Towson Falls to Delaware State 33-28 After Late Hornets Touchdown
The Towson Tigers came closer than they have all season to breaking into the win column Saturday night, but another difficult ending sent them home with a loss.
Delaware State defeated Towson 33-28 at Alumni Stadium in Dover, Delaware, using a late touchdown to pull ahead and hold off the Tigers. The Hornets improved to 3-2 and remained unbeaten at home, while Towson dropped to 0-5 following another frustrating loss.
For Towson, the result was especially painful because the Tigers finally found some offensive production after struggling to score consistently through the first month of the season. Towson’s 28 points represented its highest scoring output through five games, but it was not enough to overcome a Delaware State team that has become increasingly difficult to beat at home under head coach DeSean Jackson.
Towson gives Delaware State everything it can handle
Towson entered Saturday desperately searching for something positive after beginning the season with four consecutive losses. The Tigers had fallen 21-18 to Maine, 42-15 at Navy, 45-9 at South Carolina and 41-26 against Morgan State, leaving Towson 0-4 entering its final nonconference game before returning to CAA play.
The Tigers did not play like a team ready to fold Saturday.
Towson scored 28 points and remained within one possession late in the fourth quarter, forcing Delaware State to finish the game rather than allowing the Hornets to cruise to a comfortable victory. It was Towson’s best offensive performance of the season from a scoring standpoint, surpassing the 26 points the Tigers produced against Morgan State one week earlier.
That represented progress for an offense that had struggled badly during the first three weeks. Towson scored just 42 combined points against Maine, Navy and South Carolina before beginning to show more life with 26 against Morgan State and 28 against Delaware State.
The problem is that the improvement has yet to produce a victory.
Delaware State delivers the decisive answer
Towson put itself in position to potentially steal the game late, but Delaware State responded with the touchdown it needed to secure the 33-28 victory. Same-night reporting described the deciding score as a late touchdown that allowed the Hornets to escape after Towson remained within striking distance deep into the fourth quarter.
It continued an impressive trend for Delaware State at Alumni Stadium.
The Hornets opened their home schedule with a dramatic 41-34 victory over Stony Brook and followed it with a 21-6 victory against Bowie State. Saturday’s win over Towson made Delaware State 3-0 at home and improved its overall record to 3-2.
Delaware State’s resurgence under Jackson has been one of the more interesting developments surrounding the regional FCS programs. The Hornets have not been perfect, but they have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to survive close games at home.
Towson became the latest team unable to finish them off.
Tigers’ offense showing signs of improvement
There are no moral victories for an 0-5 football team, but Towson’s offense has at least shown noticeable improvement over the past two weeks.
The Tigers scored nine points at South Carolina before returning home and putting 26 on the board against Morgan State. Towson followed that performance by scoring a season-high 28 Saturday against Delaware State.
That progression is encouraging, particularly considering how difficult the early schedule has been. Towson played an FBS service academy in Navy and an SEC opponent in South Carolina before facing Morgan State and Delaware State in consecutive regional FCS matchups.
But offensive improvement only matters if the Tigers can complement it with enough defensive stops to win games.
Towson allowed 41 points against Morgan State and another 33 against Delaware State. That means the Tigers have surrendered 74 points over their past two games while scoring 54 themselves.
It is difficult to consistently win football games when the offense needs to approach or exceed 30 points simply to have a chance.
Delaware State ends long drought against Towson
Saturday’s victory also carried historical significance for Delaware State.
Towson had won four consecutive meetings between the programs entering Saturday, and Delaware State had not defeated the Tigers since 1992. The Hornets finally ended that streak with the five-point victory.
That adds another disappointing element to the loss for Towson. The Tigers entered Dover with an opportunity to extend their historical success against Delaware State while simultaneously ending their winless start.
Instead, Delaware State celebrated another home victory and Towson left searching for answers.
Towson drops to 0-5
The Tigers’ record now tells the story of just how difficult the first month of the season has become.
Towson lost its opener to Maine by only three points before suffering difficult road losses against Navy and South Carolina. The Tigers returned home and surrendered 41 points to Morgan State before traveling to Dover and losing another competitive game Saturday.
The losses to Maine and Delaware State are the ones that will hurt most. Towson had legitimate opportunities in both games, losing by three to Maine and five to Delaware State.
Instead of potentially sitting at 2-3 entering October, Towson remains winless.
The schedule does not provide much time for the Tigers to dwell on it, either. Towson begins the October portion of its schedule on the road against Monmouth on Oct. 3 before returning home to face Stony Brook on Oct. 10.
MSB Take
Towson showed fight Saturday night, and the offense appears to be moving in the right direction. Scoring a season-high 28 points after producing 26 against Morgan State gives the Tigers something to build around as they move deeper into the season.
But at 0-5, Towson has reached the point where competitive losses cannot be treated as enough.
The Tigers have now lost two games by a combined eight points, including the three-point season-opening loss to Maine and Saturday’s five-point defeat. Those are games Towson has to learn how to finish if this season is going to turn around.
The defense also has to provide more support when the offense finally gets rolling. Allowing 74 points over the past two games has erased some of the offensive progress Towson has made, and the Tigers cannot reasonably expect their offense to win shootouts every Saturday.
Towson now heads to Monmouth looking for its first victory of 2026. After five consecutive losses, the Tigers badly need to turn improved play into an actual win before the season gets completely away from them.
