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CAA message to Tigers: Show some bite
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The Colonial Athletic Association’s coaches and members of the media who cover the league claim Towson is going to be one of the conference’s worst teams this season.
Towson senior quarterback Sean Schaefer said it’s the players’ job to prove them wrong.
“You can use it as motivation to move up the charts,” he said. “Every week you know it’s going to be a dog fight in the CAA. Hopefully, it will motivate our guys to want to win.”
Towson, which finished 3-8 overall and 1-7 in the CAA in the conference’s inaugural season, is expected to finish last in the South Division, according to a preseason poll voted on by league coaches and members of the media. The poll, along with preseason all-conference teams, were released at the league’s Media Day at the ESPN Zone in the Inner Harbor on Wednesday.
The 12-team league has two divisions, the North Division and the South Division, each with six teams.
Richmond (11 first-place votes), is favored to win the South Division, followed by James Madison (7), Delaware (1), Villanova, William & Mary and Towson. Massachusetts (17) is the favorite to win the conference.
Towson defeated Richmond, 23-21, last season at Johnny Unitas Stadium behind Schaefer, who completed 29-of-33 passes for 287 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winner as time expired.
But for Towson to have success this fall, it must also get standout seasons from senior receiver Marcus Lee and senior defensive back Drew Mack, both preseason first-team selections.
Lee was third in the CAA with 66 receptions for 680 yards with two touchdowns last season. His 167 career receptions are fourth in school history.
Mack played in 10 games last season, finishing with 74 tackles — five for loss — to go with four pass break-ups and an interception.
The CAA is regarded as the toughest Championship Football Subdivision conference in the country. Delaware, led by now-Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, played for the national championship last year and the league had an NCAA-record five teams in the 16-team playoff.
“Football is a game of inches,” Mack said. “Sometimes we didn’t get those inches or make those plays. We were right there last year and we could have had a winning record.”
dcarey@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
8:36 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Bradford’s record career almost didn’t happen"
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2:29 PM MST on Mon., Nov. 5, 2007
re: "Same miscues continue to plague Tigers"
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TUTiger said:
Congrats go out to Bradford, he deserves it. This guy can play with anybody. Go Tigers!
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Towson '06 said:
Coach Combs is the one to blame for this season; if he can't get the players motivated or correct the issues that we are having game after game then maybe he has served our school the best that he can and it is time that he and the program split ways.
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