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News Articles - Troy

News Articles - Troy

Good, i hope they do go back to the run...we defend better against a team that tries to run primarily...
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News Articles - Troy

College football: Haugabook expects a homecoming of sorts


Drew Champlin / [email protected]
November 11, 2006



Omar Haugabook grew up in Belle Glades, Fla.

He starred for Glades High his senior year in 2003, throwing for 3,010 yards and 30 touchdowns while garnering numerous awards.

Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic University was 45 minutes away, and they didn?t take notice.

?I don?t even know if they were interested or not, to tell you the truth,? said Haugabook, Troy?s junior quarterback. ?I don?t take that stuff personal. They probably had somebody better or didn?t have a need at the position.?

Haugabook, who said he didn?t have any offers nor were his test scores high enough, went straight to Dodge City Community College in Kansas and started for two seasons before enrolling at Troy.

Now, he?ll get a chance to play near his home today when Troy (4-4, 3-0 Sun Belt) takes on FAU (3-6, 2-2) at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. And that?s what?s most important to him.

?It?s going to be a nice, big crowd for me,? Haugabook said. ?I don?t have an estimated number; I let my mom deal with the tickets.?

Haugabook?s mother and other family members have made every trip except Nebraska and UAB.

?I?ve got a lot of friends, coaches and other people related to me coming,? Haugabook said. ?It should feel like a home game for everybody because we?re going to have a nice little crowd.?

Haugabook, who has thrown for 1,304 yards and nine touchdowns, will also get a chance to play in front of more family and friends when the Trojans travel to Florida International on Dec. 2.

Junior linebacker Romanique Lewis, who has started the last two games, hails from Fort Lauderdale. Trevor Ford, a defensive back who is sitting out the year as a transfer, is from Miami.

Lewis started in place of senior Ryan Babb, who didn?t dress last week because of a quadricep injury. Babb is questionable for today?s game.

Franklin?s logic: Troy avenged earlier losses to Nebraska and UAB, said Troy offensive coordinator Tony Franklin after last week?s 42-28 win over UL-Lafayette.

Troy beat North Texas, which defeated SMU, which beat UAB and ULL defeated Houston, which beat Oklahoma State which beat Nebraska.

This week in the Sun Belt: The other game that has New Orleans Bowl implications is Middle Tennessee (5-0 Sun Belt) at Arkansas State (3-1).

North Texas plays at UL-Lafayette and FIU hosts UL-Monroe. The only team with a remote shot of those four is ULL.

If Middle Tennessee wins, that will eliminate everyone from New Orleans Bowl contention except Troy, regardless of what the Trojans do against FAU.




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ONLINE ADVANCE EDITION

TROY: Trojans try to stay on track in Sun Belt chase

By Tom Ensey
Montgomery Advertiser



Game Day

TROY NOTEBOOK: Haugabook going home to face Florida Atlantic this afternoon



Troy is seeking its fourth straight win today – and its first on the road.

The Trojans head to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to take on Florida Atlantic in a Sun Belt Conference game.

Not getting sidetracked will be the key to the game. It would be easy to do so.

FAU is 3-6, 2-2 in the league and last week's 35-14 loss to Middle Tennessee has probably eliminated the Owls from contention for the conference title and a berth in the New Orleans Bowl.

The Trojans, meanwhile, have reason to be looking ahead.

Next week and the week after, the Trojans host Arkansas State and travel to Middle Tennessee State, the teams that – along with Troy – will battle it out for the SBC crown.

Senior wide receiver Gary Banks knows all that. He also knows something else – FAU is dangerous.

"They beat Arkansas State and that's something we're mindful of," he said.

The Owls didn't just beat Arkansas State – they hammered the Indians, 29-0, two weeks ago, handing ASU its only league loss.

The Owls were at home when they blasted ASU – and that's another thing the Trojans are wary of. They have won both their league games at home.

"FAU is a capable team," head coach Larry Blakeney said. "They have great speed and are coached well. Coach (Howard) Schnellenberger has been doing this longer than I've been alive – and that's a long dadgum time, based on how my body feels sometimes."

FAU used six turnovers to demolish Arkansas State – five interceptions and a fumble. Defensive back Corey Small had three of those interceptions.

But turnovers beat them last week at Middle, Blakeney said.

"Against Middle Tennessee, they had them beat and threw it away," he said. "I think they threw three interceptions in a row and two were picks for six."

The Trojans hope the offensive momentum from last week's 42-28 win over Louisiana-Lafayette will carry over into today's game. Sparked by Kenny Cattouse's 172 yards rushing, Troy ran off and left the Ragin' Cajuns after falling behind by two touchdowns early in the game.

"We're getting closer," said offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. "The best thing that happened last week was players making the plays. If you get the ball to somebody and he makes two or three people miss, you can be successful. That's what happened last week."

Cattouse's career day was the second time a Trojan has run for more than 100 yards this year. Anthony Jones topped the century mark in the season opener against Alabama State, a 38-0 Troy win.

Quarterback Omar Haugabook said that's probably a function of the return to basics that's been going on the past month, since the Trojans completed their road game against big-time opponents.

"We are lot more confident in the offense," said Haugabook, who threw for 153 yards last week. "I feel confident in the system. Since those first big road games, we've been going back to our little fundamentals and basics. The stuff we were running in the spring."

The Trojans are wary of Florida Atlantic, however, a team they have a lot in common with.

"They're a lot like us on defense," Blakeney said. "On defense they have a lot of guys who can run."

And like Troy, they force a lot of turnovers. Haugabook, who has 13 interceptions this season, is acutely aware of that.

"We have got to limit the turnovers," he said. "We had two turnovers (against Louisiana-Lafayette."

The team is confident now, but Banks believes the attitude is good.

"We've got a ton of confidence going into the game, but we're not looking past FAU," he said. "We can't be thinking about Arkansas State or Middle Tennessee. If we're going to celebrate this year, we can do it after we win the New Orleans Bowl."


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