The Game: Towson (0-1, 0-0 CAA) at Navy (0-0, 0-0 AAC)
When: Sat., Sept. 5 – 3:30 p.m.
Where: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, Md.
TV Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
----Broadcasters: Chris Lewis (PxP), Randy Cross (Analyst), Brandon Baylor (sideline)
Audio Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
----Broadcasters: Spiro Morekas (PxP), Gordy Combs (Analyst)
Series: Navy leads 1-0
 
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Towson University football team heads to the state capital of Annapolis for the first of two consecutive games against FBS teams, beginning against Navy on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network; check your local listings for channel information. Chris Lewis, Randy Cross and Brandon Baylor will have the call live from the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.  In addition, Spiro Morekas and Gordy Combs will have the radio call on Towsontigers.com.
 
Towson, from the Coastal Athletic Association, began its season with a 21-18 defeat vs. Maine on August 27 after being 6-6 overall in 2025.  Navy, from the American Athletic Conference, is playing in its 2026 opener on Saturday, coming off an 11-2 overall and 7-1 league campaign last year.  Navy is receiving votes in the FBS AP and AFCA Coaches Polls.
 
On August 30, 2008, Towson played its first-ever game against an FBS opponent, taking on Navy in the lone meeting all-time between the two programs.  Navy took the victory 41-13.  Not including the COVID year of 2020-21, Towson has played a least one FBS opponent each year since 2008.
 
Towson will next play at South Carolina for its second straight game against an FBS team on Saturday, Sept. 12.
 
This is the first of two scheduled games for Towson at Navy, with the next coming on Aug. 31, 2030.
 
FOURTH YEAR IN PETE SHINNICK ERA
Towson enters its fourth season under head coach Pete Shinnick in 2025.  Under coach Shinnick, Towson has earned three victories over then-top-15 teams and has finished at least .500 in CAA play in each of his first three years.
 
Towson has had five head coaches in program history: Carl Runk (1969-71), Phil Albert (1972-91), Gordy Combs (1992-2008), Rob Ambrose (2009-22) and Pete Shinnick (2023-pres.).
 
THREE TIGERS RECOGNIZED IN CAA PRESEASON AWARDS
Three players were recognized in the CAA Preseason Honors, led by KJ Brooks being CAA Preseason All-Conference while each Andrew Indorf and Daniel Anderla being CAA Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention.  All three are honored with preseason league awards for the first time.
 
Brooks, a former FCS Freshman All-American in 2023, has been Towson's primary player at right tackle for the past three seasons.  In 2025, the senior from Olney, Maryland started all 12 games for the Tigers, having starts at right tackle, left guard and left tackle.
 
Indorf, the 2025 CAA Co-Rookie of the Year, was Towson's starting quarterback in all 12 games last year, throwing 59.6% for 2,344 yards, 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions, helping Towson have the fewest interceptions among CAA teams.
 
Anderla worked as Towson's long snapper in all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2025.  Towson's kicker and punter each were all-conference honorees last season, including Caden Williams setting a Towson football single season record for best field goal percentage at 88.2%.
 
CHESTNUT NAMED CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Seth Chestnut was selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week after leading the Tigers in tackles with seven and tackles for loss with 1.5 in the Week 0 contest vs. Maine.  Four of his seven tackles came in the fourth quarter.
 
THE 2025 STARTING QUARTERBACK RETURNS
Andrew Indorf, the 2025 CAA Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year and Jerry Rice Award finalist, has returned to Towson as the presumptive starting quarterback for 2026.              Indorf is set to be the first Towson quarterback to be the primary starter in back-to-back years since Tom Flacco was a two-year starter in 2018-19.
 
Indorf was the first Towson player to be a CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year since Shane Simpson in 2016 and the first to be a Jerry Rice Award finalist since Mason Woods in 2022.
 
The sophomore will have a new receiver group to work with this year with Towson returning 20.9% (589 of 2,813) of its receiving yards from 2025.  Cleveland Charlton leads all returning receivers with 12 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns in 2025.
 
HELP WANTED
Among a combined 22 starters from last season (offense/defense), Towson returns just three, all being on offense: quarterback Andrew Indorf and offensive linemen KJ Brooks and Joden Nelson.
 
CAPTAINS AT THE READY
Shinnick named Shamir Boyd, KJ Brooks, Andrew Indorf, Ben Kumpon, Matthieu Longa and Joden Nelson as permanent captains for the 2026 campaign.
 
REINFORCEMENTS INCOMING
Towson has brought in 53 new players for 2026, including 27 true freshmen and 26 transfers.  They add to the 52 returners for a 105-man roster.
 
Newcomers:
--Offense: 16 freshmen, nine transfers (25 returners)
--Defense: 10 freshmen, 16 transfers (24 returners)
--Special Teams: One freshman, one transfer (three returners)
 
Of Towson's 105 players, 69 have played just at Towson and 36 are transfers.
 
FRESHMEN FORTHCOMING
Towson brought in 26 true freshmen for this season after bringing in 27 true freshman last year.  The 2025 freshmen class ties the largest freshmen class at Towson since 2014.  Including 23 true freshmen brought in for 2024, Coach Shinnick has had three of the largest four freshmen classes at Towson since 2014, with 26 freshmen brought in for 2017.  Of the 26 freshmen for 2026, 14 come from the home state of Maryland.
 
TOWSON PICKED SIXTH IN CAA PRESEASON POLL
The Tigers were predicted to finish sixth in the league in the preseason coaches poll.  Towson received 93 points in the poll.  Defending CAA co-champion Rhode Island is predicted to finish first followed by Monmouth and Elon.
2026 CAA Football Predicted Order of Finish (first-place votes)
1. Rhode Island (12 first-place votes) 144
2. Monmouth 119
3. Elon 115
4. New Hampshire 106
5. Stony Brook (1 first-place vote) 105
6. Towson 93
7. Maine 88
8. Campbell 56
9. Bryant 50
10. Sacred Heart 49
11. UAlbany 35
12. North Carolina A&T 28
13. Hampton 26
 
TIGERS IN THE PROS
Several Tigers have been competing in the professional ranks after their time with the Black & Gold.
 
Carter Runyon was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, being elevated to the active roster on Sept. 28 and making his pro debut vs. the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 5.  He played 13 games for the Raiders last season.
 
In addition, three former Tigers currently serve as coordinators in the NFL.  Grant Udinski '19 returns as the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator while Brian Fleury '02 is now the new offensive coordinator of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and Brian Duker '11 is the defensive coordinator of the New York Jets.
 
In the CFL, Tibo Debaillie '21 is playing his sixth year as a professional, including season five with the BC Lions.  The Belgium native has played 73 career regular season games in the CFL.
 
Tigers in the Pros – 2026
National Football League
--Carter Runyon, TE: Las Vegas Raiders
--Coordinators:
            --Brian Duker, New York Jets defensive coordinator
            --Brian Fleury, Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator
            --Grant Udinski, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator
 
Canadian Football League
--Tibo Debaillie, DL: BC Lions
 
Indoor Football League
--Tyrell Greene Jr., RB: San Diego Strike Force
--Tye Smith, DB: Orlando Pirates (injured)
 
NINE GRADUATES SUITING UP FOR TOWSON
Nine Tigers are suiting up as college graduates, including two who earned a Towson degree.
Towson graduates (2) -
Joden Nelson                          Jordan Sampson
Graduates of other schools (7) -
RJ Adams (N.C. A&T)            Breyden Byrd (W&M)
Marquis Cooper (Buffalo)       Mason Cunningham (Hampden-Sydney)
Josh Gaffney (UAlbany)                     Jaydyn Johnson (Lindenwood)
Salif Nikiema (Eastern)
 
NEW ASSISTANTS
Towson brings in several new assistant coaches for the 2026 campaign.
 
Victor Santa Cruz is the new special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach, a former coach/coordinator under Shinnick at Azusa Pacific from 2001-05.  He took over as head coach of Azusa Pacific after Shinnick left for UNC Pembroke, leading the Cougars to 84 wins, four league titles and five playoff appearances.
 
Braelon Roberts moves interleague to coach wide receivers at Towson after being in the same role at Maine.  He formerly coached wide receivers at Bucknell, Fresno State, Central Washington and Black Hills State.
 
Kal-El Statham is back at Towson as the edges coach after being a QC in 2023.  Between his time at Towson, Statham was a defensive line coach at Florida Atlantic and Fairmont State.
 
Nick Verna takes over as the tight ends coach after coaching tight ends at Furman for five seasons.  Verna has also had stops at the University of Charleston and Akron.
 
Maurice "Moe" Banks serves as the team's director of operations after five seasons as head coach of Gettysburg.  He formerly coached on defense at Penn and at his alma mater of Georgetown.
 
BOLSTERING THE RUNNING GAME
Towson has added a pair of transfer running backs who each have over 1,000 career rushing yards to help bolster a group which lost its primary runner from 2025.  Kemarrion Battles is Towson's leading returner from last year, averaging 4.6 yards a carry for 374 yards and three touchdowns.
 
Towson brings in Xavier Pugh, who rushed for 1,225 yards and 24 touchdowns at Wingate, including 1,008 yards last year, while Tristen Kenan has 1,138 yards combined in two seasons between Maine and Gannon.
 
LAST GAME (MAINE 21, TOWSON 18)
(8/27/2026 - TOWSON, MD.):
Towson nearly came back from down 21 with three fourth quarter drives to potentially take the lead but came up short in a 21-18 home opener vs. Maine.
Important Stat:
Towson - Held Maine to two first downs gained in second half
Maine - Scored game's first 21 points, all in second quarter
Top Passer:
Towson - Andrew Indorf: 15-21, 267 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Maine - Eddie Buehler: 17-27, 199 yards, 2 TD
Top Rusher:
Towson - Kemarrion Battles: 16 rush, 89 yards
Maine - Rashawn Marshall: 13 rush, 81 yards, 1 TD
Top Receiver:
Towson - Cleveland Charlton: 4 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD
Maine - Nick Laughlin: 3 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD
Standout Defensive Player:
Towson - Seth Chestnut (LB): 7 tackles, 1.5 TFL
Maine - Sam Oppenheimer (LB): 10 tackles, 1 FF, 1 BrUp
 
REPPING THE HOME STATE......
The Towson roster represents the Old Line State well, sporting 47 players from the home state of Maryland.  This includes 12 players from Baltimore City/County: Xzavion Crumb (Baltimore), Chase Dorsey (Parkton), Julius Dorsey Jr. (Baltimore), Alijah Hamond (Baltimore), Asaiah Hamond (Baltimore), Tristen Kenan (Baltimore), Jai Nettles (Lutherville-Timonium), Amari N'nandi Hall (Pikesville), Harrison O'Connell (Towson), Owen Scheihing (Towson), TJ Turner (Windsor Mill) and Isaiah Yates (Baltimore).
 
Towson's 47 Maryland natives come from nine different counties plus Baltimore City.
 
......AND ACROSS THE EASTERN USA
Towson has players from 17 different states, including 15 (and the District of Columbia) east of the Mississippi River.  Not including Maryland, the most are from Virginia (15), Pennsylvania (10), New Jersey (8) and Florida (7).
 
TOWSON TO APPEAR ON MONUMENTAL SPORTS NETWORK
Four Towson football home games will be appearing on Monumental Sports Network this season.  The home of the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards, Monumental Sports Network is based out of Bethesda and is aired across the DMV, spanning from Pennsylvania, West Virginia and North Carolina.
 
In addition, all Towson home games and road games at CAA opponents will be aired on FloCollege, the exclusive streaming home of the CAA.  Spiro Morekas and Gordy Combs return as the Towson football broadcast team.
 
SCOUTING NAVY:
Navy, which is kicking off its 100th season of football on Saturday, is coming off an 11-win season, tied for its top win total in a year in program history.
 
The Midshipmen, which had 3,713 rushing yards compared to 1,690 passing yards in 2025, need to replace much of its offense from last year but return reserve senior quarterback Braxton Woodson, who had 414 rushing and 110 passing yards last year.  Junior Vic Listorti is slated as the primary running back.  Navy's top tackler from last season is back: junior linebacker MarcAnthony Parker had 97 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks last year.
 
LAST TIME VS. NAVY (NAVY 41, TOWSON 13)
(8/30/2008 - ANNAPOLIS, MD.):
In a game of Navy's triple-option vs. Towson's air attack, Navy took the 41-13 win in the 2008 season opener in Annapolis.
Important Stat:
Towson - Outgained Navy 330 to 44 on passing yards
Navy - Outgained Towson 558 to 30 on rushing yards
Top Passer:
Towson - Sean Schaefer: 29-47, 330 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Navy - Jarod Bryant: 2-4, 44 yards, 1 TD
Top Rusher:
Towson - Matt Castor: 10 rush, 22 yards
Navy - Shun White: 19 rush, 348 yards, 3 TD
Top Receiver:
Towson - Casey Cegles: 6 catches, 98 yards, 1 TD
Navy - Booby Doyle: 1 catch, 38 yards, 1 TD
Standout Defensive Player:
Towson - Jordan Manning (LB): 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FR
Navy - Clint Sovie (LB): 8 tackles, 2 BrUp
 
IMPORTANT DATES: TOWSON VS. FBS OPPONENTS
--Sept. 29, 2012 - #3 LSU 38- Towson 22 (Baton Rouge, La.):
Towson recovered three LSU fumbles and scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns, falling to the #3 team in the country 38-22. Towson had 188 rushing yards to LSU's 158, including Terrance West having 79 yards and two touchdowns.
 
--Aug. 29, 2013 - Towson 33, UConn 18 (Storrs, Conn.):
Towson outscored UConn 20-8 in the second half to earn a 33-18 victory for the program's first-ever win over an FBS program. Towson earned 201 rushing yards, compared to UConn's 81, including Terrance West rushing for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Telvion Clark racked up 13 tackles.
 
--Sept. 5, 2015 - ECU 28, Towson 20 (Greenville, N.C.):
Towson pulled to within one score with just under eight minutes left and pushed on a final drive to the ECU 16 but came up short in a 28-20 defeat at East Carolina. Darius Victor broke for 137 rushing yards while Connor Frazier threw for 221 yards and a touchdown.
 
BATTLE FOR GREATER BALTIMORE - SEPT. 19, 2026
The next chapter of The Battle for Greater Baltimore will be written on Sept. 19 as Towson and Morgan State, the two closest teams in FCS football be separated by 4.6 miles, will meet at Unitas Stadium.
 
Last season, a John Dunmore 18-yard touchdown catch with 24 seconds left gave Towson a 27-22 victory over Morgan State in Baltimore.  The Tigers are 24-6 all-time vs. the Bears, having won eight straight games dating back to 2011.  Morgan State's last win in the series came in 2009.
 
CHALLENGING FBS COMPETITION
The Tigers will be playing two games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams this year, playing at Navy from the American Athletic Conference on Sept. 5 and at South Carolina from the Southeastern Conference on Sept. 12.
 
Having played at least one FBS opponent every fall season played (except COVID 2020) since 2008, this is just the second year where Towson is playing two FBS teams.  Towson took on Kent State and LSU in 2012.
 
DO WE KNOW YOU?
With changes to the non-conference schedule and new CAA opponents, Towson will play several opponents in 2026 either for the first time or the first time in several years.
            Aug. 27 vs. Maine - first meeting since 2019
            Sept. 5 at Navy - first meeting since 2008
            Sept. 12 at South Carolina - first meeting
            Sept. 26 at Delaware State - first meeting since 2014
            Nov. 7 at Sacred Heart - first meeting
 
Towson will play five teams in rematches from 2025: Morgan State on Sept. 19, Monmouth on Oct. 3, Stony Brook on Oct. 10, Campbell on Oct. 17 and Elon on Nov. 21.