Troy beats Florida Atlantic, but loses quarterback

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Troy got its revenge and made another good showing on national television in a 30-17 win over Florida Atlantic Tuesday night.

But the price may have been higher than the victory.

Starting quarterback Jamie Hampton was helped off the field late in the third quarter, and he was not putting any weight on his left leg.

The fear was a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and the Trojans are already preparing for the rest of the season without the sophomore.

“If I remember, I was stood up at the line,” Hampton said. “I don’t know if it was a cheap shot or not, but it seemed like someone dove at my leg. From then, it bent inward and I knew something was wrong.”

Hampton will likely have an MRI today to determine the severity of the injury. He broke his ankle in 10th grade, so he’s seen a serious injury before.

“It’s nothing like this,” Hampton said. “You’ve just got to look at it on the bright side. You’ve got to go on with your life. I know it’s God’s will that it happened so it’s all good.

“I don’t ever pray for my will to go down; I pray for His.”

Hampton left the game when it was 27-10. Backup quarterback Tanner Jones led the Trojans on a drive that ended with Sam Glusman’s third field goal of the night.

FAU added a late touchdown, but the defense held and Troy avenged its loss to the Owls last year.

But the more pressing question is how Troy’s quarterbacking situation will unfold.

Offensive coordinator Neal Brown said Jones went in over Levi Brown because Jones outperformed Brown in Sunday’s junior varsity game against Georgia Military and Jones has more game experience.

Now, the competition is back open for Troy’s next game, which is Oct. 18 against Florida International at home.

“We’ll go back to the drawing board,” Brown said. “It’s a good thing we’ve got an off week.”

The competition could include true freshman Dan Parker, who is more mobile than Brown or Jones, but doesn’t have the experience.

Packages with speedy wideout Jerrel Jernigan could be used. He took three snaps at quarterback Tuesday.

Hampton finished 10-of-21 for 116 yards and an interception. He led Troy in rushing with 61 yards on 16 carries, including a 2-yard score that put Troy up 7-3 early and a 1-yard score that gave Troy a 27-10 lead in the third quarter.

Troy’s spread offense is at its best with a mobile quarterback.

“You play with fire when you run the quarterback,” Brown said. “I’ve been in this offense for eight years and we’ve never lost (a quarterback to injury). He’s the first one.”

Teammates consoled Hampton during the game, and ESPN cameras showed Hampton on the trainer’s table numerous times.

“It’s demoralizing for the fact that we all love Jamie,” left tackle Chris Jamison said. “Not because he’s our quarterback, but because he’s a great guy. It’s a blow to our offense, but we have just as much trust in Levi and Tanner to run the offense.

“We’ve just got to close the ranks and pick up the pace on offense.”

Troy’s defense pressured Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year Rusty Smith, as Terence Moore and Boris Lee each had interceptions. Smith hit 21-of-41 passes for 283 yards.

Smith was sacked four times.

“Our main thing was to put pressure on him, get outside, get off blocks and make plays,” said defensive end Brandon Lang, who had two tackles for loss — including a sack of Smith for a loss of 15 yards.

The Trojans also recovered a kickoff that bounced off the helmet of FAU blocker Rob Housler and benefited when a snap went over Keegan Peterson’s head in the third quarter.

Peterson recovered the snap, but he kicked it out of bounds at the 4-yard line. Hampton’s 1-yard score after that made it 27-10.

Troy flew back into Dothan’s airport Tuesday night. The team will practice today before taking the rest of the week off.

First quarter
12:08 FAU 3, Troy 0: Warley Leroy 34 FG.  8 plays, 54 yards, 2:52. Key play: Cortez Gent with a 32-yard reception to the Troy 18.

4:07 Troy 7, FAU 3: Jamie Hampton 2 run (Sam Glusman PAT).  11 plays, 53 yards, 4:35. Key play: A face mask on third down gave Troy ball first down at the 2.

Second quarter
13:57 Troy 10, FAU 3: Glusman 20 FG.  9 plays, 38 yards, 3:42. Key play: Hampton hit Patrick Cherry for a 19-yard gain to the 6.

13:41 Troy 17, FAU 3: DuJuan Harris 16 run.  2 plays, 16 yards, 0:11. Key play: The kickoff hit an FAU blocker in the helmet and Troy recovered at the FAU 16.

4:33 Troy 17, FAU 10: Jamari Grant 8 pass from Rusty Smith (Leroy PAT). 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:16. Key play: Cortez Gent with a 12-yard reception to the Troy 14 on third down.

Third quarter
11:47 Troy 20, FAU 10: Glusman 35 FG. 10 plays, 52 yards, 2:13. Key play: On 4th and 4, Jerrel Jernigan with an 11-yard catch to the FAU 16.

9:28 Troy 27, FAU 10: Hampton 1 run (Glusman PAT). 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:41. Key play: A bad snap forced FAU’s punter to kick the ball out of bounds at the 4.

Fourth quarter
12:00 Troy 30, FAU 10: Glusman 31 FG. 16 plays, 67 yards, 6:01. Key play: Tanner Jones ran for 2 yards on a 4th and 1 to the FAU 29.

7:08 Troy 30, FAU 17: Rusty Smith 1 run (Leroy PAT). 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:52. Key play: Chad Wilkes with a 24-yard reception to the 3.