Troy University Athletics
Troy University
ULM
Trojans Spook ULM, Remain Perfect in SBC
11/1/2009 1:00:00 AM | Football
TROY - Troy head coach Larry Blakeney has been scaring opponents for almost two decades, so it was fitting that the coach grabbed career win number 150 on Halloween night. With a full moon high above, the Trojans horrified the visiting ULM Warhawks with a 42-21 victory.
The win leaves Troy as the only unbeaten team in Sun Belt Conference play, as the Trojans improved to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the SBC with their sixth straight win. ULM, which was previously unbeaten in the Sun Belt, fell to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in league play.
“I don't really know what to think about that (150 wins),” Blakeney said. “It is sort of a milestone but, to me, what is important is right now – the present. It is a testament to the guys who line up every Saturday.”
The victory was not only a milestone, but avenged Troy's only conference loss during the 2008 season. That loss, a one-point decision in Monroe, came without the services of two keys to Saturday's win.
Junior receiver Jerrel Jernigan, who missed the game last year after knee surgery, had career-highs with 13 receptions for 203 yards. It was just the fourth 200-yard receiving game in school history.
The other key player was linebacker Bear Woods, who missed the 2008 game with an ankle injury. Woods had eight tackles, including 1½ for loss, as the Trojans harassed ULM freshman quarterback Cody Wells into three interceptions by sacking him three times and getting hits on him all night.
“I'll tell you what, if I was Cody Wells' mom and dad, I would be proud of him,” Blakeney said of the Hoover native. “He hung in there with a lot of pressure for a long time, trying to help his team win.”
The Trojans jumped on top quickly, taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Junior DuJuan Harris capped Troy's opening drive with a two-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Levi Brown then hit freshman Josh Jarboe for the first of his career-high four TD passes, this one from 16-yards out. It was Jarboe's first career touchdown.
“We had been trying to get him one, he was really wanting one, and has been close,” Brown said of Jarboe. “We were finally able to get him into the end zone.”
The Warhawks got on the scoreboard near the eight-minute mark of the second quarter when Wells hit Darrel McNeal for the first of his three TD tosses. The touchdown came after a short punt set ULM up in Troy territory.
The Trojans erased ULM's momentum with some gadgetry when Brown connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Chip Reeves on a flea-flicker just 1:03 after the ULM score, giving Troy a 21-7 lead with 6:56 left in the half.
It appeared as if that would be the halftime score, before a bigger mistake in the punting game cost the Trojans. Punter Will Goggans dropped the snap from Wes Henry and, after picking the ball up, had his drop for a punt attempt intercepted by ULM's Aaron Morgan, setting the Warhawks up at the Troy 33 with 36 seconds left in the half.
Wells needed just three plays to get ULM back into the end zone, this time on a three yard pass to Alvin Jordan with seven seconds left in the half. The score cut the Trojans' lead to 21-14 at the half.
“That was the worst thing that happened to us late in the half, because we gave them a chance to score and knew they were going to get the ball to start the second half,” Blakeney said. “We were able to come back with a defensive stand and a score to get the momentum back.”
The score, a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Andrew Davis, capped and 87-yard drive following a defensive stop by the Trojans. After another defensive stop got Troy the ball back, Brown hit Jernigan in stride, despite a deflection of a defenders helmet, for a 41-yard touchdown pass.
“That was just the way we drew it up,” Brown joked. “Jerrel is playing really well right now and he is making a lot of plays.”
The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native finished the night 28-of-41 passing for 378 yards. It was his third straight game with more than 300 yards passing and the fifth time in eight games he has eclipsed the mark. He also extended his streak of pass attempts without an interception to 215, dating back 23 quarters to the first quarter of the UAB game.
His streak is the second longest active streak in the nation, just one behind Utah State's Diondre Borel.
“It (the streak) never enters my mind,” Brown said. “I just go out there and try to play my best and it seems to be working.”
ULM got back in the end zone at the end the third quarter on a 26-yard pass from Wells to McNeal, but the Trojans were not about to deny their coach win number 150.
Boris Lee, who led all players in the game with 14 tackles, rounded out the Halloween affair with the finishing blow. Lee intercepted a Wells pass and rumbled 30-yards to the end zone to put the Trojans up 42-21.
It was the eighth interception in Lee's storied career, but the first he has managed to return for a score since his freshman season. He said the pressure the Trojans were able to get on the young ULM quarterback made all the difference.
“That is the game play for every quarterback, but especially when you have a young quarterback who is inexperienced,” Lee said. “We thought if we could get a couple of shots in on him, we could shake him up.”
Donnell Golden capped the victory with an interception on ULM's final possession.
"They are the defending champions," ULM head coach Charlie Weatherbie said. "They are a team that you can't make mistakes against to have a chance to win. We gave them several opportunities and they took advantage of them. They are the team to beat in this conference."
Troy will be back in Sun Belt action next weekend when the Trojans travel to face winless Western Kentucky in a game the Trojans coach calls a trap game.
"We have a huge trap game in front of us," Blakeney said. "We have to make sure we get back into a work mode and not go up there with our ego up somewhere around our ears. I know they are spoiling for a chance to win a game in our league and they have always given us problems."
Troy vs. ULM Game Notes
• Troy's captains were offensive lineman Steven Adams, safety Chris Bowens, wide receiver Cornelius Williams and defensive end Brandon Lang.
• ULM won the toss and deferred to the second half. Troy had won four straight coin tosses before losing the toss to the Warhawks.
• Jerrel Jernigan's second quarter 41 yard kick-off return was the longest for Troy since a 47-yarder in the opener against Bowling Green. Jernigan also set career highs for receptions (13) and yards (203). He became just the fourth player in Troy history to post a 200-yard receiving game. His 203 yards are the fourth highest total in school history.
• Andrew Davis' receiving touchdown in the third quarter was his first since scoring against Western Kentucky last season.
• The victory was Troy head coach Larry Blakeney's 150th of his career. Blakeney is 24-4 all-time against Sun Belt teams.
• The win gives Troy six straight wins and ties them for the school's longest FBS winning streak. The Trojans also won six straight games during the 2007 season.
• With the win the Trojans moved to 6-2-1 all-time on Halloween and Blakeney improved to 56-17-1 in games played in October.
• Quarterback Levi Brown's four touchdown passes set a new career high.
• With his 41 attempts on the day, Levi Brown currently holds the second-longest active streak of pass attempts without an interception with 225. Utah State's Diondre Borel is first with 226 consecutive attempts without a pick.
• Boris Lee's interception return for a touchdown was the second of his career.
