By Ryan McCord

In what should be a classic Atlantic-10 battle owning a November type atmosphere, the Towson University Tigers will pay a visit to Shuart Stadium with an unblemished record (3-0) looking to set an early season message that these cats are for real.

The Tigers are newcomers to the latest I-AA top 25 rankings (No. 21), joining New Hampshire (No. 1), Richmond (No. 7), Umass (No. 9), James Madison (No. 17), and Delaware (No. 18) to give the Atlantic-10 one of the most respected conferences in all of college football.

This is the first of only four home games for the Pride all season, who realistically have no choice but to improve upon a 3-2 record established in Hempstead during the 2005 campaign, especially with the likes of New Hampshire, Delaware, and Umass on the road.

“In order to win we must establish the line of scrimmage early, get some positive running yards and hopefully that will open up the passing game.” Anton Clarkson suggested.

Who to watch for: TowsonMiddle linebacker (#41) Brian Bradford is the defending Atlantic-10 defensive player of the week. The 6’2″, 235 lb. Junior rounded-up 14 total tackles (3 for loss of yards) in last weeks win against Furman.

What to watch for: PrideTo add on what Clarkson touched up on previously, the offensive line must neutralize Bradford and company in order for Terry Crenshaw and Shaine Smith to make some big plays and get the crowd into the game early and often.

Coach Cohen’s scouting report on the Tigers:”Towson has really good skill players. They’re good on the perimeter, both offensively and defensively. They have a really good blitz package defensively, very aggressive in style. It’s going to be a good challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”

(Jim Sheehan)