mat1992

Yes, I'll be chatting as always. For those new to the site, just go the Chatbox up top. It's the Wild West in there because I do delete the chats after the game is over.

Lindy's has the CAA: 1)Delaware 2)Hofstra 3)Northeastern 4)JMU 5)UNCW 6)Elon 7)CofC 8)Drexel 9)W&M 10)Towson Athlon Sports 1)Delaware 2)NE 3)Drexel 4)JMU 5)Elon 6)Hofstra 7)W&M 8)Towson 9)Charleston 10)UNCW BTW, Hofstra could pretty good again. They brought back Jalen Ray (19.3ppg) and Kvonn Crame (8.9ppg, 6.7rpg). Yes, they lost Isaac Kante (12.9ppg, 10.1 rpg) and Tareq Coburn (15.3ppg, 39% 3PT to St. John's). But they added Aaron Estrada, a Saint Peter's transfer who didn't fit well at Oregon. He averaged around 8ppg at Saint Peter's as a freshman in 2019-20. 5-11 guard Zach Cooks is a grad transfer from NJIT who averaged 17.1pppg. Delaware gets Ryan Allen (15.3ppg) and Kevin Anderson (12.3ppg) back for their 20th seasons (it appears that way). Dylan Painter (13.5ppg) also returns. They add a point guard in Jameer Nelson Jr (8.2ppg). from GW. Not a dominant team, but a safe bet to win it. Drexel won the CAA Trny last season as the sixth seed. They get no respect in those standings despite getting Cam Wynter (16.2ppg, 5.2apg) and James Butler (12.8ppg, 9.2rpg) back. They do lose Zach Walton (10.5ppg) and TJ Bickerstaff (10.2ppg, 5.2rpg). Obviously, if Northeastern doesn't have those COVID issues late in the season, they might be dancing again. This year, will be tough without Tyson Walker (18.8ppg), who transferred to Michigan State. Shaquille Waters (10.5ppg, 6.6rpg) is back along with Jason Strong and Coleman Stucke. Air Force transfer Glen McClintock (5.4ppg) will help. JMU loses Matt Lewis finally, but returns four starters for a team that went 8-2 in the CAA. They were basically done when he tore his ACL. Van Morse (14.4ppg) is back along with three other starters. They add Winthrop transfer guard Charles Falden (10.1ppg, 36.4%FG). Elon finished 4-7 in the CAA. They return three starters. They could be in the mix if Jerald Gillens-Butler (15.7pg) can remain healthy. The Butler transfer blew out his Achilles after four games where he led the team in scoring. Hunter McIntosh (15.7ppg) is another solid player who returns. Charleston returns just one starter. But they add Bucknell transfer John Meeks (6-6, 224). He averaged 25.3 points in six games with the Bison last season. They also added transfers Radford leading scorer Fah'mir Ali (10.6ppg, 3.3apg) and D2 West Liberty transfer Dalton Bolon (21.3ppg, 44.6% 3pt). W&M lost Luke Loewe (16.2ppg) to Minnesota. They do return four starters from a 4-6 CAA team including Connor Kuchera (13.4ppg) and F Quinn Blair (11.7ppg). UNCW gets back Jaylen Fornes, who was at Nicholls State. Sound familiar? He averaged 7.5ppg at UNCW in 2019-20. He averaged 9.3ppg on 39.4% 3pt shooting in his one season at Nicholls State. They also return two starters from a 1-6 CAA team. Wing Jaylen Sims (17.8ppg) and G Mike Okauru (14.2ppg, 5.3rpg) are back.

Holland has been dealing with this toe issue for a long time. Hopefully they have finally taken care of the situation but I wouldn’t consider him the key guy. More like a wild card. Nolan and Holden can make the team better right away. Rizzuto will help defensively and as a shooter. Hicks is also a very good defender. I assume he’ll come off the bench.

It's not happening.

Going to keep track of Shane and Virginia this season. The Cavs play on September 19 at Virginia Tech on ABC. Will be at 3:30 or 7:30pm

I thought it was strange how everybody kept praising the ESPN3 broadcast, but the PBP guy was either fed wrong info from the spotter or got the wrong ball carries numerous times. It's as if he didn't do his homework because he called Devin Matthews, Makai Self. Both were 35. I guess he didn't think Towson was going to use that many RBs. Speaking of that, I didn't realize Jerry Howard got banged up. No wonder he only had seven carries. But I don't think it was serious. Elorm Lumor also came up out limping. Hoping that wasn't too serious. I was surprised to see him in the game up 24-0 in the second half. I didn't like the play-calling on that first drive. Howard gets nine yards on first down and RA goes right to the pass on 2nd and 1. A penalty by Grimmy and terrible call on Howard on a botched offside (the entire Morgan line jumped), a poor pass on 4th and 12 to Street which was underthrown and we turn it over on downs. I think if we just ran Howard that drive and set up a play-action on second down, we would have score easily. More later.

There were certainly correctable mistakes even on defense. They got a first down on the ground where the line was shifting as the play began. We didn't blitz much, but we shouldn't have to. We got there a few times, but should have had more than two sacks. Defensively, I did think Morgan played hard and about as well as they could. We were sloppy on offense at times and sure, not playing in two years probably contribute to that along with having a QB who has been here just two months. He didn't seem in sync with the receivers. One play where Jabari ran a fly and his ball drifted to the corner. Not sure if he expected him to cut to the right. My only concern outside the QB is the lack of a dynamic runner. I like Folley and Kobe as backups. I don't see that explosion where the backs run for long runs. Maybe that's due to the speed of the Morgan LBs and safeties. I know Howard can break a few. It's why I wanted to Curtis Murray in camp, but he never played in the scrimmages for whatever reason. I assume he's still learning the offense. It's something I think we can use next season. A Shane-type of guy at RB and a burner like Shane L. at WR.

Don't think anybody save for a young assistant is going to take that job. Who knows where they will be in three years? Five years?

No, I said play-by-play guy. He was the one that missed the names, not Hunt. Yes, it would be nice to hear from some of those who went to the game.

https://caasports.com/news/2021/9/6/caa-football-coaches-weekly-teleconference-september-6.aspx

https://towsontigers.com/news/2021/9/4/towson-football-shuts-out-morgan-state-to-retain-battle-for-greater-baltimore-trophy.aspx

https://twitter.com/BaltSunSports/status/1434316379277209602?s=20

Come join me. I’ll be at the game so I will delay my response if there is a key play but will also talk hoops as well and other stuff.

I think expectations need to be tempered somewhat until we play UNH. But let's remember that Ferguson is not Flacco. He is sort of a glorified game manager. If Ferguson plays better, we can definitely win. It's not like he's never faced UNH before. In 2018, Ferguson completed 21 of 31 for 199 yards for 2 TDs in a 35-7 win for the Black Bears. They had about 200 yards rushing. He did not play in 2019 due to injury. Bottom line is that Howard has to carry this running game almost as well as T-West did in 2013 for this team to go far. The other backs are solid, but they don't get as many yards after contact that he does. Maybe Folley does. Matthews is just a battering ram, but he's not going to make a lot of people miss. Ferguson is not going to run for 100 yards and throw for 300. But he's capable of doing what he did tonight and the WRs are capable of making more plays than they did. Some of those floaters down field were rough. I think he's still trying to find a rhythm with his WRs. Unlike two seasons ago, the more I see of Miller, the more I think with this running game and huge offensive line, he might be effective if Chris struggles.

Ok, so it wasn't a complete blowout and utter domination many of had hoped. At times, we looked like a team that hasn't played since Nov. of 2019. At times, we just looked better, faster and bigger up front. Though I thought Morgan did a pretty good job against the run. We only averaged 3.1 ypc. Now that's taken into account Ferguson's -10 due to two sacks and Hunter getting a -3 on one attempt. But I was hoping for a better performance from the backs and the O-line. I have to watch it back because I think we missed a few holes here and there. But bottom line is to take care of business and hopefully get better. Now to the issues. I said Ferguson was the best quarterback in camp due to experience, but I wasn't enamored with him. I prefer a Tom Flacco and Grant Enders when the play breaks down. He's not going to take off maybe only if there's nobody around. He held the ball quite a long time today. Maybe too long. Would like to see him get rid of the ball quicker, because they are going to blitz the hell out of him. His first pass was nearly picked off and RA almost went nuts, putting Jeff Miller in there for just one pass (he complete it). I think #14 calmed down as the game went on, but he wasn't sharp even though he went 20-of-33 for 269 yards with two TDs. Morgan credited him with a pick at the end, but that was Jeff Mlller, who was looking for Triplett?, or somebody that ran the wrong route apparently. I think Miller, if we are to just chuck-and-duck it all across the field is the better option. But we have to be able to run the ball better and I think in a normal game, Jerry Howard is not getting 7 carries. He's getting 20. The depth is solid with Folley looking good along with Kobe at the end providing a change-of-pace back. Then you add a bowling ball like Devin Matthews just getting the inside runs. I think we have some solid backs there, maybe not a burner like Shane but efficient enough. I have to look back at the video to see if the receivers were getting separation and just not getting the ball. Jabari Allen made one terrific catch in the middle of the field, though it looked as though he should have caught one in the corner of the end zone. More issues. The kicking game. It was nice having Aidan O'Neill for a few years, where he was close to automatic as we ever had. Hopefully Keegan Vaughn just had some nerves on the first XP. He seemed to be ok after that, but if he had missed another not sure if were going UConn transfer Clayton Harris or maybe the punter McDonough was going to start kicking field goals. What else can you say about the defense. I thought the only thing they struggled with was the screens so you know other teams will screen us to death when we start blitzing. But we played a ton of defensive linemen and we didn't much of a drop-off when the 2s and 3s came in. They had 63 yards rushing on 2.4 yards per carry. I knew their QB situation would be a bit rough so you had to stop the run and we did. Robert Topps got the start at safety over Jamal Gay. The Kansas transfer is 6-3, 210 and adds more size and length. I think some of the reasons we played so many players on D was that you have to prepare for just in case of injuries or COVID. Mark Collins Jr. does what he does and that's deflect passes. I spoke with him and RA after the game.

Comments RA: On playing first game in nearly 2 years Hard to anticipate anything. It's been two years. I love my guys and they play hard, but I wasn't sure how they would do against guys in a different jersey. On Ferguson OK. A little rusty. Still learning the offense after coming this summer. Good enough to win. Not good enough to win it all yet. But it's easier to make these corrections and adjustments when it's 31-0. On penalties and rust I don't have the stats, but we didn't have that many penalties. Two of them weren't penalties. These guys haven't played a game together. You can scimmge all you want. There's no substitute for the real thing. A little bit rusty. I have a feeling that our offense is pretty damn good. But I think our defense was better. On emphasis on running the ball in 2nd half We did say coming out of the second half that we're going to run the ball. That third quarter drive was 16-18 plays. Anytime you put up 18 plays in a drive on somebody, they are tired the rest of the game. That first drive in the third quarter contributed to the great defensive play and third shut out in a decade. Thank God. On defense I said before the season started, that we have a chance to win games on defense, but I think our defense will give teams a lot of trouble. We have the talent and depth. We're trading out seven guys up front and they are all playing at a very high level. That's a problem for anybody at this level. We can put tons of smart guys in. They've been around and know what a game is about. The level of experience that our offense, defense and special teams has is probably at the highest level it's ever been since I've been coaching. Mark Collins Jr. It felt really good. Coming out here first time as a Tiger. We've been practicing and working for the past year. We knew we had a good gameplan and it's about us. It's not about them and it's about how we execute. On facing Morgan State Going into a game somewhat blinded is different. We focused on our execution, how we're going to come out. Bring the energy and fly all around the ball. First deflection I try to at least take care of my job and that just happened to be mine. We preached all week and that we wanted to pitch a shutout and impose our will on these guys.

Game is over. I clear it after the game.

The 2019 season wasn't a complete failure when it comes to the overall record of 7-5 and 4-4 in the CAA. But Towson did not accomplish their main goal and that was to earn a shot at the playoffs with senior quarterback Tom Flacco. The mobile dual-threat quarterback who transferred from Rutgers in 2018 ran for 324 yards with two TDs and pass for 2,831 yards with 22 TDs and just six picks. But ultimately Flacco wasn't able to get the Tigers back into the playoffs after getting them there in 2018. His low rushing total (he had 742yds in 2018) may have had something to do with some lower-body injuries he was dealing with. Towson also lost five starters for the year either in training camp or early in the season with ACL injuries. That included their jack-of-all-trades RB Shane Simpson, top ILB Ricky DeBerry, projected right tackle Darian Bryant, starting S Jamal Gay and DT Ron Johnson, who played just three games before blowing out his knee against Villanova. To make matters worse, WR Jabari Allen, who has star potential, played in just three games due to knee issues. As a sophomore, Allen caught 53 passes for 751 yards and eight TDs. Towson also lost top corner Brandon Shuman (five games) to a lower-body injury. The defense allowed 23.5 points per game, 4.2 yards per carry, 155.5 yards rushing per game, 230 passing yards and 7.59 per attempt. The offense averaged 30.2 points per game to rank fourth in the CAA, so despite losing Simpson and Allen for most of the season, the offense was productive for the most part. The offense has had to carry the team for the most part in the Rob Ambrose era, could this year be any different? The biggest problem aside from losing Shuman for half the season was the lack of pass rush. The Tigers produced just 22 sacks and Flacco was sacked 37 times. Safety Coby Tippett tied for the lead in sacks with inside linebacker Christian Dixon with 4.5 sacks. OLB Malik Tyne recorded two sacks, while South Carolina transfer DE Jesus Gibbs added two sacks in nine games. Gibbs was one of several transfers up front, who was hampered by lingering injuries. But the bottom line was that because Shuman was out, Towson couldn't blitz very often. The lack of depth on both sides of the ball was evident, though some players did step up for the injured players. One of those players was Dixon, who replaced DeBerry. The others, who will return, are WRs Caleb Smith (35 catches for 570 yds, 1 TD) and Darian Street (33 rep for 455 yds, 4 TDs). Ultimately, when Towson had a chance to beat Elon and potentially earn a playoff spot on Nov. 23, they fell 25-23. The lack of those five ACLs, along with Shuman, Allen, and Caleb Smith was too daunting a task for the Tigers to overcome. Flacco struggled, throwing two picks and was sacked twice. He threw for 214 yards and ran for -11. Season over. Talk about a long offseason. Towson has had to wait nearly two years to play their first game since the two-point loss to Elon. When you look at the problems of the 2019 team, aside from the injuries, they struggled to generate a consistent pass rush, they lacked explosion and big plays on offense, and the offensive line wasn't as consistent when it came to pass blocking. You can't blame all 37 sacks on the line, since Flacco tended to hold the ball and would take off looking for that explosive play. His longest run was 43 yards and he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry. Yeedee Thaenrat led the team with 746 yards (5.9ypc) and 14 TDs, while Adrian Platt added 480 yards (4.7ypc) and a score. Fast forward to 2021 where the offense will return the same offensive line with senior left tackle Andrew Garnett (6-5, 325), senior left guard Aaron Grzymkowski (6-3, 305), junior center Cole Cheripko (6-4, 310) and right tackle DeMarcus Gilmore (6-4, 350). Bryant (6-6, 330) could end up starting at right tackle and Gilmore would move inside to right guard. Another option is Alex Desire (6-4, 320) a redshirt sophomore who started three games and appeared in all 11. Senior Brendan Cassells (6-3, 300) started seven games in 2019 and play either center or guard. The depth is very strong at guard. As far as tackle, they can move Bryant and Gilmore around, junior Roman Warheit (6-6, 330) has played tight end in short-yardage situations and could play some tackle. The team is very high on huge redshirt freshmen Jean Germain (6-6, 350) and Ricky Santiago Espinal (6-6, 350). At running back, Thaenrat, Platt, and Simpson are all gone. Kobe Young (6-0, 210), a redshirt junior, is the only returner with extensive experience. He ran for 455 yards with three TDs and caught 10 passes in 2018. In 2019, he appeared in just three games due to injury. The key addition is Georgia Tech transfer Jerry Howard (6-0, 225). He adds experience and size to the position. Howard rush for 564 yards and five TDs with the Yellow Jackets in 2018. He had just 29 touches in 2019 with a new coaching regime, yet still averaged 6.7 yards per touch. He moved to linebacker in 2020 and then back to running back but saw very little action. Head coach Rob Ambrose recruited Howard out of high school in South Carolina, understandable, he chose the Power 5 school. Freshman Sabias Folley (5-11, 240) adds size off the bench, but is very raw and is more likely part of the future than the present. Another freshman Devin Matthews (5-9, 210) has been a pleasant surprise in summer camp, though he did have a strong spring. Maine transfer Curtis Murray (5-9, 205) just arrived in camp and is probably a bit behind but showed some promise in the few games he played at Maine. At wide receiver, Shane Leatherbury is the only loss and he's a big one. The 5-9 speedster caught 52 passes for 667 yards with 12 TDs in 2019. Smith, Allen and Street are key cogs who have a lot of experience as does senior Ryan Rutkowski. Sophomore Daniel Thompson (6-3, 205) is also back after catching 17 passes for 212 yards and was also hampered by injuries. Thompson presents an outstanding blocker along with a very strong presence in the middle off the field. Sophomore D'Ago Hunter (5-6, 180) should be more than just a kick returner this season. In camp, Hunter was lining up at receiver and running back. Sophomore Matthew Akuchie (6-3, 205), an FAU transfer, could be a wild card with his length and speed. He's very much like a younger Jabari Allen, who could use a few more pounds as he develops next season. The Tigers also lost tight end Chris Clark (18 catches for 216yds), a big and talented receiving target who wasn't always reliable when it came to being on the field. They bring back second tight end Jason Epps (6-3, 240), a grad student who is an excellent blocker. Another grad student, Marcus Joyner (6-2, 245), comes from ODU, where he started in seven games in 2019. He caught 14 passes for 146 yards and is also known for his blocking. Robert Schwob (6-7, 240), a Maryland transfer, adds size and athleticism. The future appears to be strong as freshman Griffin Patterson (6-5, 230), whose father Sean played in the nineties, may end up playing a little in his first season. Sophomore fullback/tight end Luke Hamilton (6-0, 245) will also see time in running situations. At quarterback, Chris Ferguson (6-3, 235) started once for Liberty last season and tallied 197 yards with four TDs. He started his career at Maine, where he produced 6,091 yards with 46 passing TDs in 28 games. He helped Maine win the 2018 CAA title and take them to an FCS semifinal berth. He struggled in 2019 with injuries and had his worst game against Towson, throwing four interceptions. If Ferguson doesn't win the job, redshirt sophomore Jeff Miller (6-6, 235) has a little experience playing behind Flacco. Vincent Amendola (6-3, 215) a redshirt freshman transfer from North Carolina, provides a little more athletic ability and a dual-threat quarterback and has also played some in mop-up duty. The defense returns several key players in Dixon, Gibbs, Shuman, Gay and Sam Gyeni. But it's the transfers who should make the immediate impact. Up front, grad student Mason Cholewa (6-7, 310) adds size and some experience at James Madison in the spring and at UCF. He had 11 tackles and a sack in eight games, while playing defensive tackle in a 4-3. In Towson's 3-4 defense, Cholewa could play nose guard and defensive end. If Gyeni (6-0, 280) starts at nose guard, Cholewa could play end and Gibbs may play the other end. But fortunately, Towson has other options. Grad Student Tramar Reece (6-4, 275) million comes from Indiana University where he played sparingly. Reece was a three-star defensive end coming out of Clearwater, Florida. Sophomore Oly Okombi (6-1, 275) can be the x-factor. He can play everywhere on the line. The Kent State transfer and Silver Spring native played in four games in 2020, recording eight tackles with 2.5 TFLs and a sack. Redshirt sophomore Bryce Lauer (6-3, 280) is another big body up front, who had 22 tackles and 2 TFLs. Senior Marcus Bowman (6-1, 260) is also back after playing some in 2019, recording five tackles in 10 games. At rush end or outside linebacker, Lambert and Tyne graduated and the Tigers picked up Elorm Lumor (6-3, 245), who played at Rutgers for three years. In 44 games, Lumor amassed 107 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 15 TFLs playing some inside linebacker but mainly defensive end. Dixon (86 tackles) return at inside linebacker, but they needed to replace Robert Heyward (88 tackles, 2 sacks). So TU added Darien Reynolds (6-0, 225), a grad transfer from Gardner-Webb, who was named All-Big South second team in 2019 and 2018. Reynolds had 225 tackles, 13 pass deflections, and nine TFLs overall. Sophomore Ryan Kearney (6-1, 235) could also see some time at inside linebacker. The Tigers play a 3-4, but they could be playing more of a 3-3-5 against the pass, using safety/linebacker Keyvone Bruton (5-11, 215) is a transfer from Temple, who is a grad student. He played in 24 games mainly playing special teams and some safety. The former three-star recruit arrives from Virginia. He'll remind some people of a slightly bigger Jordan Dangerfield, who can cover a bit better. At the other outside linebacker spot, Ball State transfer Michael Robinson (6-0, 225), sophomore Stefan Hackshaw (6-3, 240) and junior Nygil Johnson (6-3, 230) are all in the mix. At safety, Jamal Gay (6-1, 205) returns as a redshirt sophomore who started in 2018 as a true freshman and recorded 36 tackles. SJ Brown (5-11, 20) is the likely starter at free safety. He averaged 7.2 tackles per game in 2019 to tie for 13th in the CAA, adding two picks, a forced fumble and three passes broken up. Robert Topps (6-3, 210) could also see time at safety. Now for the final position on defense, at cornerback Shuman will be joined by either Charles Peoples (6-0, 180), a junior from Reedley College or Grad student Mark Collins Jr. (5-11, 190). Collins certainly has the pedigree, having played at South Dakota for 27 games and tallying 25 pass breakups. In 2018, he led the nation with two passes defensed per game. His father Mark Sr. played 13 years in the NFL with the New York Giants. The Tigers also have other options including Penn State transfer Makai Self (5-9, 170), million D.J. Pratt (6-3, 185) and two experienced veterans in Jirhe Love (6-0, 190) and Robert Javier (6-1, 195). The punting game is led by Shane McDonough, who averaged 43.9 yards per punt and had 17 touchbacks on kickoffs in 2019. The placekicker is still up in the air. Junior Clayton Harris has the most experience. He made 11 of 17 field goals at UConn from 2018-19. Freshman Keegan Vaughn seems to have the edge in the middle of camp.

RA on GCR at 1:28 mark one hour, 28 minutes https://www.facebook.com/PressBoxSports/

Congrats to Tibo

It’s virtual this year. I’ll be on Zoom at around 12pm to interview RA and two players