LITTLE ROCK — Another week, another quality quarterback to bedevil Arkansas State.
This time, the Indians will be trying to corral Troy senior Omar Haugabook, who led the Trojans to last year's Sun Belt Conference title and New Orleans Bowl victory against Rice. Kickoff is 6 p.m. today in Jonesboro.
"He's playing extremely well," Indians Coach Steve Roberts said. "And he looks very comfortable considering last year was his first year there. He did a great job last year, and he's much better this year."
Troy (5-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) is chasing its second consecutive conference title, and much of the Trojans'success, this year and last, is because of Haugabook.
A 6-2, 220-pound transfer from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, Haugabook was the 2006 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and a first-team all-conference pick after passing for 2,401 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushing for 313 yards and 5 scores.
Haugabook capped his stellar season with an MVP performance in the New Orleans Bowl in which he was 14 of 28 for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 92 yards and the game-opening touchdown. With Haugabook setting the pace, the Trojans rolled to a 41-17 victory, only the second in the NewOrleans Bowl by a Sun Belt team since the conference began football play in 2001.
He enters today's game as the Sun Belt's top passer, averaging 275.0 yards a game, and is No. 1 in total offense with an average of 321.6 yards. With Haugabook, the Trojans boast the conference's best scoring offense with 35.6 points a game.
And none of this is new to Roberts and the Indians.
From Texas' Colt McCoy in the season opener to Middle Tennessee's Dwight Dasher last week, Arkansas State has faced a bunch of talented quarterbacks.
"This is probably the best group of quarterbacks that we've faced in a stretch like we've had this year," Roberts said. "From Colt McCoy to [Tennessee's Erik] Ainge. Their styles contrast to Dasher and [Louisiana-Lafayette's Michael] Desormeaux and SMU's Justin Willis.
"We've played some great quarterbacks this year."
Roberts said McCoy and Ainge were closer to the conventional drop-back passers while Dasher and Desormeaux were a threat to throw and run. Haugabook fits into the latter category.
"He can run," Roberts said.
As has been the case just about every week with just about every quarterback it has faced, the Indians' defense will have to avoid overpursuing - respecting Haugabook's feet - while still trying to force him to hurry his throws.
"You've got to get pressure on the quarterback," Roberts said. "He doesn't take a lot of sacks. He gets the ball out very quickly. You have to get pressure and make plays when the opportunity presents itself."
Arkansas State's Corey Leonard also fits the Haugabook-Dasher-Desormeaux mode. Leonard has shown a strong arm and elusiveness that have won him multiple Sun Belt player of the week awards and led him to a series of personal bests capped by the 52-21 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Oct. 13, when he set a school record with five touchdown passes and had a career-high 359 yards of total offense.
Behind Leonard, the Indians (3-4, 1-2) have the Sun Belt's second-best scoring offense (27.4 points a game) and are second in total offense with an average of 410.6 yards. The only issue for Leonard, a redshirt sophomore who won the starting job midway through last season, has been consistency.
He suffered nine sacks in last week's 24-7 loss at Middle Tennessee, admittedly holding the ball too long at times, while passing for a season-low 116 yards and three interceptions. But, with two more seasons to go, Roberts likes Leonard's upside.
"I think he's one of the better quarterbacks in the Sun Belt," Roberts said. "He just has to play more consistently."
Sports, Pages 23, 28 on 10/27/2007