TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University football team held No. 6 Delaware without points for the opening 22 minutes and had the first lead of the game but fell to the Blue Hens 24-10 on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Towson (2-3, 0-2 CAA) defense forced a pair of turnovers on downs and took the lead with a field goal with 7:26 left in the second, but Delaware (5-0, 3-0 CAA) scored on two touchdowns on plays of over 65 yards to take the lead the rest of the way.
 
Towson is the first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) team to have a lead on Delaware this season plus held the Blue Hens to 24 points, the lowest score for Delaware against an FCS opponent this year.
 
Key Stats:

• On the defensive end, Robert Javier had seven tackles and a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown.  Ryan Kearney and Mason Woods each had 10 tackles, with the former adding a pair of pass break-ups.
• The Towson defense allowed scoring on just four of Delaware's 12 drives.  Towson held the Blue Hens without points on two red zone opportunities.
• Joachim Bangda had 53 yards on the ground on 12 carries, averaging 4.4 yards a rush.  Quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome tallied up 62 yards passing and 32 yards rushing, also having an interception.
• For Delaware, Nolan Henderson passed 25-for-41 for two touchdowns and an interception, finding Jourdan Townsend for seven catches and 82 yards.  Kyron Camby rushed for 100 yards and a score.  Johnny Buchanan led all players with 11 tackles.

How It Happened:

• Towson received but went three-and-out and went to punt, with Riley Williams sending down the ball 60 yards to the Delaware 17.  Jesus Gibbs had a big tackle in the backfield for a six-yard loss on a rush, but Delaware converted the first on a 20-yard reception.  Delaware continued to drive and got into Towson territory, where a combined sack from Daniel Raymond and Shaheem Haltiwanger forced the Blue Hens back nine yards.  Delaware punted to the Towson 10.
• Joachim Bangda broke through on his first rush as a Tiger and got 14 yards for a first down, but Towson did not get further and punted to the Delaware 45.  After a couple of complete passes, Towson held on a 4^th and one as Delaware through an incompletion to give the ball back to the Tigers.  A loss of yards on a first down rush led to a three-and-out for Towson as Delaware took over on its own 25.
• The Blue Hens went through the air for a couple of 18+ yard completions to get into Towson territory into the second quarter.  With Delaware on the Towson 21, Towson continued to break up the pass in the end zone, with Dorian Davis, Ubayd Steed and Shafeek Smith all knocking away passes and getting a turnover on downs.
• Tyrrell Pigrome led Towson down the field with some help from the Tiger runners.  Rushes from D'Ago Hunter and Bangda, plus some completions from Pigrome, got Towson into the Delaware side of the field, then a Pigrome scramble for 15 yards got the visitors to the red zone.  After a holding penalty nullified a touchdown, Keegan Vaughan notched the 38-yard field goal to give Towson a 3-0 lead with 7:26 left in the second.
• Next drive, a 10-yard pass and 65-yard touchdown run, by Kyron Cumby, gave Delaware the lead 7-3 with 6:46 to play in the second.
• Following a Towson three-and-out, a 90-yard Delaware drive, capped by a 74-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Harvin down the sideline, made it 14-3 Blue Hens at 3:56 left in the first half.
• Towson put together a drive with Bangda rushes and Pigrome completions to Isaiah Perkins and Malik Jackson to push to the Delaware 29.  Towson went for it on fourth down, but a sack ended the drive.  The Towson defense halted Delaware on a final drive as the teams went into the locker room at 14-3 Blue Hens.
• Out of halftime, Henderson's passing got Delaware down to the Towson 18 in seven plays.  Four plays later, Delaware reached the end zone on a drop-off pass from Henderson to Khory Spruill to make it 21-3 Blue Hens five minutes into the third.
• Towson looked to the run to come downfield, converting a third on a second effort power push from Bangda, but had to punt after gaining four yards on third and eight.  Short passes and runs again brought Delaware down the field as Towson looked to make a stand at its four.  A holding call, a tackle in the backfield by Xavier Terry and then Bryce Lauer stopping the quarterback for a 12-yard sack stopped the Delaware drive.  The 47-yard field goal attempt missed as Delaware led 21-3 at the end of the third quarter.
• Both teams exchanged a three-and-out as the Tigers looked to come back.  On third and three, an interception along the sideline got the ball back to Delaware on the Towson 48.  A Henderson pass for 26 yards to Brett Buckman, then a pair of rushes, pulled the Blue Hens to the four-yard line.  Towson stacked up and again held Delaware out of the end zone, but a 24-yard field goal made it 24-3 Delaware 8:37 left to play.
• After a Towson three-and-out, Delaware pushed on another drive.  Deep in Towson territory, a pass towards the end zone was ripped away and picked by Robert Javier, who came down 98 yards for the touchdown to make it 24-10 Delaware with 2:59 left to play.  Delaware ran out the rest of the clock on the next possession as the Blue Hens won 24-10.

Inside the Numbers

• This is the first-ever touchdown for Robert Javier for Towson.  It is the first interception returned for a touchdown by a Tiger since Mark Collins Jr. had a pick six vs. UAlbany on Oct. 30, 2021.
• The only opponent which held Delaware to fewer points in a game this season was FBS Navy in the opening game.  The Midshipmen allowed 14 points to Delaware.

Next Game:

• Towson heads south to play Elon on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 2 p.m.

- TowsonTigers.com –