"Win" Returns to Towson's Vocabulary TOWSON, Md. - When Coach Rob Ambrose arrived at Towson University in 2009, he had one goal for the Tigers" moribund football program that he would not mention. "For two years, I never said the word "win" on purpose because we were in no position to have that discussion," Ambrose said. We had to coach effort. We had to get kids to actually play hard. He introduced 5:30 a.m. spring practices. He tried to make players quit if they were not dedicated to the program, and he sometimes succeeded. With a renewed commitment from the university and more resources, the Tigers cannot stop talking about winning now. Seventh-seeded Towson (10-2) will host unseeded Fordham (12-1) on Saturday in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. If anyone can appreciate the Rams" stunning turnaround under Joe Moorhead, it is Ambrose. Like Moorhead, Ambrose returned to his alma mater from the University of Connecticut. In fact, Moorhead replaced Ambrose as the Huskies" offensive coordinator in 2009. Three years later, Moorhead left for Fordham, where he has transformed a team that was 1-10 the season before he arrived. Towson was 3-19 in Ambrose's first two seasons, but the Tigers won the 2011 Colonial Athletic Association title and made their first F.C.S. playoff appearance. This year, behind a high-powered offense led by the junior tailback Terrance West, Towson upended Connecticut on the way to its second F.C.S. playoff berth. Attendance at Johnny Unitas Stadium has nearly doubled, to an average of 9,233 from an average of 4,980 in 2008. Temporary bleachers were set up for the university's band to free up more seats for fans. "I've been here where I could count the amount of fans in here, and they were mostly family," the senior defensive tackle Arnold Farmer said. The atmosphere now is unbelievable. On a campus with few athletic feats to cheer, football has emerged as a bright spot. The Towson men's basketball team has surged in the last two seasons, but the program was 0 for 2011, a humiliation that spanned parts of two seasons. The university recently disbanded its men's soccer program because of budgetary and Title IX concerns. Maryland's state legislature saved Towson's baseball team from a similar fate, and the team made an unlikely run to the N.C.A.A. tournament in the spring. "Big-time football, good football, respectable football, that's something alums can be proud of," Ambrose said. That's something this place has been missing for a long time. West unexpectedly gave Towson football one of its biggest boosts. His 156.3 rushing yards per game and 31 touchdowns lead the F.C.S. this season, and he holds team records for career rushing yards (4,205) and total touchdowns (75). West is one of three finalists for the Walter Payton Award, given to the outstanding player in the F.C.S. But in 2010, West was simply looking for a place to play. After graduating from Northwestern High School in Baltimore, West planned to play football at Clemson, he said, but low SAT scores diverted him to Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. Interest from Clemson waned, and West's backup plan to walk on at Maryland evaporated when Ralph Friedgen was fired as the Terrapins" coach. A paperwork problem foiled West's attempt to walk on at Morgan State, so the 5-foot-11, 223-pound West contacted Towson, undeterred by the Tigers" 1-10 record the season before. "I knew they was trying to build something," West said. I knew I could contribute to that. West, who was intrigued by the challenge of helping revive a program and desperate to play, said Towson offered the "perfect opportunity to contribute and help change the program around." Without a scholarship, West lived at home during his first semester, taking two city buses to arrive at Towson's early spring practices. Because of the public transportation schedule, he often arrived at 4 a.m., before the team's facilities were open. "When I saw that, I thought this kid might be a little different," Ambrose said. He wanted it bad. West cracked Towson's lineup two games into his freshman year, and by midseason Ambrose gave him a scholarship. Despite not having started a game, West finished the season with 1,294 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, a team record at the time, and won the Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the F.C.S. Now he is considered an N.F.L. prospect, although he will not talk about his plans. For now, he is just happy to have a home at Towson. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else right now," West said. I'm glad I came here.