Troy notes: Gill learns from mistakes

TROY — For Troy wideout TeBiarus Gill, it was all about practice last week.

A poor week of practice carried into the spotlight of Saturday’s 56-20 loss. Gill, a junior who is the Trojans’ second-leading receiver, had a ball go off his chest and get intercepted, dropped a touchdown pass and lost a fumble.

“He played bad,” offensive coordinator Neal Brown said. “I could sugarcoat it, but he didn’t play very good. He’s played pretty good for us this year.”

While former NBA star Allen Iverson coined the, “We talkin’ ‘bout practice,” line about his lazy approach to practice, Troy coaches take the opposite path. If you don’t practice well, you’re lucky if you get to play.

“Not really going hard at practice is what it mainly was, but I’m going to correct it this week,” Gill said Monday. “On my part, it was being a little lazy. Right now, I’m getting focused on FAU, so I’ll go out and have fun.”

Gill is Troy’s second-leading receiver with 36 catches for 447 yards and a team-high four receiving touchdowns, but he has battled through injuries this year. After a hot start, he sprained his ankle against Arkansas State and has dealt with chronic knee and shin problems.

“It still doesn’t account for the bad game I had. I was all right (physically),” Gill said.

But as the team’s top threat to win a jump ball against a cornerback, Gill will still be counted on to make plays for the Trojans (7-3, 6-0 Sun Belt) against Florida Atlantic at home Saturday at 3:15 p.m.

“We’re not going to quit on him,” Brown said. “He was open the whole game (at Arkansas). He played good and did great blocking. The thing is that as a receiver, you can play great for 70 plays but you make three bad ones and they stand out. He’ll be fine.”

Lang ready for all-star game: Defensive end Brandon Lang accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game, which will be played Jan. 23, 2010 at 2 p.m. at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

However, Lang is still holding out hope for a Senior Bowl invite, which is regarded as the top all-star game for college seniors. The Senior Bowl is Jan. 30 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. He could play in both if he chooses.

“I’m just waiting on the Senior Bowl to hear from them and decide which game I’d like to play,” Lang said. “I could play in both, but I’ve got to come up with a decision.”

Lang is tied for second in the SBC with teammate Cameron Sheffield with 6 1/2 sacks.

Another call to arms: Troy athletics director Steve Dennis sent out a letter to fans asking for their support in Saturday’s game. The letter is posted on TroyTrojans.com.

“With a win, Troy would clinch its FOURTH STRAIGHT Sun Belt Conference championship, an unprecedented feat in the storied 100 year history of Troy football,” Dennis said. “We want you there EARLY, we want you wearing CARDINAL and we want you to be LOUD in your support of the Trojans!”