It?s a scenario that every quarterback dreams about ? driving his team down the field in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, then throwing the game-winning touchdown pass as the final seconds tick down.
Towson University sophomore Sean Schaefer got that chance in the Tigers? Atlantic 10 Conference opener Saturday night at Hofstra. And he made the most of it.
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With an undefeated record on the line, Schaefer and the Towson offense drove 89 yards in 12 plays, with Schaefer?s TD pass of 11 yards to Eric Yancey giving the Tigers a 33-30 win over the Pride. The pass came on fourth-and-5 with just 24 seconds left in the game, as the come-from-behind Tigers took their only lead.
The win pushed Towson to 4-0 for the first time since 1993. The Tigers entered the game ranked 21st in Division I-AA.
“I kept thinking about John Elway,” said Schaefer, of the former Denver Broncos star quarterback who was famous for his last-minute heroics. “You dream about this, and to fulfill that dream is something great.”
Schaefer completed 43 of 60 passes for 458 yards and three TDs. It?s the ninth-best passing yardage game in TU history and the second-best for complete passes.
After a winless conference season in 2004 (0-8), Towson made strides last year, going 3-5 in arguably I-AA?s toughest league. Now the Tigers are rolling and surprising those who predicted a last-place finish this year in the A-10?s Southern Division.
“We believe (in ourselves) now,” Tigers coach Gordy Combs said. “This game gives us great confidence, and now we have a week off to enjoy it.”
Hofstra produced two first-quarter touchdowns and led 14-6 after one period. The Pride led 30-19 in the middle of the fourth quarter, before Schaefer?s 15-yard pass to Marcus Lee with 5:22left pulled Towson within 30-25.
“We managed the clock well at the end,” Combs said. “I never saw any shock in our players? eyes; they were under control. A big key was when our defense stopped them on downs, so we could have a chance to win the game.”
Yancey, the senior from Seneca Valley High, had 10 catches for 115 yards and two scores. He?s seen some tough times at Towson, but now he?s on an unbeaten club. “My first year we were 5-6 in the Patriot League, and now we?re 4-0. It feels great.”
“I think we proved our ranking tonight,” Combs said. “But you have to prove it every week in this league.”
Next up for the Tigers is an Oct. 7 home game against Maine, which crushed Shaw, 62-12, Saturday in the Black Bears? home opener.
The Schaefer file
» Year: Sophomore
» Height: 6-foot-1
» Weight: 215 pounds
» Did you know? Schaefer was the only freshman to start all 11 games in the A-10 last year … His grandfather, Paul Schaefer, played baseball for the Washington Senators … Tied the single-game record with five touchdown passes in a loss at Northeastern … Led the Tigers to a 29-26 comeback win over Morgan State in his first career start.
