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New Orleans Bowl 2006
Troy 41 Rice 17
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Omar Haugabook was Troy's postseason star, too. The Sun Belt player of the year threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Troy to its first bowl victory, 41-17 over Rice on Friday night in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
It was only the second bowl appearance for the Trojans (8-5), who moved up to Division I-A in 2002. Troy earned the bowl bid with its first Sun Belt title.
Haugabook, the unanimous MVP of the game, completed 14 of 28 for 217 yards. He also picked up 92 of Troy's 148 yards.
"It was a real good game for me," Haugabook said. "At any given time we can put up points real fast."
Rice (7-6), coming off its first winning season since 1993, and making its first bowl appearance since 1961, was seeking its first postseason victory since 1954 (video). The Conference USA representative was favored going into the game but could not cope with the Trojans' defense. Rice's Joel Armstrong, pressured all night, was intercepted five times and sacked four times. He completed 35 of 54 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown.
"As a quarterback the main thing you have to do is take care of the ball, and I did a horrible job," Armstrong said.
Rice receiver Jarett Dillard kept his touchdown streak alive. He caught a 1-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter to stretch the streak to 15 games, dating to last season. His 13-game touchdown streak this season set an NCAA record, breaking the mark of 12 set by Randy Moss in 1997 and matched by Larry Fitzgerald in 2003.
Troy, which averaged 21 points a game this year, was up 21-7 after the first quarter.
"We had a lot of confusion tonight," Rice coach Todd Graham said. "We just gave up the big play and that really hurt us."
On the first possession, Mykeal Terry's 40-yard reception put the Trojans on Rice's 1. Three plays later, Haugabook's 2-yard touchdown run put Troy on the scoreboard. Minutes later, Armstrong's first pass attempt of the game was intercepted by Boris Lee, who took it back 22 yards to the Rice 1. Haugabook put the Trojans up 14-0 with a 3-yard scoring pass to Gary Banks.
Armstrong's 11-yard TD pass to Mike Falco cut Troy's lead to 14-7 (video).
Haugabook stretched the Trojans' first-quarter margin with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Terry (video). After Rice's 43-yard field goal in the second quarter, Haugabook hit Andrew Davis with a 7-yard touchdown pass to put Troy up 28-10 at halftime.
"They basically at the beginning played a lot of man and wanted to be aggressive with us," Haugabook said. "But once we burned them a couple of times deep they started backing off."
The only score in the third quarter was a 25-yard field goal that boosted Troy's lead to 31-10. Kicker Greg Whibbs made it 34-10 in the fourth quarter with a 28-yarder. Haugabook closed out the scoring with a 5-yard TD pass to Toris Rutledge.
It was the first bowl game played in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. The New Orleans Bowl was played in Lafayette last year.
Note: There was much skepticism in 2006 regarding the large number of bowl games being played and whether teams involved were really deserving of a post season invitation. Many football experts were calling more loudly than ever for a playoff system as the number of bowls seemed to many to have produced many uninteresting, mediocre match-ups. This New Orleans Bowl of 2006, while garnering some sympathy for the community of New Orleans was deemed by many as futile and unnecessary. But, to the programs at Troy and Rice, this contest represented a milestone for each program. Below are articles from the Houston Chronicle and the Dothan, AL Eagle that express the sentiments of the two universities.
Jon Johnson / Dothan Eagle December 23, 2006
NEW ORLEANS - To grow a program, there’s a need of courage, vision, leadership, difficult decision making, wise choices and a little luck.
When Troy University took the gigantic step into the world of Division I-A football starting with the 2001 season, many figured the notion silly, unrealistic, football suicide.
On Friday night, Troy had the big laugh in the Big Easy.
A 41-17 victory over Rice in the New Orleans Bowl actually shouldn’t surprise, though it likely caught many of the national media off guard.
It shouldn’t surprise because Troy has done things the right way ever since it began playing with the big boys of the college football world.
There has been courage from day one, as witnessed when little Troy bowed up on the road against Nebraska for 14 points in the Trojans first try against the mighty mite in 2001.
There’s the vision of people such as Troy chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., former athletics director Johnny Williams, and the many others who spearheaded the move to the big time. There’s the vision now of current A.D. Steve Dennis, who works to take the Trojans to the next level.
There is leadership in the form of head coach Larry Blakeney - a man who continues to produce winning teams and all-star players while constantly revising his staff due to assistants moving on to higher-paying jobs at bigger schools. Blakeney can recruit and develop quality players. Just as important, he can find the right fits for his coaching staff.
He made a difficult decision to fire offensive coordinator Mark Fleetwood, a longtime friend. He made a wise choice in replacing him with the brilliant offensive mind of Tony Franklin, an assistant Blakeney had coveted for quite a while.
As for a little luck, such comes back to making wise decisions. When Blakeney hired Franklin, it ultimately led to the signing of quarterback Omar Haugabook. It was Franklin who convinced the junior college standout to give Troy a look after it appeared he was heading Marshall’s way.
On Friday night, a national television audience got a look at Haugabook. They saw plenty, even if they changed channels after the first half.
In the first two quarters, Haugabook threw for three touchdowns and ran in another. He looked poised throughout the game - a real big-league player.
Those who follow Troy have watched him progress this season from a sub-par quarterback early in the season to one who was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. With his play Friday, he added New Orleans Bowl MVP honors to his list of accomplishments. And Troy has another year to look forward to with Haugabook as the leader of the offense.
For Troy’s football program to continue to prosper, there will need to be more players like Haugabook re-locating their talents to south Alabama. Troy must continue to build on its local recruiting base, plus expand into other states. Bowl appearances help attract such athletes, which is why Troy’s visit to New Orleans is important in many more ways than one.
Winning in impressive fashion doesn’t hurt either.
By Richard Justice Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
NEW ORLEANS- Years from now, the Rice Owls might not remember much of what happened here Friday night. Nor should they. Instead, they'll remember the really important stuff. Like how nothing will be the same around Rice football because of this magical season.
They'll remember all those sunrise workouts and hours in the weight room, all those days when coaches pushed and pushed and then pushed some more.
They'll remember how those fourth-quarter deficits disappeared, how winning felt so good.
Even if Todd Graham stays only another season or two, he has left a blueprint for success. He took a page from Wayne Graham's book. That is, he emphasized Rice's strengths and set about to fix the weaknesses. He created a new mindset. He got rid of almost everyone who didn't share his belief that football could be special at Rice. He proved that discipline and a relentless work ethic could accomplish great things.
He's a tough guy to work for, but his players don't seem to mind. At least, those who were around for all those awful seasons don't.
Rice lost its first four games this season, and if you weren't paying attention, you probably thought this was the same old Rice. It wasn't. Todd Graham simply wasn't going to allow it to be. He screamed and cajoled and begged his players to keep believing. They won seven of their final eight and ended up here Friday night, in their first bowl in 45 years. They didn't play well. In fact, they stunk up the joint and were blown out 41-17 by Troy in the New Orleans Bowl. Big deal. What the program became this season is the thing that should endure.
"Our kids resurrected a program," he said. "We lost a game tonight, but these kids are victors in life." That's a corny thing to say, but he said corny things all season. Along the way, his players began believing those corny sayings.
Graham brought dozens of former Rice lettermen back into the fold. He succeeded in making his players proud to wear their letter jackets on campus. He convinced the Rice community that this was just a start. He wants a new football complex and a cozier Rice Stadium and an indoor practice facility. He wants luxury suites, too. And he intends to raise the millions to see that it gets done.
Some at Rice will resist. They will see winning football games as some sort of compromise to the school's larger mission. This is ridiculous. In Joel Armstrong and Jarett Dillard and Quinton Smith and others, Rice has living, breathing examples of what college sports ought to be. If football can succeed at Rice, it can be an example for every other school. Yes, you can win and graduate your kids and play by the rules.
Once the Owls return home from this game, once the bruises heal and the disappointment eases, those are the things they'll remember about this season. Because it was special.
On this night, they played their first lousy game in a month. Rice quarterbacks threw nine interceptions in 12 regular-season games. Armstrong threw a school-record five in this one.
"I did a horrible job," he said.
Don't pin this defeat solely on him. He's one of the best stories of this season. He came to Rice to be a quarterback. He played, too, until Graham arrived. One of the first things Graham told him was: "You're not a quarterback." He started nine games at wide receiver. He returned a punt in one game and blocked one in another. In ways large and small, he came to symbolize what this Rice team was all about. When Chase Clement got hurt, Armstrong shifted back to quarterback and led the last-minute victories over East Carolina and SMU.
This game was lost for an array of reasons, including Armstrong's five interceptions. Rice couldn't run the ball (39 yards). Rice couldn't stop Troy's passing game (305 yards). Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook's first five passes produced three touchdowns. He completed throws of 40 and 56 yards in the first half. And when Rice did make a run, getting within 14-7 and 21-10, he made more plays.
In the end, Troy was faster and bigger and had more playmakers. Troy reminded the Owls there's work to do, that this season was nothing more than a beginning.
Twelve true freshmen played for the Owls this season, and Graham has a solid recruiting class coming in. There's no reason to believe Rice can't be a conference champion in the near future.
One defeat shouldn't change anyone's perception. Things are different at Rice. There should be no going back.
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| Troy's Haugabook celebrates first half score |
Gary Banks scores over Rice's Lance Byrd |
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Rice's Mike Falco dives into the end zone for a touchdown 1st quarter |
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Rice and Joel Armstrong had no answer for the charging Troy defense. |
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The jersey of defensive back Dale Lloyd hangs in a locker in New Orleans. Lloyd died after collapsing on the field during practice earlier in the season. Rice wore the number 39 on their helmets in tribute, as well
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Troy linebacker Boris Lee runs back an interception |
Ira Guiford (12) kisses the New Orleans Bowl trophy |
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Cartoons from Rice University |
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Attendance: 24,791
Scoring Summary First Quarter TU- Haugabook 2 run (Whibbs kick) TU- Banks 3 yard pass from Haugabook (Whibbs kick) RU- Falco 11 yard pass from Armstrong (Fangmeier kick) TU- Terry 56 yard pass from Haugabook (Whibbs kick)
Second Quarter RU- FG Fangmeier 43 TU- Davis 7 yard pass from Haugabook (Whibbs kick)
Third Quarter TU- FG Whibbs 25
Fourth Quarter TU- FG Whibbs 26 RU- Dillard 1 yard pass from Armstrong (Fangmeier kick) TU- Rutledge 5 yard pass from Haugabook (Whibbs kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
RU- Armstrong 16-35 TU- Haugabook 14-92, Cattouse 12-35, Jones 5-18
Passing RU- Armstrong 35-54-307 TU- Haugabook 14-28-218
Receiving RU- Smith 8-76, Dillard 9-73, Falco 6-49, Smiter 6-46, Wardlow 1-30, Dixon 3-23 TU- Terry 2-96, Davis 2-35, Hampton 1-27, Jones 1-20, Cattouse 2-19
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