Troy claims fourth-straight championship

Published 12:00 am Monday, November 23, 2009

With its win over Florida Atlantic over on Saturday night, the Troy Trojans did something that only one other Sun Belt conference team had since the league began – clinch a fourth straight conference title.

North Texas was the first to do, from 2001 to 2004.

During that senior night victory in Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium, the Trojans were led by, who else, but its seniors – quarterback Levi Brown and linebacker Bear Woods.

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Brown threw for a school-record 477 yards, and in the process also broke another Sim Byrd record, passing for 3,575 yards, which is a new single season record.

Woods, finished with 13 total tackles, five of which were solo. Both senior were named Sun Belt Players of the Week on Monday as well.

“We are blessed to be sitting where we are sitting,” head coach Larry Blakeney said at the team’s weekly press conference on Monday afternoon.

“We were pretty inspired to play FAU, and I think we did some good things all around. “I am proud of this team and this coaching staff for what it has been able to do this year,” he added.

“Now, we would like to close out the regular season with a win.

”If the Trojans were to indeed get a victory this Saturday, the team would make history of its own.

A win on the road against Louisiana-Lafayette would be the ninth of the season, a first for the Trojans in Division 1 play, and finish conference play with an 8-0 record, which no Sun Belt team has ever done before.

“I know they will be inspired to play,” Blakeney said. “We are going to try to do our best to prepare well. They are good enough to beat anyone in the league – certainly good enough to beat us.

The two teams will meet in Lafayette on Saturday at 6 p.m.