Troy gets up big in blowout over Owls

2009 Troy Trojans ... Head Coach: Larry Blakeney

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 9-3
2009 Record: 8-3

9/3 at Bowling Green L 31-14
9/12 at Florida L 56-6
9/19 UAB W 27-14
9/26 at Arkansas St W 30-27
10/6 Middle Tenn. W 31-7
10/10 OPEN DATE
10/17 at FIU W 42-33
10/24 No Texas W 50-26
10/31 ULM W 42-21
11/7 at WKU W 40-20
11/14 at Arkansas W 56-20
11/21 FAU W 47-21
11/28 at UL Lafayette

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 8-5

8/28 at Middle Tenn W 31-17
9/6 at LSU PPD
9/13 Alcorn State W 65-0
9/20 at Ohio State L 28-10
9/27 at Oklahoma St L 55-24
10/7 at Florida Atlantic W 30-17
10/11 OPEN DATE
10/18 FIU W 33-23
10/25 at North Texas W 45-17
11/1 at UL Monroe L 31-30
11/8 West. Kentucky W 17-7
11/15 at LSU L 41-30
11/22 UL Lafayette W 48-3
11/29 OPEN DATE
12/6 Arkansas State W 35-9
New Orleans Bowl
12/21 So. Miss L 30-27 OT

Troy Trojans

Nov. 21
at Troy 47 … Florida Atlantic 21
Troy earned at least a share of the Sun Belt title with three Levi Brown touchdown passes highlighted by a 59-yard Cornelius Williams catch made it a blowout. The Trojans got up 40-7 before FAU got a touchdown pass and a three-yard scoring run from Jeff Van Camp in the third quarter. FAU committed 17 penalties for 156 yards and gave up 651 yards of Troy offense.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 27-of-36 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns with an interception
Florida Atlantic: Passing: Jeff Van Camp, 22-33, 193 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Alfred Morris, 17-137, 1 TD, Receiving: Lester Jean, 5-54
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 27-36, 477 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jerrel Jernigan, 6-51, 1 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 6-147 
What It All Means: The Trojans aren’t playing any pass defense and the turnover margin is a problem, but they’re going to win the Sun Belt title and they have a shot at a ten-win season. What’s interesting about this year’s team is that the defense that normally carries the way hasn’t shown up. The nation’s fourth best passing attack, and fourth best offense, has been destroying everyone in Sun Belt play, and it shouldn’t have a problem bombing away on Louisiana-Lafayette to close out the regular season.

Nov. 14
at Arkansas 56 … Troy 20
Ryan Mallett became the Arkansas single-season passing leader bombing away for 405 yards and five scores including two to Ronnie Wingo from 16 and 83 yards away. Troy bombed away with Levi Brown throwing for 321 yards, but he threw three interceptions and the team lost the ball four times. Arkansas jumped over every mistake on the way to a 28-7 first half lead and was never threatened. 24 different players between the two teams caught passes, and 13 players got carries.
Player of the Game: Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett completed 23-of-30 passes for 405 yards and five scores with an interception.
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 29-50, 321 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Shawn Southward, 9-42, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 5-43
Arkansas: Passing: Ryan Mallett, 23-30, 405 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dennis Johnson, 4-58, Receiving: Jarius Wright, 5-67, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Levi Brown tried to bomb his way back into the game, but there were too many mistakes and the hole was too big to climb out of. The defense isn’t the killer of past seasons, but the Arkansas offense is hitting its stride; there’s no reason to get too upset about giving up 592 yards. Now it’s time to get back to work needing to beat FAU and Louisiana-Lafayette to cement a nine-win regular season and the Sun Belt title.

Nov. 7
Troy 40 … at Western Kentucky 20
Shaun Southward ran for four touchdowns and Levi Brown threw a ten-yard scoring pass to Zack Marcum as Troy got more of a fight than expected. The Trojans held a 21-20 lead at halftime, and then woke up in the second half scoring 19 unanswered points on Southward runs from one, ten, and 39 yards out. WKU came up with 422 yards of total offense with Kawaun Jakes throwing for 185 yards and running for 121 yards and a score.
Player of the Game: Troy RB Shaun Southward ran 19 times for 139 yards and four scores, and he caught a pass for 16 yards
WKU: Passing: Kawaun Jakes, 19-34, 185 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kawaun Jakes, 18-121, 1 TD, Receiving: Jake Gaebler, 5-57
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 20-33, 251 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Shawn Southward, 19-139, 4 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 6-81
What It All Means: Troy can be forgiven for sleepwalking through the layup. Clearly the team didn’t bring its A game against a team it should’ve beaten by 50, and now the Trojans will have to turn it back on to make a statement for the league with a big performance at Arkansas. Shaun Southward gave the offense another dimension with his four rushing scores, but everything will still revolve around Levi Brown and the passing game in a shootout against the Hogs. 

Oct. 31
at Troy 42 … ULM 21
Levi Brown threw four touchdown passes and Jerrel Jernigan caught 13 passes with a 41-yard scoring play as Troy got up early and had few problems. ULM got three Cody Wells touchdown passes, with two going to Darrell McNeal, but Troy’s Boris Lee ended any threat with a 30-yard interception return for a score. Lee made 14 tackles.
Player of the Game: Troy WR Jerrel Jernigan caught 13 passes for 203 yards and a score, ran once for five yards, and returned two passes for 60 yards.
ULM: Passing: Cody Wells, 23-36, 279 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Frank Goodin, 20-94, Receiving: LaGregory Sapp, 6-107
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 28-41, 378 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 13-24, 1 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 13-203, 1 TD 
What It All Means: This is the best team in the conference by ten miles. It’s over; Levi Brown is the Sun Belt Player of the Year, while WR Jerrel Jernigan was brilliant against ULM and Boris Lee was all over the field making plays. On a six-game winning streak, Troy should rip up Western Kentucky next week before having a chance to prove itself against Arkansas. The secondary will get destroyed by the Hogs, but Brown and the Trojan offense should be able to keep up the pace for at least a half.

Oct. 24
at Troy 50 … North Texas 26
Troy exploded for 17 points in the first quarter with two short DuJuan Harris touchdown runs and got a 20-yard touchdown pass from Levi Brown to Tebiarus Gill and a six-yard Brown touchdown run on the way to a 41-7 lead. North Texas got touchdown runs from three and 69 yards out, and a 60-yard touchdown catch, from Lance Dunbar, and a seven-yard Michael Outlaw catch, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep up. Troy outgained UNT 697 yards to 395.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 27-of-44 passes for 469 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for a score.
North Texas: Passing: Nathan Tune, 22-33, 267 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Lance Dunbar, 14-111, 2 TD, Receiving: Michael Outlaw, 7-112, 1 TD
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 27-44, 469 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 12-66, 2 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 5-83
What It All Means: Levi Brown is unstoppable. A near-lock to win the Sun Belt Player of the Year honors, he had his best game yet in a great season throwing for 469 yards in the blowout. The defense did its part by keeping the North Texas offense under wraps until the game was well out of hand, but this win belongs to Brown and the offense. The running game got several players involved, while 14 different players caught passes. The production needs to continue against a strong ULM team next week. 

Oct. 17
Troy 42 … at FIU 33
Levi Brown threw three touchdown passes, including a 40-yarder to Jerrel Jernigan, and DuJuan Harris ran for two short scores as Troy fought off a game FIU. The Golden Panthers pulled within eight before halftime on a nine-yard Kendall Berry catch with 1:10 to play and turned a turnover into a 22-yard Dustin Rivest field goal, but the Trojans scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away for good. Troy outgained FIU 565 yards to 303, but committed 11 penalties and turned it over three times.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 28-of-37 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns
FIU: Passing: Paul McCall, 27-48, 257 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Daunte Owens, 13-21, 1 TD, Receiving: T.Y. Hilton, 6-44
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 28-37, 391 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 17-86, 1 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 5-97, 1 TD
What It All Means: The Trojan offense continues to be fantastic with Levi Brown all but cementing the Sun Belt Player of the Year honors with the way he’s bombing away. The Trojans rolled up 565 yards on FIU, and while the 11 penalties for 115 yards were a problem and the 265 Golden Panther passing yards allowed made the game too interesting, but it was another good win. With home games against North Texas and ULM up next before a road date at Western Kentucky, a 6-0 Sun Belt start is a must. 

Oct. 6
at Troy 31 .. Middle Tennessee 7
Troy scored the first 24 points of the game with Dantavious Parker and Shawn Southward each running for short scores and Chip Reeves taking a Levi Brown pass 52 yards for a score. Middle Tennessee finally got on the board late in the third quarter on a Tavarres Jefferson 35-yard touchdown pass, but Troy quickly answered with a 28-yard Parker run to put the game away. The two teams combined for 19 penalties.
Player of the Game: Troy RB Dantavious Parker and Maurice Greer ran 13 times for 163 yards and two touchdowns
Middle Tennessee: Passing: Dwight Dasher, 24-44, 245 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dwight Dasher, 18-53 & D.D. Kyles, 6-53, Receiving: Tavarres Jefferson, 7-79, 1 TD
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 18-30, 191 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Dantavious Parker, 6-83, 2 TD, Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, 6-32
What It All Means: Levi Brown and the passing game didn't explode like it did in previous games, but the offense got a balanced, consistent effort early on while the defense didn't let the Middle Tennessee offense go on any long, sustained drives. The O line gave up three sacks but paved the way for 264 yards while springing big runs for Dantavious Parker and Maurice Greer. Now the Trojans have a firm grip on the Sun Belt race with wins over Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee, and now there's a week off before the easy part of the slate kicks in.

Sept. 26
Troy 30 … at Arkansas State 27
Troy converted a muffed punt with an eight-yard Levi Brown touchdown pass to Cornelius Williams with 7:53 to play, and the defense held on for the great Sun Belt win. Levi Brown threw two scoring passes on the day and Sam Glusman kicked three field goals, but ASU kept the heat on as Corey Leonard connected with Brandon Thompkins for a 58-yard score and Reggie Arnold ran for two one-yard scores. Troy outgained ASU 507 yards to 305, but the two teams combined for 18 penalties and six lost fumbles.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 33-of-46 passes for 355 yards and two touchdowns.
Arkansas State: Passing: Corey Leonard, 12-24, 190 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Reggie Arnold, 12-32, 2 TD, Receiving: Brandon Thompkins, 4-82, 1 TD
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 33-4, 355 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 13-48, 1 TD, Receiving: TeBiarus Gill, 10-85, 1 TD 
What It All Means: Who’s playing better than Levi Brown? The Troy senior has completed 57-of-78 passes for 768 yards and four touchdowns over the last two weeks, and he came through when needed to get a fantastic Sun Belt road win against ASU. There were mistakes with 11 penalties and three fumbles, but the offense did a nice job of keeping the chains moving and the defense did what it needed to on third downs to get off the field. This was a Sun Belt title type of statement, but now comes the showdown with a red-hot Middle Tennessee.

Sept. 19
at Troy 27 … UAB 14
Levi Brown bombed away for 413 yards with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tebiarus Gill in the second quarter and a 63-yarder to Chip Reeves in the third to give Troy a 17-3 lead. A DuJuan Harris 22-yard TD run gave the Trojans breathing room, but UAB tried to fight back with a 17-yard Jeffery Anderson scoring grab in the fourth. Sam Glusman’s second field goal kept Troy safety ahead.
Player of the Game: Troy QB Levi Brown completed 24-of-32 passes for 413 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 24-32, 412 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 18-61, 1 TD, Receiving: Chip Reeves, 5-95, 1 TD
UAB: Passing: Joe Webb, 14-27, 114 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe Webb, 19-76, Receiving: Mark Ferrell, 4-29
What It All Means: Troy isn’t about throwing the ball all over the field and would normally like to win with the running game and the defense, but the play of Levi Brown showed that the offense can make things happen through the air. Now the Sun Belt has to worry about the passing game more, meaning there should be more room for DuJuan Harris to run. The defense did a nice job of bottling up UAB QB Joe Webb, and now it needs to do the same at Arkansas State against QB Corey Leonard. The one negative in the easy win was the penalties. Troy committed 15 for 142 yards. 

Sept. 12
at Florida 56 …Troy 6  
It took a quarter for the Gator offense to get humming, and then came the rain, literally, as Tim Tebow threw two of his four touchdown passes, and ran for another, in a 28-point second quarter run. In the lousy weather conditions, Troy didn't get into the end zone managing two Sam Glusman field goals and just 139 yards of total offense, while the Gators rolled for 663 yards and couldn't be stopped once Tebow found a rhythm. Deonte Thompson caught two of Tebow's touchdown passes scoring from six and 33 yards out.
Player of the Game: Florida QB Tim Tebow completed 15-of-24 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns, and he ran 13 times for 71 yards and a score
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 8-24, 1 INT
Rushing: DuJuan Harris, 16-44, Receiving: Cornelius Williams, 2-10
Florida: Passing: Tim Tebow, 15-24, 237 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Jeffery Demps, 7-87, 1 TD, Receiving: Riley Cooper, 5-82, 1 TD
What It All Means: It's Florida, so there's no reason to be too upset about a 56-6 loss, but coming off the disaster against Bowling Green, the Trojans would've liked to have taken something positive away from the trip to Gainesville. The offense didn't do anything against the swarming Gator defense, with Levi Brown having a nightmare of an afternoon throwing the ball, while the defense that is suppose to be so strong didn't have an answer after the first quarter. Now comes UAB and now is when the team has to take a big breath and prepare for the the real goal, the Dun Belt title. A good performance is a must after the way the first two weeks have gone.

Sept. 3
at Bowling Green 31 ... Troy 14
Troy jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a two-yard DuJuan Harris touchdown run and a 12-yard scoring catch from Jerrel Jernigan, and then Tyler Sheehan and Freddie Barnes took over to give new Bowling Green head coach Dave Clawson his first win. Sheehan threw three touchdown passes with two to Barnes from 31 and eight yards out to spark a run of 31 unanswered points. The Falcon defense closed out the game with Adrien Spencer picking off a pass for a 64-yard score with just over two minutes to play.
Player of the Game: Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan completed 32-of-44 passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and Freddie Barnes caught 15 passes for 157 yards and two scores with five yards on two carries.
Troy: Passing: Levi Brown, 28-44, 263 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jerrel Jernigan, 4-30, Receiving: Tebiarus Gill, 8-102
Bowling Green: Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 32-44, 339 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Willie Geter, 9-49, Receiving: Freddie Barnes, 15-157, 2 TD
What It All Means: Troy’s offense never got going with the ground game, Bowling Green put the clamps down right away, and the defense failed to pick up the slack. LB Boris Lee did his job and was great against the run, but the defensive front failed to generate enough pressure and the offense didn’t do enough to stay on the field. BGSU had the ball for 20:25 in the second half mainly because Levi Brown couldn’t connect on his third down throws and none of the running backs produced. Jerrel Jernigan can’t be the team’s leading rusher.