JONESBORO (10-27-2007) ? Arkansas State (3-5, 1-3) suffered its first home loss of the season Saturday night as the Troy Trojans (6-0, 5-0) defeated the Indians 27-0 in a Sun Belt Conference game at Indian Stadium.
Troy quarterback Omar Haugabook rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the game, including a 1-yard scoring run with 5:37 remaining in the first quarter that gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead.
Following a 40-yard field goal from placekicker Greg Whibbs that gave Troy a 10-0 lead at the half, Haugabook added another 1-yard touchdown run in the third to give the Trojans a 17-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Trojans used a 45-yard field goal from Whibbs and a 1-yard fumble return for a touchdown from linebacker Boris Lee in the fourth to set the final score.
“I'm obviously very disappointed, but you've got to give a lot of credit to Troy,” said ASU Head Coach Steve Roberts. “They have a very good football team, and they played very well.”
“We couldn't take advantage of some of the breaks that we had and put points on the board, and didn't make enough breaks during the course of the ballgame to be successful,” added Roberts.
Indian quarterback Corey Leonard passed for 105 yards and rushed for 56 to lead the ASU offense, while linebacker Ben Owens led the Tribe on the defensive side of the ball with 11 tackles.
“It is disappointing to lose a ballgame here in Indian Stadium,” said Roberts. “It's disappointing to lose a ballgame anywhere. It's also a great opportunity to learn a whole lot about who we are as competitors and as people. The bottom line is that we've lost two games in a row, so we have to find a way to win a football game, have some fun, and stay together as a team. I have absolutely no questions at all about whether or not we will do that because of the character of the young men on this football team. They will come back and find a way to win.”
Arkansas State returns to Indian Stadium next week for a Sun Belt Conference matchup against Florida International. Kickoff for the Nov. 3 game against the Golden Panthers is set for 2:00 p.m.
