TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University football team tried to fight the elements and rally back from down 21 on Thursday night at Unitas, coming up just short in a 21-18 defeat to Maine in the season opener.
Towson (0-1, 0-1 CAA) was down 21 late in the second quarter, scoring the next 18 points against Maine (1-0, 1-0 CAA) and having three drives in the fourth quarter to potentially take the lead, but Maine held to take the win.
Key Stats
- In a game that was a tale of two halves, Towson had 379 yards of total offense to Maine's 329, including outgaining Maine in the air 267-199. Maine forced two turnovers in the second half, an interception and a forced fumble, to seal the game.
- On offense, Andrew Indorf was 15-for-21 for 267 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. His top target was Cleveland Charlton with two catches over 50 yards, finishing with four receptions, 136 yards and a score. Kemarrion Battles was the main runner, rushing 18 times for 89 yards.
- Two Tigers led the defense with seven tackles each, Seth Chestnut and Jaydyn Johnson, with the former adding 1.5 tackles for loss. Marquis Copper notched four tackles and broke up two passes.
- Zaydaan Faridi was 1-for-2 on field goals in his first game as Towson's primary placekicker, hitting a 39-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
- For Maine, Eddie Buehler passed 17-for-27 for 199 yards and two touchdowns while Rashawn Marshall ran 13 times for 81 yards and a score. Sam Oppenheimer tallied up 10 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break-up.
Key Situations
- 1st quarter: Towson's defense held on a couple of long Maine drives, stopping the Black Bears twice across midfield, capped by Seth Chestnut knocking down Keyon Concepcion for a two-yard loss on a pass to force a punt from the Towson 41. The two sides stayed scoreless after one quarter.
- 2nd quarter: Maine scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives, with the last two on 30+ yard scoring plays with a 32-yard rushing score from Rashawn Marshall and a 30-yard touchdown catch to Nick Laughlin. Led by a 56-yard catch by Cleveland Charlton, Towson scored before the end of the break with a four-yard touchdown catch by Aaron Enterline to go into the locker room down 21-8.
- 3rd quarter: After each side failed to score on the first two drives, Andrew Indorf dropped a 59-yard dart to Charlton on the left side to pull Towson within one score. Towson was driving into the fourth quarter down 21-15.
- 4th quarter: Following a one-hour, three-minute weather delay, Towson continued to chip away with a Zaydaan Faridi 39-yard field goal pulling Towson within three with 12:18 to play. Seth Hampton forced Eddie Buehler out of bounds to force a turnover on downs as Towson had two final chances, but a missed field goal and a fumble on the final drive gave the game to Maine 21-18.
Inside the Numbers
- Andrew Indorf earns his fifth career 200+ yard passing game.
- Cleveland Charlton earns his first 100+ yard receiving game in his first career start at Towson.
- This game was the earliest start to a season in Towson football history, being earlier than last year's August 28 start at Norfolk State. It was just the second time in program history where Towson's opened the season with a league game.
Next Game
- Towson hits the road for its next two games, each against FBS opponents. The Tigers take on Navy on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. in Annapolis.
- TowsonTigers.com –
