Troy University Athletics
Troy University
UAB
Trojans Victorious Over UAB
9/19/2009 9:45:00 PM | Football
TROY – The Troy football team needed a victory in a bad way. The Trojans entered Saturday's game against in-state rival UAB with a winless record on the season, but history was on Troy's side. The Trojans knocked off the Blazers 27-14 in Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium on Saturday.
“It's a great win for us,” Trojans head coach Larry Blakeney said. “I know you hear that and it's a cliché. Every coach says that. We really were struggling a little bit with our identity. We didn't really know exactly what our chemistry was.”
Troy established a lot of identity and chemistry against UAB. Quarterback Levi Brown threw for 413 yards on the day. He was the first quarterback since Sim Byrd in 1968 to eclipse the 400 yard mark in a game.
Brown completed 24-of-32 passes on his way to the personal best yard total.
“I thought Levi Brown ran the game well,” Blakeney said. “For the most part he took care of us all night.”
Troy received the opening kickoff and started the game from their own 29-yard line. The Trojans offense moved with a mission to the Blazers 25-yard line, but the opening drive abruptly ended when Brown was intercepted at the goal line by Chase Daniel of UAB.
The Blazers started their first drive at their own three-yard line for their first offensive possession of the game. A clutch sack from Troy defensive end Brandon Lang stalled the Blazers out on their own 12-yard line, and UAB punted the ball away.
The ensuing drive started on the Trojans' own 31-yard line, and moved quickly to the UAB one-yard line after Brown connected with Josh Jarboe for 67 yards after he got behind the defender.
“We made it a point to throw downfield today,” Brown said. “We got that done, and it makes it easy to do that when you have playmakers like we do.”
The Trojans however got backed up 15 yards on a personal foul and followed it with an offensive false start. They settled for a 22-yard field goal from kicker Sam Glusman with 7:18 left in the first quarter. Troy's lead was 3-0, and it stayed that way for a while with both teams trading punts until deep into the second quarter.
A Barry Valcin interception set up the Trojans on their own 27-yard line with 9:48 in the second quarter. Valcin tipped the ball to himself twice amidst falling to the ground on the very close pick of UAB quarterback Joe Webb's pass.
“Our secondary is getting better,” Blakeney said. “We're not very deep. Valcin I thought played really well today. He made a great interception.”
Troy managed to drive downfield in eight plays good for 73 yards after forcing the turnover. Brown connected with Tebiarus Gill for the first touchdown of the game from 24 yards away with 5:58 left to play in the half.
The Trojans lead was pushed to 10-0, and it was the first touchdown for Troy since the first quarter of the Bowling Green game in week one.
UAB came out of the gate in the third quarter and posted a field goal on the opening drive. The Blazers drove 56 yards in eight plays before the defense held them to a 19-yard field goal.
Troy's defense was rejuvenated in the game with the return of linebacker Bear Woods to the field.
“I just wanted to get out there and kill somebody in a football way,” Woods said. “It just feels so great to get some contact again.”
Troy responded fast with a 63-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Chip Reeves. The Trojans used only two plays to get back in the end zone and just 44 seconds off of the clock.
With seven minutes exactly on the third quarter clock the Trojans extended the lead to 14 with the 17-3 score. The touchdowns by Gill and Reeves were the first of their respective careers.
Troy's defense came up with a big stop, holding the Blazers to a field goal on the ensuing drive. The Blazers drove the ball to the Trojans 20-yard line before pushing a 30-yard field goal through the uprights with 1:58 remaining on the third quarter clock.
The Blazers closed in on Troy's lead, and brought the difference to 11 points, but DuJuan Harris got the Trojans back on the board quickly.
A four play, 71-yard drive ended with a Harris 22-yard touchdown scamper with 45 seconds left to play in the third quarter. The score gave Troy a 24-6 lead. Harris finished the game with 61 yards on 18 carries.
Early in the fourth quarter the Blazers got on the board with their first touchdown of the contest. Webb hit Jeffery Anderson for a 17-yard touchdown to end an eight play, 80-yard drive with 13:07 to play. Webb then found Zach Lankford on the two-point conversion attempt to bring Troy's lead down to 10 points, 24-14.
Troy came back on the field looking to burn time off of the clock and they did just that erasing 7:35 off the final quarter clock before a 22-yard field goal from Glusman set the final advantage with 5:30 to go.
Reeves led all Troy receivers with five catches for 95 yards. Jerrel Jernigan had two receptions for 37 yards while also carrying the ball five times for 56 yards.
“It's a lot easier to practice and coach on a win,” Blakeney said.
The win gave Troy its 23rd consecutive win on its home opener. The Trojans are in action next on September 26 when they opener their Sun Belt schedule at Arkansas State.
