HARRISONBURG — A victory like that certainly makes everyone pay attention.

Towson’s 45-23 win at Maine this past Saturday gave the Tigers a jump on the rest of the Colonial Athletic Association and boost in the national polls.

“It was the returning conference champ,” Towson coach Rob Ambrose said Monday during the league’s coaches teleconference, “one of the best defenses in the country, one of the most explosive offenses in the country right now and we held ‘em a little bit, held ‘em rushing and kept the big plays to a minimum. We forced turnovers and took advantage of the opportunities.”

Towson catapulted from No. 8 in the STATS FCS Poll to No. 5 after knocking off the Black Bears, who were previously ranked No. 7 and fell to No. 12.

Ambrose’s squad did it with four rushing touchdowns from running back Yeedee Thaenrat and a defense that intercepted Maine quarterback Chris Ferguson four times leading directly to 21 points.

“We got good pressure on him early,” Ambrose said. “Got some hits on the quarterback and didn’t necessarily get some sacks until later, but I think we disrupted a little bit of their timing. I thought we covered well, matched routes well and we made mistakes here or there, but we recovered from that well. A little bend, don’t break and didn’t give up a touchdown until pretty late.”

Towson can get to 2-0 in league play with a home win over Villanova this Saturday.

Jaquan Amos’ 34-yard interception return for a touchdown in the opening minute of Villanova’s 45-10 win at Bucknell gave the Wildcats their third score on defense this season.

Villanova is tied with Central Connecticut State for the FCS lead in defensive touchdowns.

“Anytime we can get a defensive or special teams score, that’s an added bonus and really sparks the sideline,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said.

Amos had a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown in a Week 0 victory at Colgate and then fellow cornerback Elijah Trent recorded a 37-yard interception return for a score in a Week 2 win against Lehigh.

“To have one in each game so far that we’ve had with a pick six and defensive score,” Ferrante said, “I don’t know if we’ve ever had that.”

William & Mary freshman quarterback Hollis Mathis was named CAA Rookie of the Week for his 251 yards of total offense and two touchdowns to help the Tribe take down Colgate 38-10.

Mathis, a 6-foot-2 Pittsburgh native, threw for 189 yards and a score and rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown in the win.

“He did some good things this game and I’m sure he’ll continue to do good things,” William & Mary coach Mike London said. “But he’s still got a lot to learn. There’s still some guys that are surrounding him that can help him get better – [backup quarterback] Kilton Anderson, being a veteran guy. So there’s a lot of learning curve for him to go through, but at the same time, he’s a talented young man.”