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Corey Robinson passed for 259 yards and three touchdowns, connecting twice with Tebiarus Gill, and Troy rolled to a 42-13 victory over Middle Tennessee on Tuesday night.
The Trojans (3-2, 2-0) won their fifth straight against the Blue Raiders (2-3, 1-1) and their 12th consecutive Sun Belt Conference game.
Troy led 21-0 with six minutes left in the first half.
Jerrel Jernigan capped off the Trojans' opening drive with a 3-yard touchdown on a shovel pass from Jamie Hampton. Hampton, a reserve quarterback used sparingly in the Troy's spread offense, later suffered a leg injury in the second quarter and was carted off, wearing a boot.
Gill caught a 5-yard pass from Robinson at the back of the end zone later in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead. The two connected for a TD with 1:52 left in the third quarter, this time from 9 yards out for a 28-7 lead.
Middle Tennessee quarterback Dwight Dasher, making his season debut after serving a four-game suspension for accepting a $1,500 loan, ran for two touchdowns but couldn't rally the Blue Raiders. The Sun Belt's preseason offensive player of the year missed most of the first quarter due to a dislocated pinkie on his left, non-throwing hand.
Dasher returned with 13:12 to go in the second quarter but didn't do much right away, failing to convert a first down on his first three series back. But he led Middle Tennessee on a 63-yard drive, completing four passes for 37 yards and benefiting from two Troy penalties, including a personal foul. Dasher capped it off by keeping it for a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:04 left in the second quarter.
Middle Tennessee was moving the ball on its opening drive of the second half but Troy stopped that threat when Jacoby Thomas intercepted a pass from Dasher that was tipped.
The Trojans pulled away with a five-play, 87-yard drive late in the third quarter with Chris Anderson's 39-yard run from Troy's 13-yard line sparking the march. Four plays later, Robinson floated a pass to Gill just inside the pylon for a 9-yard touchdown.
The Trojans finished with 519 yards total offense but were called for 12 penalties for 106 yards.
Hampton was tackled hard by two Middle Tennessee defenders after an 8-yard run. His left leg was caught up underneath him awkwardly when the pile fell and he remained on the field for several minutes.
Jernigan became the Sun Belt's all-time leader in receiving yards. He had four catches for 40 yards and has 2,730 yards in his career.
