TOWSON, Md. – Hosting No. 12/10 William & Mary in its first CAA home game of the season, the Towson University football team exploded for 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 34-27 victory over the Tribe on Saturday night.
 
With the score tied at 13-13 at halftime, Towson (2-3, 1-1 CAA) took a 20-13 lead vs. W&M (4-2, 1-1 CAA) with a long drive that led to a 16-yard touchdown pass from Sean Brown to John Dunmore. Moments later, Branson Peters recovered a fumble off a CJ McClendon sack fumble and raced 70 yards for a touchdown that made it 27-13. Four plays after recovering another fumble at the Tribe 30-yard line, Tyrell Greene Jr. scored on a four-yard run to give Towson a 34-13 lead.  W&M scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, but Towson held for the home victory.
 
With the win, Towson earns its third-ever victory against a top-15 opponent under head coach Pete Shinnick.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson earned a 200+ yard rushing game, finishing with 203 to W&M's 168.  W&M had the edge in total offensive yards with 412 to Towson's 388, but the Tigers forced three turnovers, plus one on downs, to W&M's one.
• Tyrell Greene Jr. averaged 8.9 yards a carry, going for 133 yards and a touchdown, never having a negative yardage play.
• In his second career start at Towson, Sean Brown threw 17-for-24 for 185 yards, two touchdowns and a pick.  He found Zay Perkins for five catches and 68 yards and John Dunmore three times for 52 yards and two touchdowns.
• Keegan Vaughan hit both field goal attempts, including a career-long 49-yarder, and was 4-for-4 on extra point attempts.
• On defense, CJ McClendon had six tackles and a key strip sack that led to a Branson Peters 70-yard fumble recovery touchdown.  Will Middleton finished with eight tackles, a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss while Kam Snell had five tackles and a pick.
• For W&M, Darius Wilson has 12-for-25 in the air with 209 yards while Bronson Yoder rushed 17 times for 84 yards and a touchdown.  Quinn Osborne led the Tribe with seven tackles, including 0.5 for loss.  

 
How it Happened

• Towson's defense forced a three-and-out on W&M's opening drive and was sparked by a 24-yard catch to John Dunmore.  Keegan Vaughan knocked down the 49-yard field goal to give Towson a 3-0 lead 3:26 into the game.
• Next drive, W&M attempted a deep pass, with Kam Snell intercepting the ball on the Towson 18.  Sean Brown led an air attack down the field, with a 19-yard catch to Da'Kendall James and Dunmore adding a 19-yard rush.  Towson converted two third downs to set up first down on the W&M 12, where Brown found Dunmore in the corner of the end zone for a 10-0 Towson lead with 4:23 left in the first.
• Towson's defensive pressure kept up on W&M's next drive, forcing a punt.  Into the second, Towson punted on a three-and-out, where W&M got into the red zone on a 30-yard rush by Branson Yoder.  W&M got to the four, where Towson held.  W&M kicked a 21-yard field goal to pull within seven.
• Starting from its own 12, Towson rode a couple of W&M penalties and a 19-yard pass to Zay Perkins to charge downfield.  Devin Matthews rushed 11 yards to get inside the 10, where Towson would convert a field goal and lead 13-3 with 2:29 to go in the first.
• W&M utilized its timeouts and came down the field with short passes and scrambles.  Yoder finished the drive with a four-yard rushing touchdown.  A Towson interception set up W&M on one more drive, where a 24-yard field goal tied the game at 13 at the break.
• Starting the second half on its own nine, Towson drove down field.  At the W&M 43, a dart to Perkins for 27 yards was followed by a 16-yard catch and score by Dunmore to push Towson back ahead 20-13 just under four minutes into the half.
• W&M had a long drive of its own with a multi-rushing attack.  On first and 10 at the Towson 11, CJ McClendon caught Damian Wilson deep in the backfield for a strip sack, where Branson Peters picked up the ball and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown and a 27-13 lead with 5:43 left in the third.
• The defense was not done as two plays into W&M's next drive, Emiril Gant forced a fumble, recovered by Dion Crews-Harris on the W&M 30.  Tyrell Greene Jr. Ran for 11, 12 and three yards in succession for a touchdown to build Towson's lead to 34-13 with 3:19 to go in the third.
• Driving into the fourth, W&M converted a pair of fourth downs, the second a Hollis Mathis end-around pass to Wilson in the end zone for a six-yard touchdown score to make it 34-20 Towson three minutes into the fourth.
• After a Towson three-and-out, W&M launched a 55-yard pass to Mathis to get to the Towson 37.  Facing fourth and four, Xavier Terry stopped the receiver one yard short of the first down market to force a turnover on downs.
• Next W&M drive, a 48-yard catch and several Towson penalties ended in a Malachi Imoh one-yard touchdown run to bring the Tribe within one score.  Greene had 30 yards on three rushes to run out the clock and give Towson a 34-27 victory.

Inside the Numbers

• Towson has won three games against top-15 opponents in the Shinnick era, including 54-51 in overtime at No. 14/17 New Hampshire on Sept. 30, 2023 and 34-24 at No. 13 William & Mary on Oct. 21, 2023.
• Towson has won six of its last 10 meetings vs. William & Mary.
• Keegan Vaughan surpassed the 200-career points mark tonight, now standing with 201 career points at Towson.  His mark includes 38 career field goals and 87 career extra points.
• Branson Peters earns Towson's first fumble return for a touchdown since Tylen Wallace did vs. Rhode Island on Nov. 18, 2023.
• John Dunmore is the first Towson receiver to catch two touchdown passes in a game since Zay Perkins did at New Hampshire on Sept. 30, 2023.
• Tyrell Greene Jr. earns his first career 100-yard rushing game at Towson and the first for a Tiger since Devin Matthews did at William & Mary on Oct. 21, 2023.

 
Next Game

• Towson plays its final non-conference game of the regular season next week, taking on Norfolk State on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.