Marianna, Fla. DB commits to Troy

October 03, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Troy picked up its 13th commitment of the 2010 class and third from Marianna, Fla., High School when defensive back Fidel Montgomery committed to sign with the Trojans.

Marianna is less than two hours from Troy.

“It’s just like home,“ Montgomery said. “From where I’m from, it’s just like a bigger place. The people act the same. Everything’s just awesome about it.“

Earlier this summer, teammates Dalton Bennett and Tommy Stephens committed to Troy. Montgomery’s former coach, Rob Armstrong, who left to become coach at Chipley late this summer, is also a Troy graduate.

“They were all on me,“ Montgomery said. “They were pushing and shoving me trying to get me to commit. From the teachers to the coaches, if you need help in something, or need extra time, they’ve got your back. I love football but know school comes first.“

Montgomery has two interceptions through five games and said he’d likely play cornerback for the Trojans, though he’s a safety for Marianna. The 6-foot, 185-pound Montgomery said he’ll likely major in business administration and had offers from Northern Illinois, Marshall, South Florida, Colorado State, Tulane and Florida A&M.

The Trojans are placing a premium on signing defensive backs as four seniors (Courtland Fuller, Chris Bowens, Justin Bray and Kedric Manning) graduate from this year’s class

2010 Troy commitments
High School
Luke Barnes (QB, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
Khary Franklin (WR/ATH, Valdosta, Ga.)
Dalton Bennett (OL, Marianna, Fla.)
Tommy Stephens (DL, Marianna, Fla.)
Dantavious Jeffery. (DE, Douglasville, Ga.)
Brach Bessant, (LB, Lake City, Fla.)
Joe Lofton, (DB, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
Fidel Montgomery, (DB, Marianna, Fla.)
JUCO
Greg Jenkins, (QB, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Brett Moncrief, (WR, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)
Teavis Durgin (OL, Coffeyville CC, Kan.)
Talris Brown (LB, Coffeyville CC, Kan.)
Aaron Ward (DB, Hutchinson CC, Kan.)

From the other side, Middle Tennessee

By Drew Champlin

A big thanks to Adam Sparks, who covers Middle Tennessee for the Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro. You can read his work at blueraiders.com, part of which will be a similar Q and A with me.

1. How important is QB Dwight Dasher to this offense?
Statistically, Dasher is more important to MTSU’s offense than any player is to his offense in the FBS. Dasher accounts for 79 percent of MTSU’s yards as a dual-threat runner and passer. And his 227 offensive touches (72 rushes, 155 passes) is the most of any player in college football’s top level. Aside from stats, Dasher is not irreplaceable in terms of the offense functioning. Dasher’s backup, redshirt freshman Brent Burnette, is inexperienced, but he could manage the offense. If Dasher was injured, Burnette could guide the team to Sun Belt wins, but I don’t think he could against Troy. Without Dasher, MTSU likely doesn’t stand a chance against the Trojans. With him, the Blue Raiders at least have a chance.

2. Is this the best team since Rick Stockstill took over as head coach?
It’s probably too early to rank this year’s team over the 2006 squad which shared the Sun Belt title with Troy and went to the Motor City Bowl (and would’ve gone to the New Orleans Bowl, if not for Troy’s late heroics in their head-to-head game). That 2006 almost completely consisted of players Stockstill inherited from the previous coaching staff, and he made them work. The offense was modified greatly to fit the personnel, but the team won games — many of them decisively — with smart football, limited turnovers and penalties, an opportunistic defense, etc. This year’s team is more of what Stockstill had planned when he was hired. Is it his best team? Time will tell. It certainly is his best team to this point in the season, but there’s a long way to go. However, a win over Troy under these circumstances Tuesday would maybe vault this year’s team over the 2006 squad. A win would have that much impact.

3. Everybody knows about the offense. What about the defense? Is it playing better than you thought?
I thought the defense would be pretty good. Forcing turnovers was an offseason focus, and that’s yielded results immediately. MTSU has forced 13 turnovers in four games, the third-most in the nation. I thought the secondary would be good because so much experience and talent returned. I had questions about the linebacking corps outside for senior standout Danny Carmichael, but the inexperienced outside linebackers have actually played very well. A few true freshmen have helped in the secondary. But defensive ends Chris McCoy and Jamari Lattimore have played very well. Lattimore, who moved from linebacker last season, was expected to come on this year. McCoy was more of a question mark, as he had not met expectations in past years. But he has perhaps been the team’s best defender four games into the year. MTSU’s offense has been good, but the defense has been better.

4. How does the RB situation look with Phillip Tanner out?
Tanner is still out with a knee injury. Sophomore D.D. Kyles and true freshman Ben Cunningham are his primary replacements. Kyles is very fast, but he’s still learning how to pass protect and run strong between the tackles. Cunningham is shifty and smart. He had hardly played until a breakout game last week at North Texas. Senior wide receiver Desmond Gee will also see some time at running back, where he played last season. Tanner’s loss makes an impact, but no as much as most thought. Kyles and others have filled in better than expected.

5. How do you see the game going?
Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown told me earlier this week that he thought both defenses are better than the offenses. I tend to agree to a certain extent. I don’t think this be quite the shootout that many think, although I think it will be a good game and worthy of the national spotlight. I think it will be a back-and-forth game. I think MTSU may settle for more field goals than touchdowns, and the same may be the case for Troy. Aside from that, I think one major special teams play could have a big impact on the game’s outcome. I say the team whose quarterback has the least turnovers (fumbles and interceptions) wins the game. With homefield advantage and the glare of national TV, where the Trojans usually excel, I say .... Troy 27, MTSU 23

Friday links, Sun Belt picks

October 02, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Happy Friday. I won’t have anything in the paper over the weekend because the game is on Tuesday and I’m deferring space to high school and other college football, but HERE is something I wrote on Middle Tennessee quarterback Dwight Dasher.

When I post a beat writer Q and A with the DNJ’s Adam Sparks tomorrow, he’ll have more on Dasher.

Adam wrote this feature on Troy’s Levi Brown, who wanted to go to Middle Tennessee after he left Richmond.

Check out this notebook about the injured running back and the defenses, this story on Dasher’s workload and some high praise for Troy’s Jerrel Jernigan.

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Only a couple of games this weekend in the league.

11 a.m., Arkansas State at Iowa, ESPN2 - Good pub for the league. Iowa’s another slow, overrated Big 10 team and will move up spots in the polls after winning 24-7.

2:30 p.m., FIU at UL-Monroe, CSS - This is a tough matchup to call. Right now, I like ULM at home, though I’d have picked FIU earlier this season. ULM 27-20

3 p.m., Wyoming at FAU - FAU hasn’t played very well this year, but I’d like to think they can handle Wyoming, a mediocre MWC team at home, because of the changes in altitude and FAU being used to the humidity, etc. FAU 23-21

Defensive tackles coming along

By Drew Champlin

Many thought that despite losing two starters and a key reserve off last year’s team, the defensive tackle spot would be better this year.

It may be, but it wasn’t early on. New starters Kevin Dixon and Eugene Kinlaw, despite their impressive credentials, didn’t dominate right away. In fact, the only returning defensive tackle with game experience in the Troy system is Rashad Roussell, and he didn’t get cleared to play until the UAB game. Roussell didn’t play against Arkansas State (I’m not sure why).

So, the top four defensive tackles for the ASU game were starters Dixon and Kinlaw and backups Sidell Corley, who transferred from LSU in August, and redshirt freshman James Searcy. Roussell and redshirt freshmen Tony Davis made the trip to ASU, but didn’t play.

With the way teams try to stretch the field horizontally and vertically, defensive tackles aren’t going to get that many tackles. What they can do is clog the lane, stop the run, and force teams to go outside their comfort zone. Troy held ASU star back Reggie Arnold to just 32 yards, and that’s in large part to the effort of the tackles.

“That’s been the key is their improvement,“ linebacker Bear Woods said. “You can’t see it a lot being they’re D-tackles, but they have improved a lot with their technique and getting pressure. That’s been a key.“

Kinlaw (nicknamed Bloodbath), the National Junior College Defensive Player of the Year, had his first sack of the season, a tackle for a loss of 8 yards. Dixon had two tackles, both of which went for a loss (five yards total).

It’s a safe bet that the play of the defensive tackles will get better as the year goes on.

Graves building off first start

October 01, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Tyler Graves was told just minutes before kickoff that he’d be getting the start at right tackle of Troy’s 30-27 win at Arkansas State.

Graves, a junior college transfer, had missed the first three games because of an NCAA suspension and was in line for playing time because starting right tackle Kyle Wilborn‘s ankle injury didn’t heal. Graves split time with Nate Newland at right tackle.

“I think nervous would be an understatement for me when I stepped out on the field be cause it had been so long since I had competed on that level,“ Graves said. “Nervous, excited, anxious. It was a mixture feeling for me to get eligible again and go against one of the top defensive ends in the conference and show what I can do.“

Graves was called for a couple of penalties, but didn’t let Alex Carrington, the top defensive end he was referring to, get a sack. Even if he had to commit a holding penalty.

“There’s no way to hide it, but it was nerves factor in there,“ Graves said. “First game jitters, being back and competing in front of a big crowd for the first time. The one holding penalty I got, I held him, but I dnd’t want to give up a sack or get Levi hit. Not that it’s justified, but I didn’t want to be the one guy that got the QB hit.“

The offensive line put together a solid performance that let the Trojans get 500-plus yards for the second straight week.

“I don’t think Levi got knocked down,“ Graves said. “He might have gotten some pressures or hurries, but I don’t think he got hit or knocked down so that was a big victory for us.“

Levi Brown, who got a conference award for a second straight week, was happy with his right tackle.

“I thought he played great,“ Brown said. “He had a couple of penalties but who cares, it was his first game starting, he was going against one of the best players in the conference. Alex Carrington never got to me once, so it was a great game for him.“

Wilborn’s sprained ankle never got better and he’ll be a game-to-game decision. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Neal Brown was happy with the way Graves and Nate Newland competed, and said Monday they would evaluate film to see if they would still rotate them if Wilborn can’t go, or give one of them all of the snaps.

Offensive line coach John Schlarman was out recruiting Monday and was to grade the film midway through the week.