Wilbert’s Four TDs Lead Football Past Troy in Homecoming Game
Senior quarterback Graham Wilbert threw four touchdown passes as the Florida Atlantic University football team rallied past Troy University 34-27 in Saturday’s Homecoming game at the FAU Stadium. The victory is the first Sun Belt Conference win this season.
Wilbert saved his best for last, finding junior wide out William Dukes for a 22-yard touchdown with 17 seconds remaining for the game-winning score. For the game, Wilbert completed 26 of his 40 passes for 261 yards.
The score came right after Troy (4-4, 3-3 Sun Belt) took its only lead of the game, 27-26, on a 31-yard run by Shawn Southward with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter.
“Once we got into field goal range, I said let’s take shots. With wind dying down, let’s just take the shot and we executed it,” said Carl Pelini, FAU’s head football coach on the game-winning drive.
The game was played with 20-25 wind gusts and 51 of the 61 points scored went with wind at the offense’s back.
FAU used the wind to build a 14-0 first-quarter lead. Wilbert found junior tight end Nexon Dorvilus for 11- and nine-yard touchdown passes. The Owls built a 17-0 advantage on Mitch Anderson’s 35-yard field goal at the 6:43 mark of the second quarter.
However, Troy answered with 17 points in the final 4:41 of the first half. Will Scott hit a 52-yard field goal before Corey Robinson found Jaquon Robinson for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 1:01 left in the second quarter. Southward scored on a one-yard rush to tie the game at halftime, 17-17.
Using the wind again, FAU surged back in front in the third quarter. Anderson hit his second field goal of the game, connecting from 47 yards at the 12:34 mark. Later in the period, Jenson Stoshak caught his first career touchdown pass from Wilbert as FAU took a 26-17 lead with 2:48 left in the third quarter.
Troy answered again on a field goal by Scott and Southward’s touchdown rush.
The win marked the second victory over Troy in program history and first home win. Troy suffered its first road loss of the season.
Individually, junior running back Jonathan Wallace had 87 yards on the ground. Dorvilus had a game-high six receptions with 78 yards and two scores. Dukes also had six catches for 41 yards.
Defensively, senior defensive back Brent Harstad had a game-high 15 tackles.
FAU improves to 2-6 on the season and 1-4 in league play. The team travels to Navy on Saturday.