A bit of good news for a Towson offensive line beset by injuries was overshadowed by more pain for another starter.
Junior Jake Schunke (knee) returned from a two-game absence to start at right guard in Saturday's 21-19 win over Colonial Athletic Association foe Elon at Johnny Unitas Stadium. But the victory was partly tarnished by an ankle injury to starting left tackle Antonio Harris.
As sophomore running back Darius Victor opened the third quarter with a 35-yard gain, Harris fell to the turf, writhing in pain. After a few minutes, Harris did not put any weight on his right ankle and needed assistance to get off the field.
Sophomore Shayne Sullivan replaced Harris, but coach Rob Ambrose acknowledged the significance of Harris' injury to the Tigers (4-5, 2-3).
"He's been a voice, a strong voice for us," Ambrose said. "While the guys did admirably, the juice that the O-line carries was missing when he was out of the game."
Among the offensive line starters, Harris and freshman Jesus Barrio have made the most starts at the same position: seven at left tackle for Harris and seven at right tackle for Barrio.
Junior quarterback Connor Frazier, whose blind side Harris has protected, said watching his left tackle go down was difficult.
"It's tough, but knowing him, he's a tough kid," Frazier said. "He'll be back. He's not going to get down on himself. Shayne came in as the next guy up, and he's played all year long. So I'm not worried."
If Harris is unavailable for Saturday's game at No. 4 Villanova (7-2, 4-1), Sullivan has starting experience, opening the season as the left tackle for the first two games before moving to right guard for the two games before Saturday's win.
Ambrose called Sullivan's play "OK," but acknowledged that Harris helps to anchor the offensive line.
"What we missed was his presence," Ambrose said. "Antonio has developed as a consistent guy on the offensive line. And if you look at it, only the two tackles are the guys who have played in position for how many weeks now? So having him out hurts continuity. Lack of continuity on the offensive line seems to be the standard this year."