No. 16 Camels Edge Towson 24-20

Remain Unbeaten Against FCS Opponents

BUIES CREEK, N.C. – No. 16 Campbell’s defense stopped Towson on its final four possessions and De’Von Thomas rushed for two scores, lifting the Fighting Camels to a 24-20 Homecoming win on Saturday at Barker-Lane Stadium.

The Camels moved to 6-1 on the season, matching the program’s best start in history and the school’s single-season high wins mark, and 3-0 in CAA play. Campbell’s six wins over FCS opponents are the most in program history.

Towson falls to 0-8 this season and 0-4 against CAA opponents.

The teams battled to a 13-10 Towson lead at the half with Xavier Pugh and CJ Schaeffer finding the end zone for the Tigers. Pugh ran for 60 yards on seven carries in the opening half, while Jacob Davis completed 11-of-16 passes for 162 yards and a TD to give Towson the lead at the break.

After the Tigers posted 282 yards of total offense in the first half, rushing for 120 yards, the Campbell defense limited Towson to just 160 yards in the second half, with 65 rushing yards.

Kaleb Simpkins picked off Davis on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, and Campbell scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions to take the 24-20 lead.

Kamden Sixkiller’s 22-yard pass to Jyron Waiters gave the Camels a 17-13 lead, and after Towson answered with an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive, with Davis punching in a TD, Campbell stormed back with an 8-play, 71-yard march, with Thomas notching his second touchdown of the day, regaining the lead with 4:54 to go in the third frame.

Towson’s next drive went for 67 yards, but stalled at the Campbell eight yard line, and the ensuing 26-yard field goal went off the right upright. The Camels then limited Towson to just 46 yards on its final three possessions, resulting in a pair of punts and a turnover on downs with 1:25 to play.

Sixkiller completed 20-of-30 passes with a touchdown, also rushing for 24 yards, while Thomas ran for two touchdowns, his third straight and fourth game overall this season with two scores, with 28 yards on seven carries.

Chinua Ezeigbo hauled in 68 yards on five catches, while Waiters caught three passes for 43 yards, including the third quarter touchdown.

O’Marion Lewis tallied a season-high 13 tackles with a pass breakup, while Simpkins added 10 stops, another season-best, with the interception to open the second half. Jordan Jones also collected seven stops for the Camels.

Davis paced Towson with 257 yards on 23-of-39 passing with a touchdown and an interception, also running for 40 yards and another score. Pugh, meanwhile, ran for 75 yards and a TD on 12 carries, and Cleveland Charlton grabbed six passes for a game-high 88 yards.

Seth Chestnut led the Tigers with eight tackles, including a stop for loss, while Myles Johnson registered seven tackles with an interception.

Next up, Campbell will head back on the road for the next two games, traveling to Maine for the first time on October 24 before heading back north to face UAlbany on October 31 for the first meeting between the programs.

The Camels will finish the regular season with two of their final three games at home, taking on Stony Brook (Nov. 7) and Monmouth (Nov. 21) at Barker-Lane Stadium.