QUARTERBACK: Quarterback Sean Schaefer finished his final season with 25 touchdown passes and completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,286 yards and threw just 14 interceptions after a career-high 19 last season. He displayed toughness by taking a constant pounding and getting sacked more than 30 times.
Grade: B+
RUNNING BACKS: Running back Matt Castor (543 yards, 5 TD) was hampered by injuries which limited the junior to just eight games. Backups Jas Lee Rouson and Damien Kinchen combined for just 223 yards and a touchdown on 95 carries.
Grade: D+
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RECEIVERS AND TIGHT ENDS: Standout Tommy Breaux again was limited by injuries, but still caught 35 passes for 514 yards and a team-high six touchdowns in just nine games. Marcus Lee (58 catches, 461 yards, 6 TD), Hakeem Moore (45 catches, 527 yards, 1 TD), Steve Holmes (45 catches, 498 yards, 1 TD), David Newsom (41 catches, 484 yards, 2 TD) and tight end John Godlasky (19 catches, 213 yards, 4 TD) were solid, but all dropped passes throughout the season.
Grade: C+
OFFENSIVE LINE: Left tackle Leon Stevenson still was hampered by the broken ankle that cost him to miss most of last season. Right tackle Danny Bridges (Jr.), right guard Chris Ritter (Soph.), center Steve Jordan (Fr.), left guard Danny Hurley (Fr.) and left tackle Hank Glackin (Fr.) started the final game of the regular season, giving the team optimism for next season. But this fall, the unit paved the way for a meager 666 yards rushing and allowed 35 sacks in 12 games after helping the team to rush for 754 yards in 11 games last season.
Grade: D
DEFENSIVE LINE: This unit showed improvement as the season progressed, especially after it lost Richard Lee to a career-ending neck injury. His replacement, Rob Osborne, led the group with 38 tackles and tied for a team-high with 2.5 sacks. But the Tigers finished with a pitiful nine sacks, as one of the country’s worst defenses allowed opponents to rush for an average of 231.7 yards per game.
Grade: F
LINEBACKERS: The team’s strongest unit last year was one of its weakest this season. Jordan Manning led the unit with 105 tackles and was Colonial Athletic Association second teamer, but the other three linebacker positions were unsettled most of the season. The Tigers allowed an average of 35.2 points and 431.8 yards per game.
Grade: D
SECONDARY: Senior safety Drew Mack missed three games, but still made 82 tackles and an interception, which tied for the team lead. That’s all that needs to be said about its lack of pass coverage. Safeties Danny Collins (52 tackles) and Dan Atwood (38 tackles) were forced to stop the run because the linebackers continually failed to make stops.
Grade: D+
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Mark Bencivengo was anything but reliable, making just 5-of-10 on field goals and 28-of-32 extra points. Bencivengo had two of his kicks blocked and punter Bill Shears had five blocked.
Grade: F
COACHING: The CAA is the best Football Championship Subdivision league in the country and Towson played four teams ranked in the top 10 and five in the top 20. But the Tigers’ special teams were a disaster all season, the defense was so bad it forced the offense out of its game plan early and the team did not improve as the season progressed.
Grade: D
OVERALL: Towson has won just six of 23 games the past two seasons, including a mark of 2-14 in league play. This team was tabbed in the preseason as the worst in the CAA’s South Division, and it did not prove otherwise.
Grade: F
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