Towson's football team goes for the Patriot League trifecta today against the team it loves to hate.
After defeating Lehigh - an opponent it had never beaten - and Bucknell to push into the league championship picture, the Tigers will complete a demanding three-week trial against another nemesis in Colgate, the winner of all six previous meetings.
"A lot of us hate this team more than anybody else. It's not a secret," said Tigers safety Edmund Carazo (Meade). "This time, we really want to beat Colgate."
Only once have the Tigers seriously threatened Colgate, which has won two league titles and finished first or second the past six seasons.
That happened two years ago at Towson when the Raiders capitalized on three blocked punts, a blocked extra point and an overtime interception to win, 30-27.
"We should have won that one, and it pretty much ended our season," said Carazo, the Patriot League leader with five interceptions and a player whom coach Gordy Combs labels "the quarterback on our defense. One day, he missed practice for personal reasons and we were lost without him."
Carazo will be on the field today as the Tigers strive to remain unbeaten at their renovated stadium (3-0).
The defense will play a pivotal role since Towson's high-scoring ways have been tempered lately by a slew of injuries to the offensive line. And because Colgate, led by quarterback Tom McCune, can be a high-scoring foe.
"Their offense is persistent. They keep picking at you," Carazo said. "If you stop it early, it builds your confidence. As a defense, we feel we're really confident. It's a matter of not letting them get off to a good start."
Like Towson, Colgate has already suffered one league loss - to Fordham. No Patriot team has ever won the title with two defeats.
"We knew this would be a difficult stretch," Combs said. "Lehigh and Bucknell were very physical games. We lost two starting offensive linemen. We're used to playing in dogfights now. That's what this will be."
Brushed aside
Towson is 0-6 in its series with Colgate, with only one game decided by fewer than 21 points:
1996:Colgate, 35-10
1997:Colgate, 34-3
1998:Colgate, 35-14
1999:Colgate, 38-14
2000:Colgate, 30-27, OT
2001:Colgate, 37-5
Totals:Colgate, 209-73