When Tony Franklin took over as the offensive coordinator at Troy after the 2005 season, he quickly realized one big problem.
He didn?t have a quarterback.
"Before I ever took the job, (Troy head coach Larry Blakeney) sent me film," said Franklin, a former offensive coordinator at Kentucky. "I looked at the quarterbacks and didn?t feel like there was anybody here that could play and do what I wanted to do."
So Franklin did what any other enterprising coordinator would do.
He scanned recruiting Web sites.
He checked Scout, Rivals and Sunshine Preps.
"That's where I saw him," Franklin said. "Fundamentally, he was doing the things I believe in. He kept the ball high, he had hot feet and he did real well in the pocket. Immediately, I knew he was the guy. Because of those three things, he was somebody I wanted to find more about."
The guy was Omar Haugabook, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound quarterback out of Dodge City (Kan.) Community College.
The day Franklin passed his NCAA recruiting test, he got Haugabook on the phone.
Franklin convinced Haugabook to de-commit from Marshall by explaining how cold it was in West Virginia and how much closer Troy was to his home of Belle Glade.
Haugabook grabbed the bait and packed for Troy.
In his first season, Haugabook earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors and led the Trojans to a win in the New Orleans Bowl.
Haugabook presented problems for defenses with his ability to pass (2,401 yards and 21 touchdowns) and his running prowess (313 yards and five scores).
He's willing to do either to win games.
"I can throw it, and I can run," Haugabook said. "Sometimes I probably have to throw it more than usual. Sometimes I have to run it more than usual. It all depends on how the games go."
He put Troy on the college football map last season by scaring the daylights out of Seminole nation in week two.
The Trojans led 17-10 in the fourth quarter before Drew Weatherford brought Florida State back for a 24-17 escape.
Haugabook attempted a season-high 46 passes in the game, but his interceptions abruptly ended Troy's final two drives.
"That was my first big Division-I game," Haugabook said. "I made some mistakes, but I also did some good things. I learned from that game."
Haugabook had similar problems in the second half of last week?s 46-26 loss to Arkansas.
He hopes to take those experiences and ones in losses to Georgia Tech and Nebraska last season into The Swamp this week.
The Gators will be waiting.
"He has a different throwing motion, but he's an extremely accurate passer," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "I know he struggled a little bit against Arkansas, but that was more in the second half. Early in that game he did a great job. That was a heck of a job in the first half."
