2008 Troy Trojans - Recruiting Class

2008 Troy Trojans Head Coach: Larry Blakeney

Troy Trojans

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Jacoby Thomas LB 6-2 230 Mobile, Ala./Murphy HS

Ranked as the number 37 linebacker in the nation by Scout.com. Recorded 125 tackles and five sacks as a

junior.

Potential Instant Impact Players
 

Mario Addison DE 6-4 245 Birmingham, Ala./Tarrant HS/Northeast Miss. CC

Resigned with Troy after spending two solid seasons at Northeast Mississippi CC. During his sophomore season,

in nine games, had 60 tackles, including 45 solo, with 21.5 tackles for loss of 68 yards and 3.5 sacks. Also had

a pass breakup and two forced fumbles. During his freshman season he was credited with 46 total tackles,

including 26 solo, with 10 tackles for loss of 53.5 yards, four sacks, two forced fumbles

and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Daniel Sheffield S 6-4 210 Ashburn, Ga./Turner County HS/Garden City (KS) CC

Recorded 72 tackles (68 solo and four assisted) with one forced fumble and two interceptions for 33 yards as a

senior safety for Garden City Community College

Rest of the Class

Mario Addison DE 6-4 245 Birmingham, Ala./Tarrant HS/Northeast Miss. CC

Chris Anderson RB 5-10 180 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd-Anderson HS

Jimmie Arnold OL 6-2 290 Belle Glades, Fla./Day HS

Brandon Boudreax* DL 6-1 230 Auburn, Ala./Auburn HS

Talris Brown ATH 6-2 200 Milton, Fla./Milton HS

Jorrick Calvin DB 6-0 200 Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville Magnet HS/East Central (MS) CC

Jacob Creech* OL 6-3 275 Boaz, Ala./Boaz HS

Kanorris Davis LB 5-11 215 Perry, Ga./Perry HS

Tony Davis DL 6-2 250 Perry, Ga./Perry HS

DeAndre Dorn DT 6-5 300 Orlando, Fla./Olympia HS

Gavin Ellis WR 6-6 210 Cullman, Ala./Cullman HS

Calvin Francois DT 6-1 280 Hollywood, Fla./Hollywood Hills HS

Tebiarus Gill WR 6-3 190 Mobile, Ala./Vigor HS/Jones County (MS) JC

Maurice Greer RB 5-11 205 Denver, Colo./Mullen HS/Garden City (KS) CC

Stoney Jackson DE 6-4 220 Luverne, Ala./Luverne HS

Tim Lamb DT 6-1 300 Tallahassee, Fla./Lincoln HS/Hargrave (VA) Military Academy

Kedric Manning DB 5-11 190 Eatonton, Ga./Putnam County HS/Kilgore (TX) CC

Tony Mitchell RB 5-10 175 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Hollywood-Chaminade HS

Darius Morgan WR 6-4 200 Citra, Fla./North Marion HS

Chigozie Nwankwo DT 6-3 260 Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Hollywood-Chaminade HS

Dan Parker QB 6-0 200 Miami, Fla./Columbus HS

Felton Payton WR 6-3 180 Ft. Walton Beach, Fla./Ft. Walton Beach HS

Chris Perry ATH 5-9 165 Winter Park, Fla./Lake Howell HS

Kejuan Phillips* DB 5-10 180 Waycross, Ga./Ware County HS

Charles Reeves WR 5-11 180 Stone Mountain, Ga./Stone Mountain HS

Michael Ricks* S 6-3 190 Courtland, Ala./Courtland HS/Northeast Miss. CC

DeMarcus Robertson DB 5-11 195 Sunrise, Fla./Piper HS/Garden City (KS) CC

Corey Robinson QB 6-1 190 Paducah, Ky./Lone Oak HS

James Searcy DE 6-3 260 Newnan, Ga./Northgate HS

Daniel Sheffield S 6-4 210 Ashburn, Ga./Turner County HS/Garden City (KS) CC

Jacoby Thomas LB 6-2 230 Mobile, Ala./Murphy HS

Johnny Thompson LB 6-1 210 Valley, Ala./Valley HS

Kyle Wilborn OL 6-5 280 Newnan, Ga./Heritage HS

Terrence Williams LB 6-1 200 Prattville, Ala./Prattville HS

Bryan Willis DB 6-0 180 Columbus, Ga./Shaw HS

- 2007 Troy Season
- 2007 Troy Preview
- 2006 Troy Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2007 Record: 8-4

Sept. 1 at Arkansas L 46-26
Sept. 8 at Florida L 59-31
Sept. 14 Oklahoma St W 41-23
Sept. 22 at UL Laf. W 48-31
Sept. 29 UL Monroe W 24-7
Oct. 6 at FIU W 34-16
Oct. 20 North Texas W 45-7
Oct. 27 at Ark. St W 27-0
Nov. 3 at Georgia L 44-34
Nov. 10 at West. Ky W 21-17
Nov. 20 Middle Tenn W 45-7
Dec. 1 Florida Atlantic L 38-32

2008 Recap

Recap: The Trojans were built for a second straight Sun Belt Conference championship, and seemingly headed in that direction with one final hurdle remaining.  Florida Atlantic, however, had other plans.  The underdog Owls shocked Troy on Dec. 1, dethroning Troy and ending its eight-game winning streak in league games.  Although it was a good year on many levels for the Trojans, which beat Oklahoma State in September and hung with Georgia in November, they were unable to land another bowl game as the Sun Belt runner-up.

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Omar Haugabook

Defensive Player of the Year: CB Elbert Mack

Biggest Surprise: Sure, Troy was dangerous, but no one expected it to obliterate Oklahoma State on Sept. 15.  The Trojans dominated from the kickoff, opening up a 41-10 bulge after three quarters behind a monster effort through the air and on the ground from Haugabook.

Biggest Disappointment: With the league crown at stake, it was a foregone conclusion that the Trojans would beat Florida Atlantic at home, right? Uh-uh.  The Owl passing game took it to Troy for four quarters, winning 38-32, and leaving the defending champs without a 13^th game to play in December.          

Looking Ahead: It’s a good thing that Larry Blakeney has recruited so well in recent years because he’s going to need the depth in a post-Haugabook era.  While the offense gets up to speed in 2008, the Trojans will be paced by a defense that returns an all-league performer at each level. 

Dec. 1
Florida Atlantic 38 ... Troy 32
Florida Atlantic won the Sun Belt title and a trip to the New Orleans Bowl by forcing three turnovers and getting two second half touchdown passes from Rusty Smith. DiIvory Edgecomb started out the scoring with a one-yard run, and Willie Rose ran for a 41 yard touchdown, but Troy kept the pressure on with four Greg Whibbs field goals in the first half and two Omar Haugabook touchdown passes in the fourth quarter. The Trojans pulled within six on a 14-yard Gerald Tate catch with 4:25 to play, and then held as Troy got to the Owl 30 in the final minute before sputtering out.
Player of the game: Florida Atlantic QB Rusty Smith completed 23 of 34 passes or 291 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic - Passing: Rusty Smith, 23-34, 291 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Charles Pierre, 19-60, 1 TD. Receiving: Cortez Gent, 8-155, 1 TD
Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 35-47, 265 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Omar Haugabook, 23-86. Receiving: Gary Banks, 8-75
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Troy was prone to turning the ball over throughout the year, and this time it proved costly. Three giveaways, with Florida Atlantic not committing any turnovers, hurt, but the big problem was an inability to finish off drives in the first half. Time and again the Troy offense got close, only to have to settle for field goals. Omar Haugabook, mistakes and all, had a huge game, but this wasn't the way he'd have wanted to close out his Sun Belt career. It's a shame he had to carry the entire offense with top RB Kenny Cattouse hurt with an ankle injury.

Nov. 19
Troy 45 ... Middle Tennessee 7
Middle Tennessee tied the game late in the first quarter on a five-yard Stephen Chicola touchdown catch. Troy completely and totally dominated on both sides the ball the rest of the way scoring 38 unanswered points with Omar Haugabook scoring on two short runs along with a one-yard Sean Dawkins run. Cornelius Williams closed out the rout with a 16-yard touchdown catch. Troy came up with 37 first downs to 12 and outgained the Blue Raiders 551 yards to 209.
Player of the game: Troy QB Omar Haugabook completed 16 of 29 passes fro 194 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and ran 16 times for 64 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee - Passing: Joe Craddock, 18-25, 116 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeMarco McNair, 10-43. Receiving: Desmond Gee, 5-41
Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 16-29, 194 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Omar Haugabook, 16-64, 2 TD. Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 5-74
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Troy appears to be totally locked in with its best game of the year coming at just the right time. Middle Tennessee didn't have a chance once all the parts of the perfectly balanced Trojan attack started to hum, and now everything is set up for the showdown for the Sun Belt title against Florida Atlantic (as long as the Owls don't lose to FIU). The defense camped out in the backfield and Omar Haugabook was on, but to nitpick, there were two interceptions. The only was FAU can win next week is by winning the turnover battle.

Nov. 10
Troy 21 ... Western Kentucky 17
Troy held on as Western Kentucky scored the final ten points of the game, but failed to move the ball on its final two drives. The Trojans got a five-yard Gary Banks touchdown catch and a 16-yard Chris Bradwell fumble recovery for a score in the first, and a three-yard Kenny Cattouse touchdown run in the third for a 21-7 lead. Western Kentucky ran for 256 yards, while Troy ran for 241.
Player of the game: Troy RB Kenny Cattouse ran 19 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, and ran four times for 29 yards
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 12-25, 125 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 19-112, 1 TD. Receiving: Kenny Cattouse, 4-29
Western Kentucky - Passing: K.J. Black, 10-10, 149 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Stephen Willis, 7-158, 1 TD. Receiving: Curtis Hamilton, 9-147, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Trojans didn't need the game against Western Kentucky, but it kept the momentum going with its seventh win in eight games. Omar Haugabook had one of his worst games of the year, and the run defense struggled, but coming off the loss to Georgia, and with the showdowns with Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic ahead, the team can be forgiven if the intensity wasn't there. One win in the final two games assures at least a tie for the Sun Belt title.

Nov. 3
Georgia 44 ... Troy 34
Knowshown Moreno tore off an 80-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and Matthew Stafford threw two second quarter touchdown passes to give Georgia a 24-10 lead, but Troy never backed down all game long with Omar Haugabook throwing a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jerrel Jernigan and connecting with Kennard Burton for a 44-yard score to pull within four. The Dawgs were able to pull away with two one-yard Moreno scoring runs and two Brandon Coutu field goals. The Trojans outgained Georgia 488 yards to 465.
Player of the game: Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno ran 26 times for 196 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 29-45, 310 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 9-60. Receiving: Jerrell Jernigan, 11-102, 2 TD
Georgia - Passing: Matthew Stafford, 17-29, 217 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Knowshon Moreno, 26-196, 3 TD. Receiving: Sean Bailey, 5-57, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Give the Trojans credit for never backing down against Georgia, even if they didn't have enough ammo to keep up in the second half. Omar Haugabook kept pressing and pressing, and Jerrell Jernigan once again showed what a weapon he can be for the attack with 11 catches. Turnovers were a problem yet again, giving up four to make it 15 in three weeks, and those have to stop to make sure there isn't an upset to Western Kentucky next week.

Oct. 27
Troy 27 .. Arkansas State 0
Troy's defense pitched a near-perfect game holding Arkansas State to 237 yards and not allowing a third down conversion, while the offense got two one-yard touchdown runs from Omar Haugabook and two Greg Whibbs field goals. The defense put a capper on the domination with a one-yard Boris Lee fumble recovery for a score midway through the fourth. The two teams combined for eight turnovers.
Player of the game: Troy QB Omar Haugabook completed 14 of 23 passes for 156 yards and an interception, and ran 18 times for 94 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 14-23, 156 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Omar Haguabook, 18-94, 2 TD. Receiving: Jerrell Jernigan, 5-61
Arkansas State - Passing: Corey Leonard, 10-24, 105 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Corey Leonard, 18-56. Receiving: Levi Dejohnette, 4-11
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense has been unbelievable over the past month and came up with its magnum opus in the win over Arkansas State. It was a dominant thing of beauty with five sacks and play after play to snuff out drives. Now the offense has to figure out how to stop screwing up. A week after giving it away seven times in the win over North Texas, to turn it over four times this week is inexcusable. To upset Georgia in two weeks, ball security will be a must.

Oct. 20
Troy  45 ... North Texas 7
Troy turned it over seven times, but it didn't mater as Omar Haugabook threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Gary Banks, and caught a 22-yard score from Banks, as part of a 21-point first quarter. Haugabook kept bombing with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jerrel Jernigan and an eight-yard pass to Kenny Cattouse in the route. North Texas wasn't able to take advantage of all the opportunities, only getting a 30-yard Micah Mosley score late in the third.
Player of the game: Troy DE Kenny Mainor made nine tackles and 3.5 sacks
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 25-37, 287 yds, 3 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Omar Haugabook, 12-42. Receiving: Gary Banks, 6-95, 1 TD
North Texas - Passing: Giovanni Vizza, 22-37, 172 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jamario Thomas, 8-19. Receiving: Brandon Jackson, 9-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Troy won't be able to overcome seven turnovers against anyone ever again, but North Texas isn't just anyone. Omar Haugabook was hardly sharp and there was no running game, but it didn't matter, The O kept screwing up, and the D kept making stops. There are bound to be clunkers, but the sign of a good team is being able overcome a lousy day and still win. 45-7 is still 45-7.

Oct. 6
Troy 34 ... Florida International 16
FIU made it interesting early on, holding a 7-0 lead into the second quarter on a four-yard run from Wayne Younger, but helped by a career day from Kenny Cattouse, Troy rumbled for a 34-3 run that wasn't stopped until Younger threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to James Rucker with 29 second to play. Omar Haugabook ran for a two-yard score and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Davis, but it as a 84-yard Leodis McKelvin punt return for a score and an 88-yard dash from Cattouse that turned the game into a blowout.
Player of the game: Troy RB Kenny Cattouse ran for 205 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, adding six catches for 18 yards.
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 24-34, 195 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 14-205, 1 TD. Receiving: Gary Banks, 6-65
Florida International - Passing: Wayne Younger, 19-40, 248 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Wayne Younger, 16-35, 1 TD . Receiving: Jason Frierson, 4-64
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It was a simple equation against FIU. Run the ball, don't turn it over, don't make any major mistakes, win the game. The Golden Panther offense didn't have enough to make any sort of a comeback once Troy got rolling. It was a major plus that Omar Haugabook didn't have to carry the load for a game, with Kenny Cattouse, and a great punt return from Leodis McKelvin, making things easy after the first FIU drive. One more breather against North Texas, and then the real work begins.

Sept. 29
Troy 24 ... UL Monroe 7
In a defensive battle, Boris Lee returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown, and Omar Haugabook hit Kennard Burton for a four-yard score and Josh Allen from six yards out as Troy came up with the hard win. UL Monroe managed a third quarter Zeek Zacharie touchdown catch from two yards out, but had problems with penalties turnovers. The two teams combined for 20 penalties and five turnovers.
Player of the game: Troy QB Omar Haugabook went 29-of-49 for 288 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, running for 25 yards on 10 carries.
Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 18-26, 114 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 20-159. Receiving: Darrell McNeal, 8-31
Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 29-49, 288 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 7-50. Receiving: Gary Banks, 8-97
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It might not have been pretty, and the run defense might have had a problem with Calvin Dawson, but the win over UL Monroe should be the key to a big run. Now at 2-0 in Sun Belt play, the Trojans get to layups against FIU and North Texas before traveling to Arkansas State. The offense could use more from the ground game, but if the defense plays as tough as it did this week, this should still be the Sun Belt's team to beat.

Sept. 22
Troy 48 ... UL Lafayette 31
Kenny Cattouse scored from 36, nine, and eight yards out, and Elbert Mack returned an interception 39 yards for a score as Troy overcame an early deficit to get the win. UL Lafayette got up 14-0 before everyone was in their seats. Jason Chery busted off an 80-yard touchdown run on the second play from scrimmage, and following a Troy fumble, Deon Wallace scored from six yards out,. And then the Trojan offense took over, with Omar Haugabook running for a 15-yard score and throwing two touchdown passes to go along with Cattouse's scores. The two teams combined for 1,072 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: Troy RB Kenny Cattouse ran 19 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael Desormeaux, 20-38, 158 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Michael Desormeaux, 21-159. Receiving: Derrick Smith, 6-72
Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 30-43, 297 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 19-139, 3 TD. Receiving: Josh Allen 7-128
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense is humming right now. After blowing past Oklahoma State, the Trojans got all the parts working against UL Lafayette, with a near perfect balance. The defense struggled a bit too much, especially giving up 345 yards on the ground, meaning the offense will have to continue to put up big numbers unless that tightens up in a hurry against all the good Sun Belt running games. The defensive line has to start doing more, and the return of Kenny Mainor should help.

Sept. 14
Troy 41 ... Oklahoma State 23
Bad weather delayed the start of the game, but a little rain didn't slow down Troy in the first half as it jumped out to a stunning 27-10 lead on a touchdown run and throw from Omar Haugabook, a 17-yard scoring play from WR Gary Banks to Mykeal Terry, and a 54-yard Leodis McKelvin punt return for a score. The Trojans stayed hot out of the locker room with two short touchdown runs from Haugabook and Sean Dawkins, while the OSU offense sputtered with missed passes, penalties, and poor play on third downs. Julius Crosslin ran for two short fourth quarter scores for the Cowboys.
Player of the game: Troy QB Omar Haugabook completed 33 of 48 passes for 371 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and ran 13 times for 49 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 33-48, 371 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny Cattouse, 12-62. Receiving: Gary Banks, 5.66
Oklahoma State - Passing: Zac Robinson, 27-37, 191 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Zac Robinson, 9-61. Receiving: Dez Bryant, 3-67
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Just being fired up to play in the national spotlight only goes so far. Troy came up with a perfectly executed game on both sides of the ball against Oklahoma State, with the offense inventive, efficient, and explosive early on, showing what a difference Omar Haugabook can make when he's accurate. The defense always hits hard at Troy, but once the rout was on, everyone was still popping. Now the key will be to keep the momentum going against UL Lafayette. Beating OSU is nice, but beating ULL means more.

Sept. 8
Florida 59 ... Troy 31
Florida cranked out 49 first half points as Tim Tebow threw three touchdown passes and ran for a three-yard score. Troy didn't exactly make it interesting after going into the locker room down by 42, but it didn't give up as Omar Haugabook ran for a touchdown and threw two touchdown passes. Tebow added a 16-yard touchdown run late in the fourth after playing the entire game. Florida outgained the Trojans 500 yards to 336 and 264 yards to 53 on the ground.
Player of the game: Florida QB Tim Tebow went 18-of-25 for 236 yards and three touchdown passes, and had 93 yards and two more scores on the ground.
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 29-52, 283 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 6-18. Receiving: Austin Silvoy, 5-72, 2 TDs
Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 18-25, 236 yds, 3 TDs
Rushing: Tim Tebow, 17-93, 2 TDs. Receiving: Cornelius Ingram, 7-105, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Trojan defense has taken a beating over the first two games against Arkansas and Florida, and while that's not a surprise, the real concern, as it applies to future Sun Belt play, is the issue with quarterbacks who move. Granted, Darren McFadden isn't your normal quarterback, and Tim Tebow is special, but considering the Sun Belt quarterbacks run, and Oklahoma State's mobile Bobby Reid is up next, it's a trend worth watching. Give the Trojans credit for not giving up after halftime. It was never a ball game, but QB Omar Haugabook certainly made it interesting.

Sept. 1
Arkansas 46 ... Troy 26
Arkansas got 100-yard rushing days from both Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, and also got a 42-yard McFadden touchdown pass to Crosby Tuck as part of a big third quarter. After a tight first half, with Troy getting a 17-yard Gerald Tate touchdown catch and a one-yard Kenny Cattouse scoring run, Arkansas pulled away in the second half as Jones, who also tore off a 100-yard kickoff return for a score, ran for a 44-yard score. The Trojans got their final points on a two-yard Tanner Jones run as time ran out.
Player of the game ... Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran 24 times for 151 yards and a touchdown, caught two passes for 30 yards,  and completed one pass for a 42-yard score.
Stat Leaders: Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 15-43, 204 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jamie Hampton, 3-72  Receiving: Gary Banks, 5-66
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 11-20, 108 yds
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 24-151, 1 TD  Receiving: Peyton Hillis, 6-39
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas is going to run for 350 yards on just about everyone, so there's no need to be too upset about the defensive performance against the Hogs. What was a problem was Omar Haugabook's accuracy, completing just 15 of 43 passes, but bombing for 204 yards. Troy needs Haugabook to be consistent, especially on third downs, and he needs to keep the chains moving against Florida and Oklahoma State over the next few weeks. If he's completing 35% of his passes, Troy will get blown out again.