(11-13-2014 09:08 AM)TUTigers Wrote: Gordy had some solid guys but also a lot of guys that weren't all in. Rob had to weed out the softy's in his first 2 seasons.
Not for nothing, but who are you TUTigers to judge who was soft and not? Since I actually know some of those kids you are slamming you should know how far off you really are. If you are going to term those guys as soft, you had better take a long hard look at some of the guys that Ambrose has brought in too because they are really not any better off.
When you look at it, those 2007 and 2008 teams achieved a lot more than the 2014 team has. A lot of synergy between 2006 and 2013 in after both years Towson had to replace a major NFL draft pick.
In 2006, the Tigers enjoyed one of their best seasons as a Division I-AA program. Quarterback Sean Schaefer directed one of the top passing games in the nation and Towson compiled a 7-4 record. Their 4-4 A-10 record included wins over Delaware, Villanova, Richmond and Hofstra.
The Tigers were nationally ranked for six weeks in 2006 and achieved their highest I-AA ranking at that point when they were 17th in the nation in late September.
In April 2007, offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod became the fourth Towson football player drafted by an NFL team when he was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round. Bushrod was a three-time all-conference selection in the A-10.
In 2007, the Atlantic-10 Football Conference became the Colonial Athletic Association and the Tigers entered the season with high expectations. Towson was ranked in the top 25 in the pre-season and got off to a 2-0 start. But, a rash of injuries took their toll and Towson finished with a 3-8 record.
In 2014 the team was ranked preseason, but started 0-2, has had some injuries, and is on target to finish 5-7.
Senior linebacker Brian Bradford had a stellar season in 2007 when he finished second in the nation with 149 tackles in 11 games. In addition to earning first team All-CAA notice, he was a consensus first team All-American. In 2014 Senior Ryan Delaire leads the CAA and ranks seventh in the FCS with 11 sacks this season. The 2013 first team All-CAA selection also leads the CAA in tackles among ends/lineman (10.0), ranks fifth in the league in tackles for loss (13.5) and is tied for sixth in forced fumbles (3).
In 2008, the Tigers celebrated their 40th anniversary with an explosive passing game and a difficult schedule. In the season opener, the Tigers achieved a milestone when they played Navy in Annapolis. Before a crowd of 31,613, the Tigers battled the Mids on nearly even terms in the first half before Navy pulled out a 41-13 victory.
What will happen in 2015?
While Schaefer seemed to break a record every week, the Tigers had a difficult time defensively. A third team All-CAA pick, Schaefer led the CAA in passing yards (3,286) and yards of total offense (3,288). He set school career records for pass completions (1044), pass attempts (1610), completion percentage (.648) and passing yardage (11,644). He finished his career ranked eighth among the NCAA FCS all-time passing leaders.
Senior Marcus Lee, his favorite target, set an NCAA FCS record by catching at least one pass in all 45 games of his career. Lee ended his career as Towson’s all-time leader with 225 catches for 2,389 yards with 13 touchdowns.
The Tigers finished the 2008 season with a 3-9 record and a 1-7 mark in the CAA.
Gordy is out because then President Caret wanted to push more cash into football and did not like Gordy. Enter Ambrose, a ton of new money and academic exceptions being pushed for the football program over all other sports, and you get what you have today, which is not much better than what you had in 2007 and 2008.
Without Terrance West, or Jermon Bushrod - once every decade like performers, Towson is not unlike most other 1AA programs, out of mind and twisting in the wind, a major money loser, not getting much media attention, and a big drain on the budget. This year Towson will spend more than $3,800,000 on the sport of football, or with a 5 win season that's $760,000 per win. That's 20% of the total athletics budget. Note that with ticket sales of less than,
and you can check this out cause it is dead on, football ticket sales of less than $130,000 for the entire 2014 season at Johnny Unitas Stadium, that this program is really hurting and should be audited for it's true value back to the institution. Considering that the 22,000 students who pay over $820 each for an athletics fee generate approximately $18,040,000 of the $19,000,000 athletics budget, this is a total sham for the kids.