MIAMI (AP) -Omar Haugabook threw two touchdown passes as Troy defeated the Golden Panthers 26-13 Saturday to win the Sun Belt Conference and a bowl berth.

The victory gave Troy its first Sun Belt Conference title and a berth to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 22. where the Trojans will play the Rice Owls (Conference USA).

Troy (7-5, 6-1 Sun Belt) got its second bowl berth since moving to Division I in 2001. FIU (0-12, 0-7 SBC) finished the year, along with Duke, one of two winless NCAA Division I teams.

FIU head coach Don Strock coached his last game for the Golden Panthers, finishing his five-year career at FIU with a 15-41 record. He announced on Nov. 15 he would not return as head coach after this season.

Haugabook rushed for 107 yards on 16 carries, but it was his two TD passes that helped seal the deal. Trailing by one with 34 seconds to go before the half, he hit Andrew Davis from eight yards out to give the Trojans a 13-7 lead.

Greg Whibbs kicked field goals of 29 and 36 yards to add to the lead.

Leodis McKelvin scored on a 48-yard punt return to give the Trojans a 6-0 lead early in the first quarter. Cory Fleming returned a blocked punt 22 yards to give FIU a 7-6 lead with 6: 15 in the first quarter.

FIU got another touchdown with 4:18 in the fourth quarter when Chandler Williams caught a 5-yard pass from Padrick to make the score 26-13.

Padrick was 30-of-51 for 225 yards and threw an interception. Williams caught 11 passes for 90 yards.

Head Coach Don Strock postgame quotes:

“As far as the game was concerned it's the same things?the kicking game and protection. Early in the game we had breakdowns. We should have been ahead in the game more than we were in the first quarter. Hopefully through maturity they will begin to understand what we were trying to get across to them and they'll get better in the future.

"But we need to give Troy credit. They won the football game. We had opportunities again but we didn't take advantage of them."

“I tried to coach to the best of my ability and I thank President [Mitch] Maidique and FIU for letting me start a football program here. Most people will never get that opportunity and I did. I am proud of what we have done.”

Troy Head Coach Larry Blakeney:

“I knew that it was going to be a tough game for our kids coming in but not as tough as for the [FIU] kids here in Miami who are lame duck. They don't know who their coach is going to be. I knew that their defensive was good enough to stop us and that [Josh] Padrick was a kid who never quit. I was very concerned about it, but we played pretty well.”