Towson quarterback Peter Athens threw for one touchdown and ran for the game-winning score while directing the host Tigers to a 36-28 victory over Rhode Island on Saturday.
The win ended a 13-game road losing streak for the Tigers. It also ended a six-game slide for the Tigers (2-3) against Colonial Athletic Association opponents as Towson improved to 1-1 in the league. Rhode Island (1-4 overall) dropped to 0-2 in the CAA.
A wild first quarter resulted in a 20-0 Towson lead before the Rams could get started. The Rams stopped the bleeding on their next possession when Ayo Isijolo ripped off a 48-yard touchdown that put Rhode Island on the board at 6:03 in the opening period.
Athens provided the spark for Towson in the decisive fourth quarter. After forcing a Rams punt, the Tigers took over on their own 47-yard line. Athens kept the drive alive to the Rhode Island 34. On a fourth-and-2, he kept around right end and ran untouched into the end zone for the touchdown and a 36-28 lead with 6:50 left in the contest.
Bowie State 37, Elizabeth City State 33: : Bulldogs junior Terence Peete Jr. recovered an Elizabeth City State fumble and returned it 33 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The wins kept visiting Bowie State (5-2 overall) undefeated in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Eastern Division at 4-0.
Senior Rodney Webb busted up the gut of the ECSU (4-3, 2-2) defensive line for a 5-yard touchdown, and Michael Gagne's extra point cut the Vikings' lead to 33-30 with 4:31 left to play.
Junior Sterling Grant-Jones forced Elizabeth City State's Cedric Blackwell to fumble the ball, which was recovered by Peete and returned 33 yards for a Bulldogs touchdown. Gagne converted the extra point, giving Bowie State a 37-33 lead.
Johns Hopkins 23, Dickinson 12: :
Blue Jays senior running back Andrew Kase rushed nine times for 54 yards, including the game-clinching touchdown, and helped knock off previously unbeaten Dickinson.
The visiting Blue Jays (5-1, 4-0 Centennial) led 16-12 early in the fourth quarter, but Dickinson (5-1, 3-1) pieced together a drive that moved the Red Devils from their own 44 to the Blue Jays' 29. Hopkins took over with 9:05 remaining in the fourth quarter and put the ball in Kase's hands nine times on a 10-play touchdown drive.
Randolph-Macon 23, Frostburg State 19: :
The visiting Yellow Jackets' Brandon Easter recovered a blocked punt at the Bobcats' 1-yard line, setting up quarterback Austin Faulkner's game-winning touchdown run with 5:13 left.
Host Frostburg's defense held Randolph-Macon (4-2) to season lows in total yards (163), first downs (11) and time of possession, and forced a season-high three turnovers. The Bobcats (0-6) also limited Yellow Jackets wide receiver Earl Peoples, who came into the contest averaging 133 yards per game, to just 27 yards on five receptions.
Frostburg quarterback Josh Volpe threw for 183 yards on 20-for-27 passing, including the game's opening touchdown. He also rushed for two scores.
Towson
20 9 0 7-36
Rhode Island
14 7 7 0-28
First quarter Tow-Moore 78 pass from Athens (kick failed), 14:10. Tow-Dameron 5 run (Magas kick), 11:31. Tow-Dameron 3 run (Magas kick), 7:21. URI-Isijola 48 run (Feinstein kick), 6:03. URI-Leonard 35 pass from Stefkovich (Feinstein kick), 3:06. Second quarter Tow-Dameron 6 run (run failed), 4:06. URI-Leonard 7 pass from Stefkovich (Feinstein kick), 1:30. Tow-FG Magas 27, :17. Third quarter URI-Migliarese 6 pass from Stefkovich (Feinstein kick), 9:31. Fourth quarter Tow-Athens 35 run (Magas kick), 6:50. A-3,314.
Tow URI
First downs 15 15
Rushes-Yards 37-135 42-166
Passing 188 163
Cmp.-Att.-Int. 11-21-2 11-20-0
Return Yards 21 29
Punts-Avg. 5-34.0 6-38.5
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-3
Penalties-Yds. 8-52 7-63
Time of poss. 27:47 32:13
Rushing-Towson, Athens 13-74, Booker 8-37, Dameron 14-34, Moore 1-(minus 1), Team 1-(minus 9). Rhode Island, Isijola 15-100, Ferrer 18-78, Lawrence 2-6, Team 1-(minus 1), Stefkovich 6-(minus 17). Passing-Towson, Athens 11-21-2-188. Rhode Island, Stefkovich 11-20-0-163. Receiving-Towson, Moore 4-91, Newsom 3-19, Ryan 2-50, Cegles 1-25, Booker 1-3. Rhode Island, Leonard 4-96, Wilson 2-23, Bellini 1-18, Lang 1-14, Del Grosso 1-9, Migliarese 1-6, Isijola 1-(minus 3).
