Troy University Athletics
Troy University
Ohio
Trojans Truck Ohio In New Orleans Bowl
12/19/2010 12:11:21 AM | Football
FINAL STATISTICS | PHOTO GALLERY | GAME NOTES | TROY QUOTES | TROY NOTES
The Trojans made it look easy in the Big Easy as they rolled to a 48-21 victory over the Ohio Bobcats in the10th Anniversary R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
The Trojans improved to 8-5 on the season while dropping the Bobcats to the same mark.
“We're certainly proud to be sitting here as the victors over Ohio U,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “We prepared well, and I think our kids, after coming back from some pretty tough losses and closing with two wins and being the co-champs, helped motivate us. We haven't won here since we beat Rice. I felt a lot of energy. I wanted to make sure it wasn't just about being in New Orleans.”
That “energy” resonated the most through the Trojans freshman quarterback who put on a show for ESPN's national audience.
Bowl MVP Corey Robinson threw for a New Orleans Bowl record 387 yards and four touchdowns as the Trojans' offense racked up 607 total yards on the night.
Jerrel Jernigan added to his NFL resume tape as well in his final game as a Trojan. Jernigan caught seven passes on the night for 48 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed three times for 16 yards and a score, all after being down with the flu.
With the Bobcats' defense focused on double-teaming Jernigan, another star emerged for the Trojans.
Senior TeBiarus Gill had three touchdowns on just four receptions, piling up 80 receiving yards in the game for Troy.
DuJuan Harris also hit his stride in the bowl win, leading all Trojans on the ground with 105 yards rushing, including a touchdown. A 50-yard rush in the third quarter helped him hit triple figures on the night, and two plays later he earned his score.
While the stats were nice for all three, they all wanted one thing most of all.
A bowl win. That's something nobody on the current team had accomplished until Saturday.
“What more can you ask for,” Jernigan said. “Four years, Four rings. I'll miss the whole community, the whole Troy nation of fans.”
The Trojans came to “The Big Easy” with a mind ready for hard work, and Troy defensive end Jonathon Massaquoi said the team came to New Orleans to win.
“It makes me feel proud to be a part of the organization,” Massaquoi said. “We finished strong today. The guys enjoyed themselves in New Orleans, and we put on a big show. We showed the nation Troy is here to compete.”
Massaquoi made a pretty solid statement on his own in the game as well with eight total tackles and two and a half sacks. The Troy defense as a whole limited the Bobcats to just 308 yards, but the story was told in the first half when Troy's defense clamped down holding Ohio to just 79 total yards.
The Trojans scored on each of their first eight possession in winning the second bowl game in school history. Troy set or tied eight bowl team records and four more individual marks.
