Levi Brown sets school record in Troy’s win

TROY — Right after Levi Brown set a school record with 469 yards in Troy’s 50-26 win over North Texas, he got a special surprise.

There was Sim Byrd, who set the original record with 454 yards in 1968, waiting to congratulate him.

“It was great,” Brown said. “I’ve been wanting to meet him for a long time. When he came down and spoke to me, it meant a lot to me.”

Brown hit 27-of-44 passes and threw a 20-yard scoring pass to TeBiarus Gill that gave Troy a 31-7 lead late in the first half. His 6-yard run gave Troy a 41-7 lead early in the third quarter. Brown is now fourth on the all-time passing list with 4,178 yards. Byrd’s record of 7,619 is unattainable this year, but Brown is climbing up the charts.

“He has pretty much every passing record there is at Troy,” Brown said. “I’ve been notching away at him, or trying to, so it was an honor to finally meet him.”

The win was Troy’s fifth straight and improved the Trojans to 5-2, 4-0 in league play. UNT dropped to 1-6, 0-4.
Byrd, who lives in Montgomery, said his most treasured memory wasn’t the records he set, but being a part of the national championship team in 1968.

The meeting after the game was the first time Brown and Byrd had met.

“I’m thrilled to death for Levi,” Byrd said. “That’s what it’s all about. The young man is a great athlete, has great composure in the pocket and has all the talent. He deserves it, and it’s something he’ll look back on.”

Brown’s 39-yard strike to Austin Silvoy broke the record. He didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter.

“Levi made it known to me after the catch,” Silvoy said. “I hope my picture’s right there in the record books too. It’s exciting that it took that long and that it finally got here.”

NCAA bylaw 16.1.4.5 allows for student-athletes to receive a game ball to recognize an extraordinary achievement, such as a school record. Head coach Larry Blakeney said he’d give him a game ball if it’s legal.

“Levi’s the right kind of guy,” Blakeney said. “He’ll handle it with class, and he’ll give as much credit to Sim as he would to himself.”

Troy jumped out to a 17-0 lead and never looked back, scoring 50 on a Sun Belt opponent. The Trojans also ran for 205 yards, led by DuJuan Harris’ 66 yards and two touchdowns. Shawn Southward and Maurice Greer also added rushing touchdowns.

Defensive end Eugene Kinlaw recorded a third-quarter safety when he tackled North Texas quarterback Nathan Tune in the end zone.

“The chemistry is better,” Harris said. “We really came out and played as one tonight, and that is what we have to do. We executed pretty well and were able to score pretty quick.”

Michael Taylor, filling in for injured Sam Glusman, nailed field goals from 38 and 30 yards and hit all six of his extra points.

The Trojans will host UL-Monroe next week at 6 p.m. in a battle of unbeaten Sun Belt teams. Troy and ULM (3-0) are the final undefeated teams in the league.

“We’ve got to remember what got us here and keep working hard in practice,” Brown said.

Meanwhile, Brown hopes his record won’t last long.

“I hope Dan (Parker) or Jamie (Hampton) or one of them breaks it next year. Maybe I’ll break it again,” Brown said. “Who knows?”

First quarter
12:28 Troy 7, UNT 0: DuJuan Harris 1 run (Michael Taylor PAT) 6 plays, 60 yards, 1:32. Key play: DuJuan Harris with a 21-yard rush to the UNT 10.

7:48 Troy 14, UNT 0: Harris 3 run (Taylor PAT). 5 plays, 62 yards, 1:28. Key play: Jerrel Jernigan’s 39-yard reception to the UNT 23 on the first play.

0:34 Troy 17, UNT 0: Taylor 30 FG. 13 plays, 40 yards, 4:56. Key play: Jason Bruce with a 17-yard reception to the UNT 28 on 3rd and long.

Second quarter
13:44 Troy 17, UNT 7: Lance Dunbar 3 run (Jeremy Knott PAT). 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:50. Key play: Nathan Tune hit Michael Outlaw for a 35-yard gain to the Troy 3.

5:20 Troy 24, UNT 7: Maurice Greer 1 run (Taylor PAT). 12 plays, 56 yards, 4:17. Key play: Jernigan’s 16-yard reception to the UNT 5.

1:09 Troy 31, UNT 7: TeBiarus Gill 20 pass from Levi Brown (Taylor PAT). 4 plays, 82 yards, 0:58. Key play: Cornelius Williams with a 58-yard reception on 3rd down to the UNT 21.

0:00 Troy 34, UNT 7: Taylor 38 FG. 6 plays, 35 yards, 0:52. Key play: Bear Woods’ first career INT gave Troy the ball at its 44 with less than a minute left.

Third quarter
11:58 Troy 41, UNT 7: Levi Brown 6 run (Taylor PAT). 9 plays, 78 yards, 3:02. Key play: Patrick Cherry’s 29-yard reception to the UNT 25.

11:47 Troy 41, UNT 13: Lance Dunbar 60 pass from Tune (PAT blocked). 1 play, 60 yards, 0:11. Key play: The touchdown, which was a screen pass.

7:22 Troy 43, UNT 13: Safety, Eugene Kinlaw tackles Nathan Tune in the end zone.

4:06 Troy 50, UNT 13: Shawn Southward 2 run (Taylor PAT). 10 play, 68 yards, 3:16. Key play: Greer’s 17-yard reception on 4th down to the UNT 7.

Fourth quarter
11:46 Troy 50, UNT 19: Dunbar 66 run (PAT blocked). 4 play, 79 yards, 2:14. Key play: The touchdown.

4:33 Troy 50, UNT 26: Michael Outlaw 7 pass from Tune (Knott PAT). 12 play, 86 yards, 6:07. Key play: A 33-yard pass to Outlaw early in the drive.