Towson Tigers
CAA
Just about every story in the CAA this year is of a surprise team making the playoffs. But the story of Towson may be the biggest surprise of them all. The Tigers went 1-10 last season and that one win took five overtimes. This is a program that had won just three conference games in the four years heading into the 2011 campaign. That is three wins and 29 losses. Coach Rob Ambrose endured some tough, tough times during his first two seasons at Towson, but year three proved to be very, very different. The Tigers have had no problem scoring a slew of points and their big victories over some traditional CAA powers have this team thinking about a deep playoff run.
2011 Record: 9-2, 7-1
Last Playoff Appearance: none
Coach: Rob Ambrose (12-21 at Towson, 12-21 overall)
Big Wins: 11/5 at Maine (40-30), 11/12 New Hampshire (56-42)
Bad Losses: 10/1 at Maryland (3-28), 10/29 Delaware (30-35)
Strengths:
It all starts with the offense and the offense goes through running back Terrance West. The freshman has rushed for 1,242 yards on 183 carries. That is an amazing 6.8 yards per carry. As if that is not impressive enough, he has 27 rushing touchdowns on the season. With a ground game that dominating, the offense has been impossible to stop. When West is not running the ball, quarterback Grant Enders will have it in his hands. Enders can do damage with his legs, but his efficiency as a passer has been why this offense is so tough to contain. Obviously West creates a lot of space for the passing game and Enders can take advantage of those opportunities. He has proven to be a very accurate passer, especially on shorter passes, and this offense can pick apart most defenses. Receivers Tom Ryan and Leon Kinnard are Enders favorite targets and James Oboh and Tyler Wharton are threats to get to the end zone every time they touch the ball. One would think that this is an offense that grinds it out since they run so much. But that is not the case. West can break off some big runs and Towson can score in bunches. In fact, in every game against FCS opposition this year, the Tigers have scored at least 28 points.
Weaknesses:
Unfortunately, in each of their last seven games prior to the regular season finale, Towson has allowed at least 27 points. That is a lot of points and the Tigers actually give up fewer points than they should based on the amount of total yards conceded. The lack of a consistent pass rush is the beginning of the defensive problems. Defensive end Frank Beltre will spend some time causing havoc in the backfield, but that is about it. Safety Jordan Dangerfield is the team’s leading tackler and that is usually a bad sign when the opposition makes it that far into the defense so often. Linebacker Kenton Powell deserves some credit for his ability to back into coverage and make plays. Danzel White is a solid tackler from his middle linebacker position, but he needs to be a leader in the middle of the defense and help make everybody else better.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Terrance West, RB, 1,242 yards
Passing: Grant Enders, QB, 1,867 yards
Receiving: Tom Ryan, WR, 536 yards
Tackles: Jordan Dangerfield, S, 82
Sacks: Frank Beltre, DE, 4.0
Interceptions: Alexander DiSanzo, LB, 3; Kenton Powell, LB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 239.45 (9th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 199.91 (61, 6)
Total Offense: 439.36 (11, 2)
Scoring Offense: 34.55 (14, 2)
Rushing Defense: 145.55 (50, 3)
Pass Defense: 213.82 (74, 8)
Total Defense: 359.36 (60, 6)
Scoring Defense: 24.73 (48, 5)
Turnover Margin: .73 (24, 3)
Sacks: 1.91 (70, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 1.91 (53, 6)
