors.
Before sitting out the 2020-21 academic year, Towson had its second straight winning season in 2019, going 7-5. Wins included four victories against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the polls at the time of the game.
2021 CAA Football Predicted Order of Finish (1st-place votes, points)
1. James Madison (15), 231
2. Delaware (7), 222
3. Villanova, 194
4. Richmond (2), 169
5. New Hampshire, 135
6. Rhode Island, 121
7. Towson, 115
8. UAlbany, 114
9. Maine, 99
10. Stony Brook, 73
11. William & Mary, 61
12. Elon, 50
TIGERS IN THE PROS
Former Towson players are making their mark in the professional ranks, including Tye Smith playing in the National Football League. After playing three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Smith signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason and is on the team's practice squad.
The 2020 NFL season saw two Tigers in the NFL postseason: Smith and Jordan Dangerfield. Dangerfield served as the special teams captain of the Pittsburgh Steelers in his fourth year with the team.
Several Tigers looked to make their debut in the Canadian Football League this year, with a pair earning spots on the Edmonton Elks. In April 2020, Malik Tyne was the first-ever draft pick from Towson into the Canadian Football League, taken 24th overall by Edmonton.
Tigers in the Pros - 2021
--Tye Smith (CB): Minnesota Vikings, NFL (practice squad)
--Frank Beltre (DL): Ottawa Redblacks, CFL
--
Tibo Debaillie (DL): Edmonton Elks, CFL
--Malik Tyne (LB): Edmonton Elks, CFL
--Robert Heyward (LB): Marburg Mercenaries, German Football League
-----------
--Tom Flacco, Saskatchewan Roughriders preseason camp (CFL)
--Shane Leatherbury, BC Lions preseason camp (CFL)
BRINGING BACK TWO 2019 ALL-CAA PLAYERS
Despite the nearly two years between playing a football season, two all-CAA players for Towson return for 2021.
Aaron Grzymkowski is a two-time All-CAA guard, including Second Team in 2019, while punter
Shane McDonough earned All-CAA Third Team in his first year with the team in 2019.
ALLEN APPROACHING RECORDS
Jabari Allen is approaching the top-10 of several receiving records for the program.
Jabari Allen (R-Sr. WR)
Receiving Yards: 1,078
--10th: Shane Leatherbury, 1,848 (2017-19)
Receiving Touchdowns: 10
--9th: Many players, 14
Receptions: 84
--10th: Mike Deal, 138 (1996-99)
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION.....
Needing a new QB this season, three players were in the mix during camp for the starting role (in order of last name):
Vincent Amendola (6-3, 215 R-So.)
--Backup QB for North Carolina in 2019
Chris Ferguson (6-3, 230 Grad.)
--Three-year starter at Maine, spent 2020 at Liberty
Jeff Miller (6-6, 235 R-Jr.)
--Reserve QB with Towson since 2018
.....WITH AN EXPERIENCED WR CORPS
Towson's QB will have plenty of potential targets in the air with four players back from 2019 with at least 200 receiving yards.
WR (yards) - 2019 2021 Career
A DIFFERENT LOOKING DEFENSE
Two years is changing up the Towson defense with just three 2019 starters,
S.J. Brown II (S),
Christian Dixon (LB) and
Sam Gyeni (DL) returning.
Of the 22 defensive players on the two-deep vs. San Diego State, 11 are transfers from other four-year colleges while three others are junior college transfers.
AMBROSE - 3RD LONGEST TENURED CAA COACH
Head coach
Rob Ambrose, a Towson graduate of 1993, returns at the helm of the Tigers for his 12th season in 2019 and is the third-longest tenured head coach in the CAA.
Going into its 52nd season, Towson football has had four head coaches, with three, including Ambrose, serving at the helm for at least 10 seasons. Ambrose was formerly an assistant under Gordy Combs from 1992 to 2000.
Ahead of Ambrose in years is New Hampshire's Sean McDonnell (22nd season) and Stony Brook's Chuck Priore (15th season).
NEW FACES ON THE COACHING STAFF
Several Towson assistant coaches enter their first season with the team.
--
Almondo Curry: cornerbacks
--
Drew Rodriguez: quarterbacks
--
Christian Runza: outside linebackers
--
Alex Stadler: offensive line
FOUR GRADUATES SUITING UP FOR TOWSON
Several Tigers are playing as college graduates. Towson has 23 total graduate players, one behind Northern Colorado for the most in FCS this season.
Towson graduates (11) -
Jabari Allen Aaron Grzymkowski
Marcus Bowman Ryan Rutkowski
Conrad Brake Robert Schwob
Brendan Cassels Caleb Smith
Jason Epps Darian Street
Andrew Garnett
Graduates of other schools (12) -
Keyvone Bruton (Temple)
Marcus Joyner (ODU)
Darian Bryant (Temple)
Elorm Lumor (Rutgers)
Mason Cholewa (UCF)
Tatah Njoka (Glenville St.)
Mark Collins Jr. (South Dakota)
DJ Pratt (Virginia)
Chris Ferguson (Maine)
Tramar Reece (Indiana)
Jerry Howard Jr. (Georgia Tech) Darian Reynolds (Gardner-Webb)
LAST GAME (NORTH DAKOTA ST. 35, TOWSON 7)
(9/18/2021, TOWSON, MD.):
Towson scored a touchdown late against North Dakota State but was unable to overcome 35 unanswered points by the Bison.
Important Stat:
Towson - 9 different receivers had at least one reception
NDSU - 328 rushing yards, averaging 7.1 yards a rush
Top Passer:
Towson -
Chris Ferguson: 19-28, 165 yards
NDSU - Quincy Patterson: 6-11, 165 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Top Rusher:
Towson -
Jerry Howard Jr.: 18 rush, 45 yards, 1 TD
NDSU - Dominic Gonnella: 13 rush, 92 yards
Top Receiver:
Towson -
D'Ago Hunter: 5 catches, 36 yards
NDSU - Christian Watson: 3 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD
Standout Defensive Player:
Towson -
S.J. Brown II (DB): 16 tackles, 1 INT
NDSU - Jackson Hankey (LB): 7 tackles, 0.5 TFL
INTERNATIONAL TIGERS
Towson's influence is growing across the world. Two Towson offensive linemen are from Germany:
Roman Wahrheit and
Florian Staehler. Towson has other ties to Germany: Konstantinos Kosmakos is an assistant coach for the Marburg Mercenaries, which includes Towson graduate Robert Heyward at linebacker.
In Ambrose's time, Towson has had players from Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, and Norway.
FROM UP AND DOWN THE EAST COAST...
The Towson roster nearly covers every state along the coastline from New York to Florida. 13 states, plus the District of Columbia, are represented by the Tigers. Away from the Eastern Seaboard, Towson has players from California, Illinois and Missouri.
...AND REPPING THE HOME STATE
The Towson roster represents the Old Line State well, sporting 38 players from the home state of Maryland. This includes five players from the Baltimore City/County area:
Anthony Delle Donne (Baltimore),
Chris Gross (Baltimore),
Dion Crews-Harris (Baltimore),
Vinnie Shaffer (Middle River) and
Scott Smith III (Brooklandville).
COACH PHIL ALBERT (1944-2020)
On Dec. 8, 2020, former Towson head football coach Phil Albert passed away. He was the program's second-ever head coach and served that role for 20 years from 1972-91, earning 117 victories, including a perfect 10-0 season in 1974, and coaching 28 All-Americans.
SCOUTING SAN DIEGO STATE:
San Diego State has picked up a pair of victories over Pac-12 opponents Arizona and Utah. Head coach Brady Hoke is in his second stint with the team and fourth season overall, coaching from 2009-10 and 2020 to the present.
SDSU ranks second in the Mountain West, and 14th in FBS, with 244.7 rushing yards per game, led by senior Greg Bell with 420 yards and 5.7 yards per rush. On the other side, SDSU ranks first in the MW, and eighth in FBS, in rushing defense with just 56.3 yards allowed on the ground a contest. Senior linebacker Segun Olubi has team-highs with 17 tackles and two forced fumbles.
LAST TIME IN CALIFORNIA (ST. MARY'S 45, TOWSON 33)
(11/4/2000, MOREGA, CALIF.):
Towson's 17-point second quarter lead did not hold as St. Mary's used a 38-3 run to win 45-33.
Important Stat:
Towson - Led 17-0 and 24-7 in 2nd quarter, had 98 offensive plays
St. Mary's - Earned 277 yards on the groun
Top Passer:
Towson - Val Troiani: 33-72, 484 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
St. Mary's - Gus Papanikolas: 13-20, 145 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Top Rusher:
Towson - Noah Read: 20 rush, 58 yards
St. Mary's - Gus Papanikolas: 27 rush, 125 yards, 1 TD
Top Receiver:
Towson - Jamal White: 8 catches, 122 yards, 1 TD
St. Mary's - Andre Coleman, 3 catches, 40 yards, 2 TD
Standout Defensive Player:
Towson - Tyrone Bell (LB): 12 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR
St. Mary's - Lane Baker (LB): 17 tkl., 1 INT, 1 BrUp
IMPORTANT DATES: TOWSON VS. FBS
--Aug. 30, 2008 (Annapolis, Md.):
Towson played an FBS team (then BCS) team for the first time at Navy to begin the 2008 season. Despite only trailing by 11 at the half, Towson fell to Navy 41-13 in a stark contrast of styles: Towson passed for 330 yards while Navy ran for 558 yards. Sean Schaefer was 29-for-47 at QB in the game with two touchdowns and a pick.
--Sept. 5, 2009 (Evanston, Ill.):
Towson's first-ever game under head coach
Rob Ambrose was a challenge against FBS Northwestern, with the Wildcats defeating the Tigers 47-14. Peter Athens made his first start at quarterback in a Towson uniform, throwing 15-for-25 for 140 yards, a score and two picks.
--Aug. 29, 2013 (Storrs, Conn.)
Towson scored a touchdown in every quarter and earned its first-ever victory over an FBS program with a 33-18 victory at UConn, where Ambrose formerly was offensive coordinator. Terrance West set the pace on the ground with 156 yards and two touchdowns as Towson had 393 yards of total offense to UConn's 267. That season, Towson earned a trip to the FCS title game.
BUSHROD, SCHAEFER, O'CONNELL INDUCTED INTO TOWSON ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Among the inductees into the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021 include three members of the Towson football program: Jermon Bushrod, Sean Schaefer and Dan O'Connell.
Bushrod was a four-year starter at offensive tackle from 2003-06, going from walk-on to scholarship player and being a three-time All-Atlantic 10 honoree. His led him to be taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, which he would be a starter for the Super Bowl XLIV champion.
Schaefer was a four-year starting quarterback for Towson from 2005-08, finishing his career as the program's all-time passing leader with 11,644 yards. The 2008 All-CAA selection also holds program records in total offense, passing attempts, passing completions and completion percentage.
O'Connell served in the Towson media relations office for 35 years from 1979-2014 and was the football SID and scorekeeper. He served on the CoSIDA Academic All-America committee for 27 years and works statistics for the Baltimore Ravens.
