Towson coach Gordy Combs saw few bright spots as his team squandered a 10-point lead in a 35-17 loss to Northeastern at Johnny Unitas Stadium this past Saturday.
“We didn’t make plays on both sides of the ball,” he said. “When we had the opportunity, we didn’t make the plays.”
About six miles south and several hours later at Hughes Stadium in Baltimore City, Morgan State coach Donald Hill-Eley wasn’t much happier with his squad, as the Bears continually turned the ball over in a 31-27 loss to Bethune-Cookman.
“Just collectively, we made too many mistakes to be victorious,” Hill-Eley told reporters. “The mistakes that we created were at inopportune times on both sides of the football.”
The losses also are a huge step back for the teams in their quests for league titles.
Towson (2-4, 0-2 Colonial Athletic Association) must win its final six games to have a chance at a league title, let alone a berth in the 16-team Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Morgan State (2-3, 0-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) was picked to finish fifth in the nine-team league this season. But with eight returning starters on the second-ranked defense in the country last year, the Bears figured to have a legitimate shot at the playoffs and conference crown.
But losses to teams that went a combined 8-14 a year ago could end both team’s postseason aspirations before midterm exams.
If Towson is to post its third winning season in the past four years, it must find a way to fix a broken defense, which is among the worst in the nation. The unit is 103rd out of 118 schools in the FCS in total defense, yielding 421.8 yards per game, and is 96th in scoring, giving up about 32 points every time out.
“It’s not discouraging —I tell the guys ‘man up, let’s get this stop,’” said Towson safety Drew Mack, who had a game-high 14 tackles in the loss. “We have to make more plays on defense and get off the field.”
For Morgan State to post its first winning season in five years, it can’t continue to turn the ball over an average of five times per outing. On Saturday, the Wildcats parlayed three Bears’ turnovers into 14 points.
“It’s about teaching our players how to respond to adverse situations,” Hill-Eley said. “You never know what your full potential is until you do more than you have every done before.”
