Troy notebook: Trojans take WKU serious

TROY — Western Kentucky’s transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision has been rough, but you wouldn’t know it by the Hilltoppers’ scores against Troy.

A week after hanging tough with a top 10 Georgia team in 2007, the Trojans scored on their first drive of each half but had to hold WKU off with a Shawn Todd sack on fourth down in the final minute for a 21-17 win. Last year, Troy outgained WKU 429-216, but won just 17-7.

“We expected the rest of the (2007) game to be easy, but they fought hard and made some plays while we struggled offensively,” Troy receiver Zack Marcum said. “It was a big letdown, but we came out with the victory.”

This year, it’s the first-place Trojans (6-2, 5-0 Sun Belt) against winless WKU (0-8, 0-4) at Houchens-Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky., Saturday at 4 p.m. WKU has lost 16 straight games.

WKU gave up 68 points last week, scoring 49 in a loss to a 2-7 North Texas team, but those numbers don’t faze Troy players. All they have to do is look at the tape from the past two seasons.

“We’re the team with the target on our back,” linebacker Boris Lee said. “If you get amped up at practice all week and you have this energy to go against this team that hasn’t lost, you can play at twice the level that you normally do.

“They could feel like we don’t take them seriously, but I know we take them very seriously. They’ll show up and play us very hard.”

Two years ago, current offensive coordinator Neal Brown (then a wide receivers coach) and then-offensive coordinator Tony Franklin had several family and friends at WKU, as both grew up in Kentucky. The offense scored on its first drive, but scored just one more touchdown the rest of the way. Chris Bradwell’s 16-yard fumble recovery for a score and a defensive goal-line stand in the fourth quarter helped the Trojans to a win.

“They’ve had our number a little bit,” Brown said. “They’ve played our team better than anyone in the conference and it’s not even close, really.”

Brown said as of Monday around lunchtime, he had to track down 29 tickets. Quarterback Levi Brown, who is from Mt. Juliet, Tenn., was looking for 30. Marcum, who is from London, Ky., is looking for more than 20. Offensive line coach John Schlarman, right tackle Nate Newland and quarterback Corey Robinson are also from Kentucky. Schlarman’s brother-in-law, Michael Federspiel, is a freshman linebacker for WKU, but he’s redshirting this year.

Troy not focused on New Orleans: As the only unbeaten team in the Sun Belt, the Trojans are that much closer to securing the league championship and automatic bowl berth in the Dec. 20 New Orleans Bowl, but several Trojans got caught looking ahead in 2007 and lost in the season finale to Florida Atlantic. Troy stayed at home with an 8-4 record that year because no other bowl spots were open.

“(Every game is) just like a championship game,” Lee said. “Sophomore year (2007) we were in the same situation. We got to the last game and lost and sat at the house. We’re not going to let that happen.”

Lee gets league honor: Lee, a senior linebacker, was named the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Week after getting 14 tackles and returning an interception 30 yards for a score in last week’s 42-21 win over UL-Monroe. Lee has started 42 straight games for Troy and is seventh on the career tackles list with 336. North Texas quarterback Riley Dodge, who passed for four touchdowns and ran for three last week at WKU, won the offensive award over Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan, who had 13 catches for 203 yards and a score.

Glusman still out: Senior kicker Sam Glusman has missed the last four games with a thigh injury. Sophomore Michael Taylor has filled in for him and hasn’t missed a kick.

“Sam’s still sore,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “I’ve kept up with him. I know he had a pretty good week (last week) but he wasn’t ready. We’ll wait and see how he does. The other boy is kicking awfully good, but I anticipate Sam hopefully getting back. We’ll see.”

Happy birthday: Thursday marks the 100th anniversary of the start of football. On Nov. 5, 1909, the school played to a 0-0 tie against a team from Union Springs.

“I’d get a cake that says 100 years on it,” Lee said. “Not for the coaches, but for me. There should be a celebration.”
Quipped linebacker Bear Woods, “I think (Troy head trainer) Chuck (Ash) was the head trainer at that time.”

Arkansas game set for TV: Troy’s game at Arkansas Nov. 14 will be televised by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m.