Towson Football Preview- Morgan State
Rivalries are the lifeblood of sports. Always highly anticipated games and always heavily attended. They are games that you want to win so badly that a loss would be pretty devastating. Rivalry games are the best kinds of games there are and should always be played regardless of scheduling, conference alignments, etc. This week is a big one for Baltimore college football and features 2 teams separated by less than 5 miles.
The Battle for Greater Baltimore is the focus of this week for both the Towson Tigers and the Morgan State Bears. The Tigers are coming off a thrilling 14-13 win over Bucknell, while the Bears fell to Georgia Southern in a blow out. The game has been played 26 times and Towson has dominated the rivalry, winning 20 times, including the last 4 in a row. This game marks the first time the game has been played in Towson since the 2017 season, in which the Tigers won 10-0.
Tyrell Pigrome will lead the Tigers into this game after getting the start last week against Bucknell. He was 21-36 for 195 yards and an INT, and ran for 31 yards, so he should look to have a bounce back performance. Scott Smith III also got some time under center and was 4-6 with 30 yards. Running back Devin Matthews did most of the work running the ball and ran for 112 yards. He also scored both touchdowns for the Tigers. Pigrome and Scott did a good job spreading the ball around as 10 different receivers had at least 1 catch on the day. The defense did not force any turnovers, but kept the Bucknell offense from scoring more than 13 points. At the end of the day that’s all you can ask for. Bucknell QB Ethan Grady had a tough go in terms of completions (12-31 for 158), but he threw 2 touchdowns to receiver Christian Spugnardi. He coincidentally had only 2 catches for 5 yards but they were both for 6. Unfortunately, the Bison missed the kick and the Tigers got their first win of the year.
Morgan State had a rough go against Georgia Southern, as they turned the ball over 3 times (all interceptions). It was a struggle for the Bears as they could not get much going offensively. The Bears were able to get a big play on defense from LSU transfer Jordan Toles to tie the game at 7. Starting QB Carson Baker threw an INT and was replaced by Duce Taylor, who went 0-6 with 2 INTS. The run game was able to run for 172 yards and was the high point for the offense. Running back Alfonzo Taylor did the heavy lifting as he ran for 106. The passing game could only muster 78 yards total, which will need to improve going forward. Eric Hunter and Brian Stukes led the team in total tackles, while Jae’Veyon Morton had 2 pass break ups. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Bears can get back in a more consistent offensive rhythm. Regardless, it should be a great game and an awesome atmosphere! Go Tigers
