Towson State University
Tiger Tracks
Published exclusively for Tiger Club members
by the News and Publications Services
TIGERS DROP A HEARTBREAKER
October 4, 1976
It never occurred to Phil Albert to go for the tie. The only choice to make was to
pass or mm it in. With only 2: 36 remaining in the contest with highly touted Guilford
College Saturday night, Jeff Herrick gave the 1,013 rain-soaked faithful their first
opportunity to cheer for the Tigers when he took the ball in from the 4- yard line. The
touchdown narrowed the Quakers ' lead to 7-6, in a game that turned Burdick Field into a
sea of mud. In a play that typified the frustration felt by Towson all evening, Dan
Dullea took the snap from center, dropped back to pass, and spotted Skip Chase in the
left corner of the end zone. But Dullea was pressured, and the pass that would have
given the Tigers a one-point lead and probably their third win of the season splashed
and died in the mud a few feet short of its intended receiver. Final score: Guilford
College 7, Towson State 6.
Both teams slipped and plodded through the mud in the first half, with Guilford
controlling the action but with neither team putting any points on the board. The
Quakers got as close as the Towson 26-yard line but a 43-yard field goal attempt failed.
The Tigers moved to the Guilford 24, thanks largely to a 40-yard pass to Chase. But on
first and ten from the 24, Dullea was intercepted and another drive was aborted. The
closest anyone came to scoring was on Guilford's third possession of the night. On a
drive which started on their own 19- yard line, the Quakers took 15 play 6 and moved the
ball to the Towson one-yard line, only to fumble into the end zone where Towson' s Rick
Simmons recovered for a touchback. And with 11 seconds remaining in the opening half,
Randy Bielski just missed a 30-yard field goal after a drive stalled on the Guilford 13.
On Guilford's first play of the second half, after Towson had failed on a fourth
and six situation from the Quaker 36 and lost 14 yards, quarterback Johnny Stewart
hit flanker Chris Paphites on a 50-yard bomb to break the scoreless deadlock. Mike
McClune split the uprights on the conversion and the Quakers ted taken a 7-0 advantage with
only 2:23 elapsed in the third quarter. Towson came close, but no cigar, on their next
possession as Dullea mixed the run with the pass to move the Tigers from their own 40 to
the Guilford eight. On a fourth down and five, Bielski attempted a 25-yard field goal
which again was Just off the mark. Towson controlled the play the rest of the way, never
allowing Guilford to move any closer than the Tiger 47. The teams exchanged the ball
throughout the third and into the fourth quarter. Guilford had the ball first down and
ten on their own 13, and could move only six yards in three plays as the Tiger defense
stiffened. A personal foul penalty moved the ball back to the Quaker nine, and a 32-yard
punt gave Towson the ball on the Guilford 4l. Crucial on this march to the TD were a
six yard pass to Bennett to put the ball on the 30, and a six yard gain by Herrick on a
fourth down and two from the Quaker 22-yard line. On second down and goal from the four,
Herrick capped the drive and closed the gap to a single point. But it was one point too
much.
Despite the heavy rain Dan Dullea completed 12 of 23 attempts for 156 yards. Mike
Maloney rushed for 78 yards in 17 attempts to lead Towson in that department, and Mike
Bennett hauled in seven passes for 84 yards. The Tigers now take to the road for a pair
of games, the first of which comes this Saturday at Frostburg State College at 1:30. The
Bobcats are 0-5 on the campaign, and Albert hopes the Tigers aren't Frostburg' s first
victims. On Friday night, Oct. 15, we travel to Glassboro State for an 8 p.m. battle.
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