Troy beats Florida Atlantic, clinches Sun Belt

TROY — Troy players celebrated with the military and with fireworks after the Trojans made a fourth straight Sun Belt title look easy with a 47-21 win over Florida Atlantic Saturday.

Quarterback Levi Brown broke his own single-game school record, hitting 27-of-36 passes for 477 yards. He broke Sim Byrd’s 1968 single-season record with 3,575 yards and moved up into third on the all-time Trojan list.

Troy (8-3, 7-0 Sun Belt) avenged its last loss at home, which came in 2007 when the Owls beat Troy to go to the New Orleans Bowl and keep the Trojans at home.

This game was never in doubt, as Brown fired three touchdowns, Eufaula’s Jerrel Jernigan caught six passes for 147 yards and ran for 51 yards and the Trojans won their ninth straight conference game.

“It was like a storybook,” linebacker Bear Woods said. “We didn’t want to leave no doubt, and to beat a team like FAU and to beat them with class, that’s what Troy football’s all about. We don’t change our ways, and we win with class.”

Brown threw touchdown passes of 19 yards to Patrick Cherry, 59 to Cornelius Williams and 5 yards to TeBiarus Gill. Jernigan, Shawn Southward and Maurice Greer had rushing touchdowns, and Michael Taylor kicked field goals of 43 (career-high) and 36 yards.

With the win, Troy now has a chance to go to the New Orleans Bowl for the second straight and third out of four years, but no New Orleans Bowl officials were at Troy. The school has been non-committal about accepting an invitation to the Dec. 20 game.

The Sun Belt is obligated to send its champion to that bowl, but it can opt out if another league team has seven wins, which Middle Tennessee does. Several possibilities exist, such as the GMAC Bowl in Mobile and the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham.

“I’m not in that decision-making or prognosticating place,” head coach Larry Blakeney said. “As far as I’m concerned, we just accepted the bid to the New Orleans Bowl right out there by whipping FAU. If anything else is different, it’ll come from the top, from (chancellor) Dr. (Jack) Hawkins or (athletics director) Steve (Dennis) or the commissioner.

“I know what makes for a good trip for the players, period. I will be in for the players on this decision thing, and I know that’s what Dr. Jack and Steve will want.”
Most Troy players came to the postgame interviews saying they would be content to go to any bowl, some correcting themselves after the words “New Orleans” came out of their mouths. Bowl bids are finalized on Dec. 6, though most bowls are done deals before then.

“That’s what we always think about all year (New Orleans),” Woods said. “It’s like your parents telling you you’re going to Wally World but at the end trying to switch it up and go to 6 Flags. We want New Orleans. I do.”

Said center Danny Franks, “I’m like Bear. I want to go to New Orleans. That’s what’s promised to the Sun Belt, and that’s what we worked for all year. That’s what we chant in drills, and that’s what we want to do.”

FAU (3-7, 3-3) was led by Alfred Morris’ 137 rushing yards on 17 carries but was flagged for 156 yards on 17 penalties. Troy had 651 yards of total offense to FAU’s 348.

“Troy embarrassed us and the university,” Owls head coach Howard Schnellenberger said. “Troy outplayed us in every aspect of the game, and they won it big.”

First quarter
7:32 Troy 7, FAU 0: Shawn Southward 1-yard run (Michael Taylor PAT). 11 plays, 90 yards, 3:09. Key play: Patrick Cherry 27-yard catch from Levi Brown down to the FAU 17.

4:08 Troy 14, FAU 0: Brown to Cherry 19-yard catch (Taylor PAT). 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:19. Key play: Just before the TD, DuJuan Harris takes a short pass and goes for a 14-yard gain to the FAU 19.

1:11 Troy 14, FAU 7: Alfred Morris 45-yard run over the left side (Ross Gornall PAT). 7 plays, 81 yards, 2:57. Key play: Morris runs for 15 yards to the FAU42.

Second quarter
14:35 Troy 17, FAU 7: Taylor hits a career-long 43-yard field goal. 5 plays, 47 yards, 1:36. Key play: Tebiarus Gill catches 44-yard pass down to the 24.

9:31 Troy 23, FAU 7: Maurice Greer 1-yard run (Taylor misses PAT). 5 plays, 87 yards, 1:43. Key play: Jerrel Jernigan takes a short pass and breaks free 70 yards before stepping out at the 1.

2:22 Troy 30, FAU 7: Cornelius Williams catches 59-yard TD pass from Brown (Sam Glusman PAT). 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:37. Key play: Brown to Jernigan pass for 9 yards starts the drive on a good note.

0:00: Troy 33, FAU 7: On the final play of the first half, Taylor hits 36-yard field goal. 4 plays, 39 yards, 0:24. Key play: Greer ran for 9 yards and FAU was whistled for a facemask call, putting the ball on the FAU 29.

Third quarter
12:37 Troy 40, FAU 7: Jernigan 2-yard run up the middle from the wildcat formation (Taylor PAT). 7, 80, 2:23. Key play: Jason Bruce takes in 19-yard pass to the FAU 6.

8:36 Troy 40, FAU 14: QB Jeff Van Camp takes it in from 3 yards out (Gornall PAT). 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:01. Key play: Morris gets loose for a 48-yard run to the Troy 16.

0:14 Troy 40, FAU 21: Chris Bonner 6-yard catch from Van Camp (Gornall PAT). 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:47. Key play: Lester Jean catches third down pass for 15 yards to Troy 33.

Fourth quarter
12:36 Troy 47, FAU 21: Brown to Gill in the back of the end zone for 5-yard completion (Taylor PAT). 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:38. Key play: Brown rushed for 14 yards to the 10, and a personal foul on the tackle gave the Trojans five more yards.