Wednesday links

September 30, 2008

By Drew Champlin

DOTHAN EAGLE: Troy’s Addison still likely to redshirt - A notebook on the defensive end situation, plus some stuff from DuJuan Harris not getting looked at by FAU, and one Trojan leading the conference in a statistical category.

How bout that FAU-MTSU finish? I thought MTSU dominated the game and forced plenty of turnovers, but couldn’t do anything right. Usually teams that turn the ball over 4 times lose - see Troy vs. OSU last week and Troy vs. FAU last year. Joe Craddock’s got some guts, but that FAU defender rushing at Craddock on the last play just looked foolish.

Sun-Sentinel beat writer/blogger extraordinnaire Ted Hutton gives his take on the loss.

I only saw the 2nd half, as it was my wife’s birthday and we went out to eat. I thought FAU’s defensive line looked pretty tough - though Troy’s OL is much better than that of MTSU. FAU’s offense just didn’t mesh.

How does this make you feel about next Tuesday’s game? Does FAU roll over and Troy jump on them, or do the Owls come out more fired up? I’m really finding it hard to see how FAU can be fired up at this point, even though there are still six Sun Belt games left and winning out still would put them in the New Orleans Bowl.

Check back later this morning for some video clips from the Troy-Oklahoma State game.

Know your Trojan coach: Kenny Edenfield

By Drew Champlin

I did a Q and A with another Trojan assistant football coach. This time, it’s Kenny Edenfield, the first-year inside receivers coach for the Trojans.

That link takes you there.

Alright, who wins the FAU-MTSU game tonight? I’m thinking FAU, and if the Owls do win, it makes the pick of next week’s game with Troy much tougher. If they lose, it could be a situation where the Owls didn’t know how to handle expectations and could fold.

Tuesday links

September 29, 2008

By Drew Champlin

DOTHAN EAGLE: Trojans remember sting of loss.

That talks about last year’s game with FAU a little. The first couple of paragraphs might be confusing for some, as yes I do know that FAU was on ESPN2 earlier this year at Michigan State, but I don’t believe Troy coaches cared, since they had a game of their own that day.

Also, didn’t mention this in the story, but Troy was out of its routine that day. The normal hotel they stay at in Ozark was overbooked, so they stayed in Enterprise (probably in a nicer hotel). The pregame meal was in a different building on campus, and one that wasn’t air-conditioned. Also, the last straw was the Senior Day festivities.

Larry Blakeney said he was going to do something different on Senior Day than stand there and honor everyone in front of the crowd. He should, as the Trojans are 0-3 on their last 3 home season finales.

No FAU links, although I don’t think Troy is on its mind today.

A couple of Monday notes

By Drew Champlin

As the Monday media gatherings get further into the season, they become less earth-shattering.

They’re going to still keep the redshirt on defensive end Mario Addison, unless either Brandon Lang or Cameron Sheffield gets hurt. John Mark Patrick earned the role of No. 3 defensive end last week in practice. They were going to get Brandon Boudreaux in on some pass situations in the second half after Lang left with an injury (he’s fine, will be back next week), but OSU kept pounding the ball on the ground and never needed to pass much.

ESPN’s taking next week’s game at FAU seriously, sending an A-list of broadcasters. The lineup is Rece Davis, Lou Holtz and Mark May, with Rob Stone on the sidelines. That, I believe, is who was calling the Troy-MTSU game on ESPN2 last year in Troy.

No radio with John and Barry tomorrow. Will resume next Tuesday, on gameday.

Several Troy coaches are out recruiting, some in Kansas,  Texas and New Mexico scouting junior colleges and others in their respective areas. The only assistants around today are Neal Brown and Randy Butler, since the Trojans have a couple of days off.

Some things to ponder this week

September 28, 2008

By Drew Champlin

And some of it, I’ll be covering in my stories/blog entries for the week.

***The pain of last year’s game for FAU no doubt stings every Trojan. Revenge, anyone?

***Troy’s offense has some very dynamic players, specifically Jamie Hampton, DuJuan Harris and Jerrel Jernigan. But as good as all three are, and all 3 have the potential to be great, all 3 have also made some crucial mistakes in the first few games (fumbles, interceptions, etc). In the last two losses, four touchdowns have come after turnovers.

***A banged up Troy defense hits the road for a test against another Sun Belt team with not-so-good out-of-conference showings. Troy’s got talent across its starting 11, but no proven depth yet.

***Wide receiver Mykeal Terry broke out in Lockhart Stadium in 2006. Since then, he’s had his moments but really hasn’t become the gamebreaker some thought he would be. Solid player, yes.

***As for Troy’s receivers, what they’re lacking is that big, physical threat deep. Gary Banks was it last year. Kennard Burton is Troy’s best deep threat, but he’s 5-foot-7. TeBiarus Gill could have been it, but he’s been slow to develop. Next year, with what you would think is an improved Gill, Josh Jarboe, a better (and more filled out than the 5-foot-11, 165 pounds he is now) Chip Reeves, then the options will be there.

***Troy didn’t fire 25 deep passes against Oklahoma State because the offensive line couldn’t block long enough for that to develop. Plus, Troy’s best “long-range” options are across the middle, with Austin Silvoy and Cornelius Williams on the right slot (Y) and Jerrel Jernigan and Andrew Davis (H) on the left slot. It was good to see Hampton look at Silvoy a few times last week, and as he starts to look over the middle more and more (part of the growing process), more big plays will happen. Troy currently does not have any outside receivers that are big enough to win jump balls against cornerbacks.

***What’s going on with the personal fouls? At least 6 I can remember in the last two games, though two were face masks against Ohio State and one was very questionable. Still, the three against Oklahoma State were all, well, dumb and preventable.

***Why are people throwing in the towel? Did anyone see what Florida’s offense did to this team last year? Despite the late loss to FAU, I’d venture to say that last year’s Troy team was better than many bowl teams. Oklahoma State’s going to put up some big-time yards and points on a lot of good Big 12 schools. This is technically a rebuilding year, but there’s talent to get to New Orleans (or St. Pete or Birmingham or Shreveport). Can they put it together without costly errors?