Troy’s Calvin makes his mark

TROY — Jorrick Calvin took the brunt of teammates’ jokes three weeks ago. He finally got the last laugh this past weekend.

Troy was flying home from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., fresh off a 30-17 win at Florida Atlantic that was televised on ESPN2. As the team was about to land in Dothan, a replay of the game came on the television screens in the plane.

Calvin dropped an interception that went right to him, and ESPN2 color announcer Lou Holtz, a 71-year-old ex-coach, gave the comment, “That’s why he’s a
defensive back, because he can’t catch good enough to be a receiver.”

The plane erupted in laughter.

“At that point (Holtz was right), because I did miss it,” Calvin said. “I looked like a little DB who couldn’t catch.”
Teammates have defended Calvin, saying he has some of the best hands on the team. Some even called Holtz’s remark cold.

“On the Internet, there’s a picture of it coming off my shoulder pads,” Calvin said. “I misplayed it. At that point, I was looking like the worst hands on the team.”

He made up for it in last week’s 45-17 win at North Texas, intercepting a pass in the end zone to snuff a UNT drive when the game was still within striking distance. That, and his nine tackles and two tackles for loss, helped him get the Sun Belt’s Defensive Player of the Week honors.

His 95-yard kickoff return for a score later got him the conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

Calvin’s special teams play is slowly but surely erasing the void that Leodis McKelvin, now in the NFL, left behind. His 30-yard average on kick returns leads the conference. Second is Louisiana-Monroe freshman Luther Ambrose at 24 yards per return. Troy (5-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) plays at ULM (2-6, 1-3) Saturday at 6 p.m.

“Jorrick did a great job of hitting the hole and running where he was supposed to,” special teams coach Shayne Wasden said. “He was untouched on the thing. We’ve been close on several this year and we finally popped one. Jorrick’s got a lot of God-given ability and a lot of speed. He’s got that knack of hitting a hole in a hurry and he has a burst.”

Calvin and Cornelius Williams split time at punt returner. Calvin’s reckless abandonment in going for the football has caused coaches some worry, though he hasn’t given a ball away to the other team yet.

“It’s great that he goes and catches the ball, but there’s a point where you need to fair catch it,” Wasden said. “Confidence was never a problem for him catching the ball, just looking the ball in. Maybe overconfidence was his problem.”

He’s also solidifying Troy’s corner spot. McKelvin and Elbert Mack, who is also in the NFL, left big shoes to fill. Some wondered if they would be filled, but Calvin, who came in this summer from junior college, is starting to step up.

“The sucker plays really well and I hope he continues that,” head coach Larry Blakeney said. “He’s made a lot of tackles. He’s aggressive.”

Calvin’s big game Saturday came in front of an uncle and aunt — Herbert and Symentrus Young — who had never seen him play football before. The couple live in Houston.

“I had to show them something,” Calvin said.

He showed his teammates — and Lou Holtz — something too. He’s got hands.

Jernigan has surgery: Troy sophomore wide receiver and Eufaula native Jerrel Jernigan underwent orthoscopic knee surgery in Birmingham Tuesday and is out indefinitely, confirmed Trojan head coach Larry Blakeney.

Jernigan was injured in Saturday’s win over North Texas. A MRI on Monday had indicated a knee bruise.

Jernigan, arguably Troy’s most dynamic offensive weapon, is the leading receiver in the Sun Belt Conference with 48 catches for 578 yards and five
touchdowns, including nine catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in Saturday’s win at North Texas.

The potential loss of Jernigan is a blow to Troy, which plays at Louisiana-Monroe Saturday night.

“It ain’t no secret that sucker’s our best player,” Blakeney said in an interview on Monday prior to news of the surgery. “If he’s got the ball in his hands, there’s a chance he’s going to score. For him to get dinged up or slowed, it knocks a pretty good hole in production.”