Troy Holds Onto Palladium with Win

Tuesday, October 6

Troy, Ala.

7:00 p.m.

Troy University

Middle Tennessee

10/6/2009 11:15:00 PM | Football

TROY, Ala. - Many things highlight a rivalry, but only one a win or loss matters when it's all said and done. The Troy Trojans football team knocked off rival Middle Tennessee for the fourth time in a row on Tuesday night in Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium in front of a national audience. The Trojans used four touchdowns and a field goal to knock off the Blue Raiders 31-7.

The win also kept the Palladium trophy in the possession of the Trojans for another year. Troy has owned the trophy since 2006.

“What a great win for us tonight. I had no idea it would turn out that way,” Trojans head coach Larry Blakeney said. “Coming in I thought we had a chance in this one, but no idea it would turn out this way.”

Former offensive coordinator Tony Franklin made his return to Troy, but as a Middle Tennessee Blue Raider. Troy won the opening coin toss, and the Trojans elected to put the ball in his court to start the game.

The Trojans defense held the former Trojan's Blue Raider offense to 354 yards on the night, but more importantly just one touchdown. The Blue Raiders punted the ball away to Troy 11 times, and two other drives ended on downs. The only other possession was the lone touchdown.

“Anytime we beat Middle Tennessee it's a big win” Blakeney said. “It has been a pretty clean rivalry between these two. I can remember when we didn't do well against them. They are a good team, and they will have something to say about the league championship. It won't be in this game though.”

The first five possessions of the game all ended in punts until running back Shawn Southward scored his first career touchdown as a Trojan. Southward rushed for 36 on 12 carries.

Middle Tennessee's punts continued through the night, but Troy's soon ended. Quarterback Levi Brown credits that to the play of the Trojans defense in the game.

“We didn't do a whole lot in the first half, didn't do great in the second half, but they shut them down the whole game,” Brown said. “They were practicing Nascar, the set where you go reallly fast, all week, running 90 plays during practice in a row. I told them all week if ya'll can do that in practice, then ya'll will handle it when they run Nascar in the game and they obviously did it. Credit to the coaches and credit to the team for working hard.”

Southward's seven yard touchdown run ended a five play, 33-yard drive for the Trojans that took just 1:41 off the clock. With 5:58 left in the opening quarter the Trojans led the Blue Raiders 7-0.

The first half saw 15 punts booted away from both teams combined. The only alternate drive endings came on Troy's side. Two touchdowns and a fumble rounded out the 18 first half possessions for both teams.

Troy's second touchdown of the game came late in the second quarter from two-minute offensive play. Brown hit receiver Chip Reeves on a 52-yard touchdown pass to end a very lackluster offensive first half for both teams. The score with just 20 seconds remaining in the half boosted the Troy lead to 14-0.

Brown finished the night 18-for-30 with 191 yards passing and the lone touchdown.

The second half began with the same tune as the end of the first. Troy marched downfield and in eight plays quarterback Dantavious Parker ended the drive with a one-yard touchdown run. The 71-yard drive ran 2:46 off of the third quarter clock, and the Trojans worked their way to a commanding 21-0 lead.

The Blue Raiders could do nothing with the ball, after another punt the Trojans posted three more points on the ensuing drive. Sophomore kicker Michael Taylor made his first career field goal from 26-yards out to end a five play drive. The Taylor field goal increased the lead to 24-0.

The Trojans defense was intent on shutting out the Blue Raiders for the entire game. The defense did its part too holding the Blue Raiders on a goal line stand on their next possession. Middle Tennessee drove to the Trojans one-yard line and couldn't get the score.

“We had some good pressure packages,” Blakeney said. “It was just a great defensive effort.”

The goal line stand held the Blue Raiders on the previous drive, but quarterback Dwight Dasher found a way to get his team on the board. With two minutes left in the third quarter Middle Tennessee ran four plays and scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Dasher to Tavarres Jefferson. The Trojans lead was down to 17 with a 24-7 lead, but it wouldn't be that way long.

Dasher completed 24-of-44 passes for 245 yards as he was forced to shoulder the offensive load for MTSU. He also rushed for 53 yards. Troy held the Blue Raider running backs to just 56 yards on the ground.

Troy's front seven harassed Middle Tennessee's rushers all night. Eugene Kinlaw was in the backfield on multiple occasions posting two tackles for loss for 17 yards, including a 10-yard sack of Dasher. Kevin Dixon added a sack and Bear Woods lead the way with nine tackles.

Parker scored the Trojans fourth touchdown of the night on just the third play of the next possession when he rushed right up the middle for 28 yards and the score. The lead pushed back to 24 in favor of Troy when the Trojans led 31-7. The fourth quarter touchdown came with 14:53 left in the game.

Parker continued to establish himself as an integral part of the Trojans attack as he rushed for a career-high and team-best 83 yards and the two scores.

“He made two or three really good cuts,” Blakeney said. “He went right through the “A” gap a couple of times and one was for the score. He has improved as much as any player on the team in the two years he has been here. It's a team game and he means a lot to the team.”

Maurice Greer led the way on Troy's game-ending drive as he rushed for 80 yards on seven carries on the final possession to help the Trojans conclude the game.

The Trojans are in action next on October 17 in Miami, Fla. at FIU. Game time is set for 6 pm central time.