Towson?s push toward becoming a legitimate contender in the Atlantic-10 Conference took a step in the wrong direction Saturday following a 28-7 loss to Maine at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
The No. 17 Tigers (4-1, 1-1 in conference) committed three turnovers, allowed nine sacks, and had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown against Black Bears (2-2, 2-0). The performance is not what Towson needed as it prepares to host tenth-ranked Massachusetts Saturday in its Homecoming game.
UMass? (4-1, 2-0) lone loss came in the form of a close 21-20 defeat Sept. 9 at Navy. The Minutemen come to Towson having won three straight, including a 48-7 rout over William & Mary Saturday.
“If you can?t accept losing, you can?t win,” Towson coach Gordy Combs said. “We have to accept the loss, watch our video and come back Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and prepare like we always do.”
Maine coach Jack Cosgrove said the difference-maker in the game was the Black Bears ability to put pressure on Towson quarterback Sean Schaefer. The sophomore signal-caller completed 27 of 40 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown. But, he also threw an interception, fumbled three times and lost two of them.
“You get gun shy when you get hit like that,” Cosgrove said. “You stop looking down field and you start looking at the people in front of you and that takes the quarterback out of the game.”
Combs agreed.
“We had some opportunities and we let them slip away,” Combs said. “A lot of that slipping away had to do with their ability to put pressure on the quarterback.”
Schaefer said the type of pressure he faced Saturday is just typical of playing in the Atlantic-10 Conference, and knows the schedule doesn?t get any easier. Following UMass, Towson still has games against No. 7 Richmond, No. 13 James Madison and No. 18 Delaware in the weeks ahead.
“We just have to get back to what we do best,” Schaefer said. “When you play in the A-10 you have a hard game every week. We?ve got to get back to the basics. We had four good wins and now we have a tough loss. We?ve just got to keep on fighting.”
TOWSON/MAINE NOTES
» Sean Schaefer?s interception in the fourth quarter against Maine was his first in his last 122 attempts.
» Towson wide receiver Andrae Brown finished the game with six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown in his first action of the year. He missed the first four games of the season with a fractured finger.
» Towson running back Nick Williams had a team-high 69 rushing yards on 16 carries, while receiver Eric Yancey had eight catches for 80 yards.
» For Maine, running back Arel Gordon had 103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while quarterback Ron Whitcomb rushed for 80 yards and two scores on 14 carries. Also, Alex Goyins blocked the punt attempt by Towson?s Bill Shears, allowing Daren Stone to recover the ball and scamper 21 yards in for the touchdown in the second quarter.
