It was a memorable first impression, 12 minutes of shutout football that certainly signaled a warning to the Northeastern football bench.
An incensed but controlled response by the Huskies (2-1, 1-1 Atlantic 10), however, nullified the troubles of their first quarter against Towson University on Saturday at Johnny Unitas Stadium, as Northeastern piled on the scoring in the final three frames for a 27-3 win.
The Tigers (1-2, 0-2 A-10) exercised a strong defensive front against the Huskies at the beginning of the contest, shutting down an offense that previously scored 71 against Cheyney University and 24 against Division I Navy Academy.
Brought to life by their usual set of sparkplugs – senior quarterback Shawn Brady (eight completions, 151 yards, one touchdown) and junior tailback Anthony Riley (18 rushes, 118 yards) – the Huskies rebounded in the second quarter and never looked back.
“Their [Towson] defense is designed to stop the run, and they take some risks to stop the run,” said Northeastern head coach Rocky Hager. “It was a matter of us getting in synch with ourselves to select the appropriate pass plays.”
It was quite simply a matter of control. Towson held the ball for over five minutes longer in the first half, but the Huskies held the ball for over 11 minutes in each of the final two quarters, indicating what coach Hager and company worked for.
All-American senior linebacker Liam Ezekiel led the team in tackles again with 12, but it was the play of senior cornerback Gavin Potter that fueled the Huskies’ reversal of fortune from the second quarter on.
Quarterback Andrew Goldbeck (18-82) and the Tigers were threatening at the Northeastern 29 when Potter stepped in, intercepting a pass at the Husky 12, and returned it 75 yards to the Towson 13.
Three plays later, the Huskies were on the board for the first time with senior Miro Kesic’s field goal, and the team never looked back.
“That [interception] changed the momentum of the game,” Hager said. “At that point, they had the momentum and were driving in a 3-3 game. Gavin is a good player, he’s disciplined, and I knew it was a matter of time for him to make a play like that.”
The Huskies scored on their next drive, and it seemed as if the game was in their hands. Towson went to the air on their next drive, and Potter was just as responsive.
He picked off Goldbeck’s pass at Northeastern’s own 46, setting up another touchdown, once again single-handedly changing the complexion of the contest. The Huskies left the field with a 14-point lead (17-3) and all the confidence they would need for the second half.
Northeastern had 1:33 to work with before the half ended, and within the time frame, secured their victory again. Junior fullback Keith Kent and Brady combined for 20 yards on two rushes, before Hager called a time out with 40 seconds remaining.
Junior wide receiver Cory Parks (2-35, 1 TD) lost two yards on a rush, before another time out was called. With 15 seconds remaining, Brady lateralled the ball to Parks, who threw deep and successfully to sophomore wide receiver Marc Thomas for a 34-yard touchdown.
The shock of the play, combined with an improved defensive presence, took the ball away from the Tigers the rest of the way.
“I’ll give them credit, they had us off-balance a bit,” Hager said. “I can say we contributed to their success a bit. With what we had seen in their playing, and based on scouting reports, we felt it would prove strong to us to go with the big pass. This was a play [Brady to Parks] that we had been working on since spring practice. It was a big play in the game.”
The Huskies made it 24-3 at the start of the third quarter, as Brady made his way down the field with a series of passes to Parks and senior wide receiver Quintin Mitchell (3-83). After an unsportsmanlike conduct call took away Brady’s four-yard TD run, he responded with a 19-yard scoring pass to Parks.
Goldbeck brought Towson into Northeastern territory in their next drive, but another interception again signaled the changing of tides in the game. He threw far into Husky territory, before sophomore linebacker Jamil Young grabbed a hold of the ball and was downed at the 33-yard line.
Northeastern added another three to their total with 6:30 remaining in the fourth, when Kesic kicked a 31-yard field goal (27-3).
The Huskies will be in Virginia Saturday when they face the College of William ‘ Mary. The Tribe (2-1, 1-0 A-10) ran away with a 42-6 decision over VMI on Saturday.
GAME NOTES: Cornerback Richard Orah suffered a severe ankle sprain in the game, according to Hager, and will be out starting this week. Senior Joe Okrah will be in until a possible Orah return … Brady’s 40th touchdown pass tied him with Jim Murphy (’98) for first all-time at NU … Riley’s 100-yard rushing game was the sixth of his career … It was the worst home loss for Towson since Bucknell’s 33-0 shutout in 1997.
