Towson coach Gordy Combs had been keeping the quote for a special occasion.
He stumbled upon the lines while reading this summer, thinking there would be a time during the season it would be important to emphasize homefield advantage to his team.
And with the Tigers (1-3) struggling to find consistency as they prepare to play Columbia (0-1) on Saturday afternoon at 3 at Johnny Unitas Stadium, he could think of no better time than earlier this week during practice.
“’What we have here is a castle,’” Combs read from his notepad. “‘A castle is permanent and has tradition. They make their people feel protected. It is their job to protect their home. Something permanent from the past for the future.’”
In their lone home game, the Tigers rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat crosstown rival Morgan State, 21-16.
But Towson has struggled away from its 11,198-seat castle this season. The Tigers lost on the road, 41-13, to Navy from the larger Football Bowl Subdivision, 45-14 to top-ranked Richmond and 31-3 to Coastal Carolina.
If Towson is to beat Columbia, it must find a way to stop the Lions’ running game. Columbia rushed for 149 yards on 39 carries in a 29-22 loss to Fordham in its season opener last weekend. But Towson has had trouble stopping anyone this season, as its defense is ranked 102nd overall out of 118 Football Championship Subdivision schools.
The Tigers are yielding an average of more than 441 yards of offense per game, including 317.2 per game on the ground, next to worse in the country.
“We have a lot of little mistakes right now that wind up being big plays,” Towson sophomore defensive tackle Yaky Ibia said. “If everyone just does everything right, a lot of those things won’t be happening.”
Towson’s offense also must find a way to get into the end zone.
The Tigers, who average just 16 points per game, have gone five quarters without scoring a touchdown. Senior quarterback Sean Schaefer, who has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 787 yards with seven touchdowns against six interceptions this season, continues to develop a chemistry with junior receiver David Newsome. Newsome leads the Tigers with 22 catches for 212 yards.
“This is perfect timing,” Combs said. “This is our castle.”
Catch it
Towson (1-3) vs. Columbia (0-1)
- When: Saturday, 3 p.m.
- Where: Johnny Unitas Stadium
- Radio: 1570 AM
- Tickets: Available
