NORFOLK, Va. – Down two into the final quarter the Towson University football team scored two touchdowns in a span of under five minutes to surge past Norfolk State 28-23 on Saturday afternoon in Virginia.
Towson (3-3) took command during the fourth quarter with passing touchdowns from
Sean Brown to
Jaceon Doss and
Carter Runyon to give the Tigers the lead for good at Norfolk State (2-6). The Spartans scored a late touchdown, then the Tigers ran out the rest of the clock.
Key Stats:
- Towson had a strong advantage in total offensive yards with 456 to Norfolk State's 361.
- At quarterback, Sean Brown threw 25-for-43 for 306 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. John Dunmore and Jaceon Doss had 73 and 72 yards respectively, each having a receiving touchdown.
- On the ground, Tyrell Greene Jr. rushed 17 times for 71 yards. Devin Matthews notched 47 yards on nine carries, scoring a touchdown.
- Defensively, Will Middleton led Towson with seven tackles, adding a pass break-up, while John Gioia also had seven tackles, including a 0.5 tackle for loss. Alfred Thomas blocked a punt and had a tackle for loss.
- For the Spartans, Vinson Berry was 16-for-31 for 221 yards and a touchdown, finding Elyjah Mitchell six times for 105 yards and a score. Kevon King rushed 15 times for 96 yards and two touchdowns. AJ Richardson tallied up 18 tackles, two sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
How it Happened
- Norfolk started on offense and relied on the rush early, converting two first downs off carries from Kevon King. A delay of game penalty backed NSU up and forced passes as Towson stopped Norfolk around midfield for the punt.
- Towson methodically came down the field with runs and short passes as Sean Brown found John Dunmore and Zay Perkins to convert. The Tigers got held up around midfield and needed to punt.
- Towson's defense forced a three-and-out and got the ball back on its own 41. The Tigers employed the hurry-up offense as Brown's back-to-back quick passes to Sam Reynolds and Jaceon Doss brought Towson to the NSU 23. Two plays later, Devin Matthews broke through the middle for the 23-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Towson lead with 3:49 left in the first.
- Kaden White broke up a pass and tackled the running back for a six-yard loss to contribute to a three-and-out as Towson got back the ball. An NSU holding call and a Tyrell Greene Jr. 19-yard rush up the middle brought the Tigers into NSU territory, but the drive stalled after a false start and Towson punted.
- Into the second quarter on second and 12, a 12-yard pass then a 58-yard rush tied the game at 7-7 1:30 into the period.
- Despite a 39-yard kickoff return from Da'Kendall James to the NSU43, Towson went three-and-out. NSU came down the field and into the red zone, where Towson's blitzes stopped the Spartans from going further. NSU knocked down the 31-yard field goal to lead 10-7 with five minutes to play in the second.
- Towson responded with a 57-yard pass down the sideline to Reynolds got Towson to the NSU7. Three plays later, a short pass to Dunmore on an out route scored the three-yard touchdown, putting Towson ahead 14-10 with just over three minutes left in the half.
- NSU knocked out about two minutes, then Towson blocked a punt to get the ball on the NSU42. Christopher Watkins burst on a draw for 35 yards to set up Towson on the NSU 8, but an intercepted pass ended the drive. Towson led 14-10 at the break.
- Into the third quarter, Towson converted a couple of third downs with a 22-yard dart down the middle to Doss, then another on a 12-yard pass to the left side to James. Towson tried again with a couple of passes on third and fourth and 11 from the NSU 29, but a pair of incompletions resulted in a turnover on downs. Towson's defense held for a three-and-out, capped by a bobbled snap by King.
- Brown went on the attack with a couple of short passes, including a 10-yard screen pass to Greene Jr., but at interception ended the drive and kept Towson's lead at four.
- The home team went back to the rush as Xzavion Evans got off the right side for a 21-yard gain to the Towson 43. The next play, Elyjah Mitchell was wide open on the left side for a 43-yard touchdown. The extra point was missed, but Norfolk State led 16-14 with 4:18 left in the third.
- Down the field came the Tigers with passing into the fourth quarter. The first play of the final period, Brown found Doss in the corner of the end zone for a nine-yard score. A reverse from Doss to Carter Runyon in the end zone converted the two-point conversion and made it 22-16 Towson with 14:57 to play.
- Towson forced a three-and-out and a punt, pushing near midfield off a scramble from Brown. A couple of rushes and a 19-yard pass to Runyon in the end zone gave Towson another touchdown. The Tigers led 28-16 with 10:09 left.
- NSU got areas to pass, including a long pass on a one-on-one with the secondary. Faced with fourth and 10 on the Towson 21, Towson forced an incompletion for a turnover on downs.
- A 20-yard catch by Dunmore got Towson into NSU territory, but an interception gave the ball back to the Spartans on the Towson 38. NSU got a touchdown with 1:53 left on a King 1-yard run up the middle to make it 28-23 Towson with 1:53 left. Towson ran out the clock to win the game.
Inside the Numbers
- Sean Brown earns the first 300-yard passing day for a Towson Tiger since Tom Flacco threw for 304 yards vs. Villanova on Sept. 21, 2019. Brown's 306 passing yards is the most since Flacco threw for 328 yards at The Citadel on Aug. 31, 2019.
- With his 24th career rushing touchdown, Devin Matthews moves into sole possession of seventh place all-time in Towson history in rushing touchdowns.
- Two Towson freshmen have blocked kicks this year: Alfred Thomas vs. Norfolk State and Rion Roseborough with two blocked kicks vs. Morgan State on Sept. 7.
Next Game
- Towson comes back to Unitas for Homecoming on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. vs. Stony Brook.
- For more information on Towson tickets, contact the Towson Ticket Office at 410-704-4501 or by emailing 4tigertix@towson.edu.
- TowsonTigers.com –
