Just three days after being knocked out of the game with an arm injury, senior quarterback Mike Quinn was back at practice for the Elon University football team, throwing passes and taking part in drills just like any other Tuesday.

Though the injury that Quinn suffered on the second series of Elon’s Oct. 25 game against the University of Richmond was enough to keep him out of the rest of the game, Elon head coach Rich Skrosky said that Quinn is on track to play against Towson University Nov 1.

“He was good,” Skrosky said of Quinn.  “A pretty typical Tuesday. I think the injury is fine. It was more of a nerve thing and it was just a matter of getting that nerve back. He had a full practice [Tuesday] so he’s ready to go.”

Quinn struggles are well documented, as he has thrown just five touchdowns to nine interceptions on the year. But sophomore John Loughery, who played the rest of the Richmond game in place of Quinn, didn’t exactly impress in his audition, completing 15 of 24 passes for 110 yards and one interception. At this point in the season, it remains clear that if healthy, Quinn will be the starter.

Towson is 3-5 and 1-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association, just one year removed from a 2013 season in which they finished as the runner-up in the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.

The Tigers are coming off a 24-17 win over the University of Delaware that snapped a three-game losing streak. In the two losses prior to beating Delaware, Towson scored just 10 combined points.

SCOUTING THE TOWSON OFFENSE

Towson is an offense that relies heavily on its run game. Sophomore Darius Victor, the 2013 CAA offensive rookie of the year, carries the load at running back for the Tigers.

Victor is off to a hot start this year, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 99.6 yards per game. In all, Victor has gained 797 yards on the ground and scored eight touchdowns in eight games.

“They really do have a feature back and that’s got to be a point of our interest on the defensive side,” Skrosky said, mentioning the unique threat that Towson poses in Victor and quarterback Connor Frazier.

Frazier is the Tigers’ second leading rusher with 350 yards gained and two touchdowns scored. Against Delaware, Frazier was highly efficient, completing 19 of 32 passes for 181 yards and two scores. Victor added 113 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

“We’ve been playing pretty good on defense,” Skrosky said. “The bottom line is we have to limit the big play. Like every week, our focus will be on the run game.”

 SCOUTING THE TOWSON DEFENSE

Because its offense has struggled mightily at times and is the worst passing offense in the CAA, Towson has had to lean on its defense to keep it in games.

The Tigers are in the middle of the pack in the CAA in total defense, giving up 384.4 yards per game.

The main bright spot for the Towson defense has been senior defensive end Ryan Delaire. Delaire, an NFL Draft prospect, leads the CAA in sacks with 10 in eight games.

“We need to do a good job of keeping an eye on him and protecting him,” Skrosky said.

According to Skrosky, Towson sacrifices size for speed on defense.

“[Towson] won’t be as big as some of the units we’ve faced in the last few weeks, but certainly their athleticism and their speed will be as good as anybody we’ve faced so far,” Skrosky said.

This will certainly be a challenge for Elon’s offensive line, which surrendered seven sacks to Richmond.

PREDICTION

Towson 20, Elon 10

Despite being talked up by Skrosky, Elon’s defense has struggled against the run. The Phoenix has given up an average of 177.5 rushing yards per game over the past four games, and things won’t be any easier against Towson. The Tigers can’t pass the ball, but they shouldn’t need to. Victor will have his way on the ground, leading Towson to its second win in as many games.