(7) Towson Tigers vs (1) NDSU Bison Frisco TX

[The Kicker]

Local Fargo forecast. Looks like NDSU is going down because hell is going to freeze over!

[Gil Dobie]

Local Fargo forecast. Looks like NDSU is going down because hell is going to freeze over!

It freezes over every winter

I remember being home for Christmas and the temp didn't get over -20 for over a week.

[Gil Dobie]

Bison Migration to Frisco

[Gil Dobie]

Towson and North Dakota State practiced Thursday for the first time at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, as they prepare for the Football Championship Subdivision title game at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Here are a few notes and quotes courtesy of transcripts provided by the NCAA:
-- Fifth-year senior quarterback Peter Athens continues to insist that he intends to line up under center with the rest of the starting offense Saturday.

Barring unforeseen complications stemming from a sprained right (throwing) shoulder suffered in the No. 7 seed Tigers’ 35-31 semifinal upset of No. 3 seed Eastern Washington, Athens said he is prepared to lead the nation’s 52nd-ranked passing attack against a Bison defense that ranks sixth nationally against the pass.
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“The shoulder is feeling good, and I am ready to go,” he said. “I have been practicing all week, and it has been good.”
-- One of the game's more intriguing matchups pits Towson junior running back Terrance West against North Dakota State's run defense.
West already has set FCS records for rushing yards in a season (2,410) and total touchdowns (41). Meanwhile, the Bison rank first in the country in rush defense (90.2 yards per game) and have allowed just three players to rush for 100 yards or more this season.
“They have a pretty good defense, but we have been playing against good defenses all year long,” West said. “It’s all about executing and who wants it most, and we have been doing that all year long playing on the road. We just have to defeat every obstacle they throw our way.”
-- As back-to-back reigning national champion, North Dakota State has the rare opportunity to capture three straight FCS crowns. Only Appalachian State has won three in a row.
“It is hard to put into words what it would mean,” senior Bison quarterback Brock Jensen said. “It would be a historic deal. Greatness is right there ahead of us. We have accomplished greatness twice in a row, but three times in a row would be legendary, and that is what we are trying to do.”
Coach Craig Bohl has publicly expressed his admiration for former Appalachian State coach Jerry Moore, who was invited to speak to North Dakota State earlier in the year.
“If you just look at the record book, I think Appalachian State is the only other team to do it,” Bohl said. “That is part of history, and we have a great deal of respect for Coach Moore and Appalachian State, and for us to have our program in that same place will be very special.”
edward.lee@baltsun.com

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/coll ... z2pMud8zfj" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gil Dobie]

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id ... up/Sports/

FRISCO, Texas – Towson University head coach Rob Ambrose got a knock on his door a few Januarys ago from Terrance West, who then was looking for a chance to play college football.

Even though all the scholarship money was spoken for that season, Ambrose wasn’t going to turn down West.

“How am I not going to take this Baltimore guy?” Ambrose said during a Thursday news conference. “And Terrance was clearly a talent.”

A few years removed from that meeting with Ambrose, West has developed into one of the top players in NCAA Division I FCS. The junior running back has helped Towson earn a spot in Saturday’s national championship game against top-ranked North Dakota State.

“It is just a blessing the outcome we are getting right now,” said West, who has rushed for 2,410 yards and 40 touchdowns on 319 carries in 15 games this season.

Schools like Clemson and Maryland showed interest in the 5-foot-11, 223-pound West before he ended up at Towson. West gained more than 4,700 total yards in his career at Northwestern High School in Baltimore. He spent one year at Fork Union Military Academy.

In his first spring semester at Towson, West couldn’t afford to live on campus and was paying his own way to school, Ambrose said. West had to take two buses to get to school and would arrive an hour before the 5 a.m. spring practices, usually before Ambrose had made it to his office.

“I knew that he had something in him that most people don’t have,” Ambrose said.

In 2011, West won the Jerry Rice Award, which is given to the top freshman in the FCS. West did not play in the season opener that season, but finished with 1,294 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 11 games.

West made the trip to Frisco after that freshman campaign to receive the Rice award, and had a chance to watch NDSU win its first FCS national championship.

“I pictured myself … like, ‘One day we are going to be in this situation,’ ” West said. “And here we are today.”

West has elevated his game to another level this season. He was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which is given to the top player in FCS. In the national quarterfinals, West rushed for 354 yards and five touchdowns on 39 attempts in a 49-39 victory at No. 2-seeded Eastern Illinois.

He followed that with a 115 rushing yards and two TDs on 27 carries in a 35-31 win at No. 3-seeded Eastern Washington in the semifinals.

“He’s just been incredible this year, and I came in the same time that he did,” said Towson sophomore Connor Frazier, a backup quarterback and wide receiver for the Tigers. “It’s been a great sight to see him grow. … He is just a better overall running back.”

West has been held below 100 rushing yards in three games this season. NDSU has one of the top defenses in the country, limiting teams to 90.2 rushing yards to per game.

“They have a good defense,” West said. “It’s just about us executing and who wants it the most. We’ve been doing pretty good with that.”

West knows Towson is considered the underdog in the title game by most, but he relishes that role.

“We’ve been the underdog all year round,” West said. “That’s what we like. We like being the underdog. We like to prove a lot of people wrong. It makes us play with a chip on our shoulder.”

[89Hen]

62 and mostly sunny tomorrow in Frisco.

[89Hen]

So are any CS fans attending??

[Gil Dobie]

So are any CS fans attending??

Saving my vacation for spring training.

[Gil Dobie]

Some Frisco Love for the Bison from NDSUSR on AGS

[Gil Dobie]

Good luck to Andy and all both of the other Towson fans on CS.com

Here's to a great game tomorrow.

[Gil Dobie]

It's gameday, heading out for the day, talk to you all after the game.

[93henfan]

Let's go Towson! The FCS world is with you.

[93henfan]

Towson is a 14 point gameday dog in the offshore betting houses. This would be a monumental upset.

[Herd]

As if Towson weren't already against the wall for a win

Updated 42 minutes ago
FRISCO, Texas – Towson will play in its first Football Championship Subdivision title game without a pair of starters.
The team announced Saturday morning that senior cornerback Jordan Love and senior tight end James Oboh were suspended for violation of unspecified NCAA rules. No other information on the reasoning behind their suspensions was available.

Love played in 14 games, starting 13. He led the defense in pass breakups with 10 and ranked seventh in tackles with 64.

Oboh played in all 15 contests, starting 12. He caught 24 balls for 354 yards and was tied with injured junior wide receiver Spencer Wilkins for the team lead in touchdowns catches with four.

Freshman Juleon Killikelly-Lee, a Gwynn Oak native and Woodlawn graduate, will make his first career start at cornerback. Killikelly-Lee has made seven tackles in 11 games this season.

Sophomore Sean Mooney will replace Oboh at tight end. But the Tigers could go to a three-receiver set frequently.

[93henfan]

As if Towson weren't already against the wall for a win

Updated 42 minutes ago
FRISCO, Texas – Towson will play in its first Football Championship Subdivision title game without a pair of starters.
The team announced Saturday morning that senior cornerback Jordan Love and senior tight end James Oboh were suspended for violation of unspecified NCAA rules. No other information on the reasoning behind their suspensions was available.

Love played in 14 games, starting 13. He led the defense in pass breakups with 10 and ranked seventh in tackles with 64.

Oboh played in all 15 contests, starting 12. He caught 24 balls for 354 yards and was tied with injured junior wide receiver Spencer Wilkins for the team lead in touchdowns catches with four.

Freshman Juleon Killikelly-Lee, a Gwynn Oak native and Woodlawn graduate, will make his first career start at cornerback. Killikelly-Lee has made seven tackles in 11 games this season.

Sophomore Sean Mooney will replace Oboh at tight end. But the Tigers could go to a three-receiver set frequently.

I always got the sense that Ambrose ran a lazy and undisciplined, albeit talented, team. This appears to confirm that.

Youch on having a freshman make his first career start at CB in the National Championship.

[93henfan]

Surprised nobody has posted any pics or given any tailgate reports from the parking lot. We blew this place up three years ago for UD-EWU.

[93henfan]

Towson now a 16 point dog after the suspension news.

[93henfan]

Big South officials.

[93henfan]

Athens is in.

[93henfan]

Breathing room. 1st down Towson.

[93henfan]

Rut roh. Turf is coming up. Hope this doesn't turn into UM-JMU in Chatty. That was ugly.

[93henfan]

NDSU the more explosive team so far.

[93henfan]

Facemask gives NDSU automatic first and goal

[93henfan]

TD NDSU

[93henfan]

Under review. May have been just short

TD confirmed