Towson’s football team scored 14 points in the final 5:23, including a Darius Victor 17-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds remaining, to propel the Tigers to a 24-17 win against rival Delaware on Saturday in front of 17,718 fans at Delaware Stadium.
Towson (3-5, 1-3 CAA) has now won 14 of its last 16 road games, eight of its last nine CAA road games and two straight games at Delaware. The Blue Hens suffered their first conference loss of the season to fall to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.
“It’s good to win, whether it was here or any place in the country, we needed this,” said Towson Head Coach Rob Ambrose. “To win here is a very difficult thing to do. Their fans, their history, their tradition and their beliefs in each other make this a tough place to play. This is a little bit more special than most. This will be good for the kids moving forward and great for the alums. I don’t think we’ve ever beaten them twice (on the road) in a three-year window and that’s a hard thing to do.”
Trailing 17-10 with 8:23 left in the fourth quarter, quarterback Connor Frazier led the Tigers down the field for a game-tying drive. The junior connected on four-of-five passes during the drive, including a 39-yard touchdown pass to senior Spencer Wilkins. Frazier found Wilkins at the 35-yard line and the wideout broke three tackles and sprinted the final 30 yards to tie the game at 17-17 with 5:23 remaining.
“I was happy that Connor gave me a chance to make a big play and I was happy that I was able to make a play for a team,” said Wilkins. “Delaware is a big rivalry game. It’s the biggest game of the year every year. I’m happy that we were able to go out like this in my last game against them.”
The Towson defense, which forced a season-high four turnovers on the afternoon, stepped up big on the ensuing Delaware drive and forced a Blue Hen punt after three straight rushes.
Frazier and the Tiger offense took over on their own 41 with 5:23 remaining. The junior quarterback went 3-for-3 and completed passes to three different receivers on the drive, but Victor was the story. The sophomore running back had 33 yards on five rushes during the drive and his 17-yard touchdown scamper to the left side gave Towson a 24-17 lead with just 49 seconds remaining.
Delaware managed one first down on its final drive, but redshirt freshman James Simms picked off a Trent Hurley pass with 26 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Tigers.
Victor finished with a game-high 113 yards on 21 carries. Frazier, who also connected with sophomore wide receiver Andre Dessenberg for a first quarter touchdown, finished 19-of-32 through the air for 181 yards and two touchdowns, both career highs. Wilkins had seven receptions for a game-high 97 yards and his touchdown grab was the eighth of his career.
Senior Tye Smith posted a team-high nine tackles, recovered a fumble and had two pass break-ups. Junior Christian Carpenter made eight tackles, forced a fumble and picked off his second pass of the season, while senior Ryan Delaire recorded seven tackles, two sacks and forced a fumble.
Towson will have its bye week before returning to action on November 1 against Elon during homecoming weekend. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
