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Experienced Troy Breaks FIU Football Win Streak

Box Score

Final Game Statistics | Listen to Head Coach Mario Cristobal's post-game comments | QB Paul McCall comments

 

Troy, Ala. (AP) -Levi Brown and Jerrel Jernigan each scored two touchdowns to help Troy beat FIU 33-23 on Saturday night.

 

Brown completed 18 of 28 passes for 253 yards with two touchdowns in his first start for the Trojans (4-2, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference), which moved into a first-place tie with UL-Lafayette in the conference. Jernigan added 131 yards receiving and a touchdown, rushed for 88 yards on 10 carries and completed his only pass for a 2-yard touchdown.

 

Paul McCall completed 22 of 33 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the Golden Panthers (3-4, 2-1), which saw its three-game winning streak snapped.

 

Brown threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Cornelius Williams on Troy's first drive, and an 86-yard touchdown pass to Jernigan on the next to give Troy a 13-0 lead. McCall's 8-yard touchdown pass to Junior Mertile cut the Trojans' lead to 13-9 at the end of the first and, after Troy's Sam Glusman hit field goals of 20 and 44 yards, Daunte Owens' 1-yard run left the Golden Panthers trailing 19-16 at halftime.

 

But Jernigan's 2-yard pass to Justin Bray in the third and Dan Parker's 1-yard rush in the fourth put the game out of reach.

 

Down 10 midway through the fourth quarter, McCall led an FIU drive that was capped by a one-handed grab by freshman T.Y. Hilton that would have given the Golden Panthers a first-and-10 at the Troy 25. But offsetting penalties nullified the play and the drive ultimately stalled.

 

With running back Julian Reams sidelined with a calf injury for the Golden Panthers, Owens was FIU's top runner on the game with a career-high 69 yards on 14 rushes.

 

FIU at Troy Game Notes 

 

Game Captains: Armond Willis, Joe Aljajian, O'Darris D'Haiti

 

Troy's 86-yard TD pass from QB Levi Brown to WR Jerrel Jernigan was the longest play from scrimmage against the Golden Panthers this season, surpassing a 59-yard scoring strike from Ricky Stanzi to D. Johnson-Koulianos at Iowa on Sept. 6. In fact, it was the longest TD pass against FIU in the history of the program (previous long, 80 yards- Kyle Wright to Lance Leggett vs. Miami, 9/15/07).

 

FIU's first score of the game, a first-quarter safety was the second this year for the Golden Panthers.

 

Paul McCall's 8-yard TD pass to Junior Mertile was the freshman wide receiver's first career touchdown. It was Mertile's team-leading 16th reception of the season.

 

Daunte Owen's 1-yard TD run was the first of his intercollegiate career. With 69 yards on the night and 94 yards for the season, Owens eclipsed his entire career total of 55 yards over the 2006 and '07 seasons.

 

The FIU offense was shut out in the third quarter for the first time in the last three games. Over that time, the Golden Panthers had outscored their last three opponents, 42-13, in that frame.

 

With 129 kick off return yards on the night, freshman T.Y. Hilton's 543 yards is the second most in a single season and fourth most in an FIU career. Hilton also recorded a 100-yard-plus pass receiving game for the second time this season (22nd 100-yard receiving game in the history of the program).

 

Carlos Munera's 61-yard punt in the fourth quarter was his longest of the season (previous long was 60 vs. USF on Sept. 20).

 

Paul McCall set personal bests for both passes completed and passing yards. His previous bests were 13 completions last Saturday against Middle Tennessee and 234 passing yards at North Texas (10/4/08).

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Players Mentioned

Daunte Owens

#8 Daunte Owens

RB
5' 10"
Junior
Paul McCall

#12 Paul McCall

QB
6' 1"
Junior
Julian Reams

#32 Julian Reams

RB
5' 11"
Senior
Armond Willis

#91 Armond Willis

DE
6' 2"
Senior
Junior Mertile

#2 Junior Mertile

WR
6' 0"
Freshman
O

#20 O'Darris D'Haiti

DB
5' 10"
Senior
T.Y. Hilton

#4 T.Y. Hilton

WR
5' 10"
Freshman
Carlos Munera

#34 Carlos Munera

P/K
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Daunte Owens

#8 Daunte Owens

5' 10"
Junior
RB
Paul McCall

#12 Paul McCall

6' 1"
Junior
QB
Julian Reams

#32 Julian Reams

5' 11"
Senior
RB
Armond Willis

#91 Armond Willis

6' 2"
Senior
DE
Junior Mertile

#2 Junior Mertile

6' 0"
Freshman
WR
O

#20 O'Darris D'Haiti

5' 10"
Senior
DB
T.Y. Hilton

#4 T.Y. Hilton

5' 10"
Freshman
WR
Carlos Munera

#34 Carlos Munera

6' 2"
Junior
P/K