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Troth gains his 'Liberty'
Bonesville.net Staff
Report — ©2003
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Then-newly-enrolled freshman Paul Troth
relaxes after a practice session during 2001
spring drills. (Photo: ©Bonesville Magazine) |
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Paul Troth has made his
transfer decision and plans to enroll at Division I-AA Liberty in
Lynchburg, Va., next semester.
Troth experienced varying
degrees of playing time at quarterback during three seasons at East
Carolina but figured he wasn’t in the future plans of Coach John
Thompson’s staff after slipping to third team during the 2003 season.
“Everything seemed to fit
at Liberty — location and playing time — but the big thing was their
Christian values,” Troth said. “What better place to go? Their coach
(former NFL player Ken Karcher) was surprised when I called them.
"They were excited.
They’ve got like 20 of 22 starters coming back but they lost a senior
quarterback.”
The Flames return Big
South offensive player of the year Dre Barnes from a 6-6 team that won
its last four games and finished 3-1 in the league. Barnes ran for 1,347
yards as Liberty accumulated 2,614 yards rushing.
The Flames’ passing attack
produced 1,765 yards with nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Liberty’s offensive
coordinator is former Penn State quarterback Frank Rocco Jr.
“Ironically, we play Kent
State next year,” Troth said. “That’s where Coach (Doug) Martin is. A
lot of cool things will be going on.”
Martin was offensive
coordinator and quarterbacks coach Troth’s sophomore year at ECU when he
passed for 2,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.
In that 2002 campaign,
Troth stepped into the shoes of current NFL quarterback David Garrard
and showed flashes of the brilliance that made him one of the nation's
most sought after recruits out of high school, but he was intercepted 20
times during the 4-8 season that marked his first opportunity to see
meaningful action under center.
02/23/2007 11:29 AM
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