Towson Looks for First Win of Season in Road Test Against Delaware State
Towson football has reached an important point in its season, and the Tigers will head to Dover, Delaware, on Saturday evening looking to finally break through.
The Tigers will face Delaware State at 6 p.m. Saturday at Alumni Stadium in their final nonconference game of the regular season. Towson enters the matchup at 0-4 overall and 0-1 in Coastal Athletic Association play, while Delaware State sits at 2-2 before beginning its MEAC schedule. It will be the first meeting between the programs since 2014.
Towson’s record does not tell the entire story of its opening month. The Tigers have faced a difficult schedule that included road games against FBS opponents Navy and South Carolina, but losses to Maine and Morgan State have made Saturday’s trip to Delaware State increasingly important. A victory would allow Towson to enter the heart of its CAA schedule with some momentum after a challenging September.
Towson still searching for first victory
Towson opened the season with a narrow 21-18 loss against Maine before facing consecutive FBS opponents. Navy defeated the Tigers 42-15 in Annapolis, while South Carolina handed Towson a 45-9 loss the following week. The Tigers returned home against Morgan State but could not reverse their fortunes, falling 41-26.
The encouraging development against Morgan State came from Towson’s passing game. The Tigers produced 365 passing yards and three touchdowns, easily their highest passing-yardage total through four games. Towson finished with 426 yards of offense despite managing only 61 rushing yards.
That performance continued a productive start for quarterback Andrew Indorf. Indorf enters the Delaware State game having completed 77 of 112 passes for 1,011 yards, eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. His efficiency has been one of the strongest elements of Towson’s offense despite the team’s winless start.
Indorf could be the biggest factor in Towson’s attempt to get into the win column.
Aaron Enterline emerging as major weapon
Penn State transfer Aaron Enterline has quickly established himself as Towson’s leading receiving threat.
Enterline enters Saturday with 23 receptions for 306 yards and five touchdowns. His ability to create explosive plays gives Indorf a legitimate downfield target and provides the Tigers with a matchup they can attempt to exploit against Delaware State.
Towson’s passing production has increased significantly over the past few weeks. The Tigers threw for 267 yards against Maine, 207 against Navy and 182 against South Carolina before exploding for 365 against Morgan State.
The next step is turning those yards into enough points to win.
Towson has scored 18, 15, nine and 26 points through its first four games. The 26-point performance against Morgan State represented a season high, but the Tigers still found themselves chasing the game because the defense surrendered 41.
Against Delaware State, Towson needs its passing production and scoring production to finally come together.
Running game remains a major concern
While Towson has shown signs of life through the air, its rushing attack has struggled considerably.
The Tigers ran for 112 yards against Maine but have failed to reach 100 yards in each of their last three games. Towson managed only 39 yards against Navy, 21 against South Carolina and 61 against Morgan State.
Perhaps even more concerning, Towson has not scored a rushing touchdown through its first four games.
That puts enormous pressure on Indorf and the passing game, particularly in the red zone and short-yardage situations. Delaware State knows Towson has been most dangerous through the air, which could allow the Hornets to devote more resources toward disrupting Indorf.
Towson does not necessarily need to dominate on the ground Saturday. The Tigers do need enough rushing production to keep Delaware State from treating every important down as an obvious passing situation.
Delaware State presents a dangerous opponent
Delaware State enters Saturday with a 2-2 record under head coach DeSean Jackson.
The Hornets opened the season with a notable victory over CAA opponent Stony Brook. Delaware State also defeated Bowie State 21-6 before running into a much more difficult assignment against South Florida.
South Florida defeated Delaware State 59-17 last Saturday in Tampa, but the final score does not completely illustrate how competitive the Hornets were early.
Delaware State trailed only 28-17 at halftime. The Hornets had produced two touchdown passes and a field goal against an FBS opponent before South Florida completely took control after halftime. The Bulls scored 31 unanswered points over the final two quarters.
Delaware State therefore enters the Towson game with something to prove as well.
Ui Ale gives Hornets a playmaker at quarterback
Towson’s defense will have to account for Delaware State quarterback Ui Ale.
Ale completed 16 of 22 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns against South Florida without throwing an interception. He also rushed for 49 yards, giving Delaware State another dimension offensively.
One of Ale’s biggest plays against South Florida came almost immediately.
With Delaware State trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Ale connected with Nathan Stewart for a 90-yard touchdown that tied the game. He later found Jaylin Terzado for a 20-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, pulling the Hornets within 21-17 before South Florida scored again just before halftime.
Those plays should command Towson’s attention.
Delaware State has shown that it can generate explosive offense. Towson cannot allow the Hornets to create easy touchdowns through missed assignments or breakdowns in the secondary.
Towson defense needs a response
The Tigers have allowed at least 41 points in each of their last three games.
Some of that can be explained by the competition. Navy and South Carolina presented obvious challenges, but allowing Morgan State to score 41 points at Unitas Stadium was particularly damaging.
Saturday gives Towson’s defense an opportunity to reset.
Delaware State has playmakers, but this is a matchup where Towson should be better equipped physically than it was against Navy and South Carolina. The Tigers need to win at the line of scrimmage, prevent explosive plays and force Ale into difficult third-down situations.
Creating turnovers could also become important. Towson’s offense has demonstrated that it can move the football through the air, so providing Indorf with additional possessions or short fields could finally allow the Tigers to play from ahead.
The turnover battle
Indorf’s eight-touchdown, two-interception ratio is encouraging.
Quarterbacks on winless teams are often forced into increasingly risky situations as they attempt to erase deficits, but Indorf has generally protected the football while still generating significant passing production. That gives Towson something substantial to build around.
Delaware State has also received efficient quarterback play from Ale.
That could make the turnover battle especially significant. If neither quarterback is prone to simply giving the football away, defenses may have to create their own opportunities through pressure, forced fumbles or aggressive plays in the secondary.
One turnover deep in opposing territory could dramatically change Saturday’s game.
Penalties could give Towson opportunities
Delaware State has also had problems with penalties.
The Hornets have accumulated 37 penalties, the most in the MEAC entering the matchup. That lack of discipline could become particularly damaging against a Towson team desperate to extend drives and create scoring opportunities.
Towson needs to make Delaware State pay for those mistakes.
If the Hornets commit penalties on third down or give Towson free yards, the Tigers cannot respond with their own negative plays. Sustaining drives and keeping Delaware State’s offense on the sideline could become an important part of the game plan.
For a Towson team that has spent much of September playing from behind, avoiding self-inflicted mistakes will be critical.
Familiar opponent returns to the schedule
Towson and Delaware State have history, although the programs have not played in more than a decade.
The Tigers lead the all-time series 11-6 and have won four consecutive meetings. Towson’s most recent victory came Sept. 13, 2014, when the Tigers defeated Delaware State 21-7 in Dover.
Delaware State has not beaten Towson since Oct. 10, 1992.
The Hornets won that meeting 27-13, also in Dover. Saturday renews the series after a 12-year absence and gives Delaware State an opportunity to end a losing streak against Towson that stretches back more than three decades.
Keys for Towson
Towson’s first priority should be establishing some type of running game. The Tigers cannot continue relying almost entirely on Indorf to generate offense, particularly once they reach the red zone.
The second priority is preventing explosive plays. Ale has already demonstrated his ability to attack defenses vertically, highlighted by the 90-yard touchdown against South Florida. Towson needs to make Delaware State earn its points through sustained drives rather than allowing quick strikes.
Third, the Tigers need to start quickly. Playing from behind has contributed to Towson’s offensive imbalance and put additional pressure on a defense that has struggled to get off the field.
Finally, Towson needs to finish drives. The Tigers have shown they can accumulate passing yards. Against Delaware State, those yards need to become touchdowns.
What a victory would mean
Saturday represents more than another nonconference game for Towson.
After Delaware State, every remaining regular-season opponent comes from the CAA. Towson begins that stretch Oct. 3 at Monmouth.
Entering conference play at 1-4 would look significantly different from entering at 0-5.
A victory would give the Tigers tangible evidence that the improvements in the passing game are beginning to translate into results. It would also provide the defense with an opportunity to rebuild some confidence after allowing more than 40 points in three consecutive games.
A loss would leave Towson still searching for answers heading into seven consecutive conference games.
MSB Take
Towson’s 0-4 record has made Saturday’s trip to Delaware State one of the most important games of the early season.
The Tigers have endured an extremely difficult stretch that included Navy and South Carolina, but the Morgan State loss demonstrated that Towson’s problems cannot be attributed entirely to the quality of its schedule. The defense needs to improve, and the running game needs to provide more support for Indorf.
There are still encouraging signs. Indorf has thrown for more than 1,000 yards with eight touchdowns against only two interceptions, while Enterline has emerged as a legitimate playmaker. Towson’s 365 passing yards against Morgan State showed what the offense can produce when the passing game finds a rhythm.
Delaware State cannot be overlooked. Ale is capable of generating explosive plays, the Hornets have already defeated a CAA opponent in Stony Brook, and playing in Dover gives Delaware State an opportunity to respond after its difficult second half against South Florida.
For Towson, the formula is relatively straightforward: protect Indorf, establish enough of a running game to create balance, eliminate explosive plays and capitalize on Delaware State’s mistakes.
The Tigers have spent September searching for their first victory. Saturday night represents their final opportunity to find it before the schedule becomes exclusively CAA competition.
