At the Troy-Arkansas game (FINAL ARK 52-20)

November 14, 2009

By Drew Champlin

Not sure how much I’ll update this post - will update twitter @dothaneagletroy a lot more - and you can contact me by replying to @dothaneagletroy for questions.

The only injury note I know of is defensive end RJ Roberts (knee). He’s on the trip but unlikely to play. Coaches think he’ll be ready next week.

Shawn Southward gets the start at running back again.

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FINAL - Arkansas 52-20. I’ll have more later after I leave the stadium to the hotel. No video tonight.

GAMEDAY: Troy at Arkansas

By Drew Champlin

HERE is what I wrote on the game. From over here in NW Arkansas, defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was hospitalized Friday and it’s unclear if he will be with the team today. HERE is a column previewing the game and focusing a little bit on Troy.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Troy freshman Shawn Southward gets his first real test against an SEC defense after looking good in spurts against Florida before turning his ankle after the second carry. If he doesn’t get hurt, he may have run for a lot more yardage and it might not have been 56-6. Also, that 139-yard, 4 TD game against WKU wouldn’t have been a breakout (because he likely does it earlier). We’ll see if he can build on his momentum. Levi Brown is 14 passes away without an interception from setting a single-season NCAA record in that regard. Troy usually throws the short, safe passes against the big schools, but this is the first year that the Trojans have had the weapons to stretch the field. I would expect to see a lot of that. Jerrel Jernigan looks better than ever and it looks like TeBiarus Gill and Josh Jarboe are healthy, but need to be consistent.

TROY CAN WIN IF: The Trojans get a lot of pressure on Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett through blitzes and the normal pass rush and don’t get beat deep much. Arkansas will look to connect on the big play and this is where a secondary full of first-year starters can be exposed.

PREDICTION: Arkansas 37-24

OTHER SUN BELT PICKS: Western Kentucky is at UL-Monroe for a 3 p.m. game. ULM should have no problems in this one. ULM 41-13

Arkansas State travels to FAU for a 4 p.m. game in a battle of the league’s disappointments. Doesn’t matter who is playing QB for ASU because FAU’s defense is not good. ASU 38-24

UL-Lafayette at Middle Tennessee at 3:15 p.m. looks like the best game. I think MTSU’s offense is too good and I’m not completely sold on ULL as a league contender. MTSU 34-17

North Texas is at FIU at 6 p.m. Could UNT pull off another win? Maybe, but I’ll take FIU at home. FIU 34-31

Friday links

November 13, 2009

By Drew Champlin

I’ll board a plane in about three hours for NW Arkansas, but I wrote a couple of things for today’s paper.

HERE is this basketball notebook, with a current update and a bit on the two signees I told you about below.

Also, I wrote THIS on quarterback Levi Brown and his streaks and running ability.

From the other side: Arkansas

November 12, 2009

By Drew Champlin

A big thanks to Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for his help here.

1. What’s different about this Arkansas team than the 2007 one?

Wow, two whole seasons, one regime change and a lifetime ago, eh? That Razorback team featured the deadly combo of McFadden and Jones gobbling rushing yardage, this one features Ryan Mallett standing 6-7 in the pocket and throwing darts all over the field. The defenses aren’t drastically different from a personnel standpoint, but this group plays a little more zone coverage, less gambling and man than the Reggie Herring unit of ‘07.

In two seasons, the Razorbacks have assembled one of the best receiving corps in the nation, led by 6-3 Greg Childs, who has caught a series of a fade routes and turned slants into monster plays, and speedy Joe Adams, three weeks returned from a mild stroke and up to his tackle-breaking, hard-running antics.

2. How does a defense go about slowing down this Arkansas offense? 

Watch tape from the Alabama game for starters. But, since few defenses have the speed and strength of the Tide, plan B starts with a strong pass rush, getting Mallett uncomfortable and making him throw wrong-footed and on the move. The successful defenses have put him on the move and on his back. However, if a defense chooses to do that with extra blitzers, they’re hot routes and ability to beat man coverage on jump balls and slants has been extraordinary.

3. Where are some weaknesses on this Arkansas team that Troy could exploit? 

Again, the video shows that Arkansas’ secondary has been vulnerable to the play-action pass. The Hogs have given up a long sequence of big-play touchdowns this year, many of them when safeties and corners have bitten hard on the play fakes. The Razorbacks stuffed the run between the tackles vs. Alabama and Florida, an admirable task indeed, but there have been creases in recent weeks, and Ole Miss absolutely wiped out their D-ends and killed them on the corner.

4. Where are some good places to eat for Troy fans coming to the game? 

Friday nights require some patience, as there’ll be lots of folks in town. On the local front, Herman’s for steaks. It’s on College, almost all the way to the NWA Mall. Hugo’s is fun, a downstairs deal on Block St. downtown. Noodles near the mall complex is good pasta. I’m a fan of the Marketplace Grill up in Springdale off 412. Lotsa eateries on Dickson St., if you have patience for parking, etc. Bar and Grill types have plenty of options of the Hooters, Applebees, TGIFs, Buffalo Wild Wings, Outback, Foghorns near baseball’s Baum Stadium.

5. How do you see the game going? 

I’m not really in the prediction business. I believe Troy will have some success racking up yardage and will put points on the board. Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas offense have been superb in home games, and really destroyed the Georgia defense in a night game, so they’ll score too. I think the team that has the better tackling and generates the most successful pass rush—leading to hurried throws/incompletions more than sacks—will win.

Troy adds two men’s hoops signees

By Drew Champlin

Troy has signed two junior college guards during the fall signing period, head coach Don Maestri said.

Both come from Gulf Coast CC in Panama City. Travis Nichols is listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and is actually a redshirt freshman at Gulf Coast. Nichols is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., and is expected to be a top 3-point shooter for Gulf Coast. You can go HERE, and HERE for news articles from the Panama City News Herald. Nichols went to American International College in Springfield, Mass., last year and redshirted. Nichols will be a sophomore next year with the Trojans.

The other signee is DeAndrae Ross, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard. You might remember him from playing at South Alabama for two seasons. He played 14.5 minutes per game last year, scoring 3.8 ppg in a reserve role. HERE is his Yahoo! profile page.

Ross is sitting out this year at Gulf Coast CC because he’s not eligible to play in junior college since he’s played two years at South Alabama. I’m guessing he didn’t just up and transfer to Troy was because (1) there were no scholarships for this season and (2) unlikely USA releases him to another Sun Belt team.

Ross is from Panama City. Both are expected to challenge for minutes immediately.

“We lose five seniors, so we’ve got to have some guys that can help us right away,“ Maestri said.

Troy also has transfers Will Weathers, a point guard, and Flynn Clayman, a wing player, sitting out this year. The Trojans can sign 3 more and will look to fill those spots in the spring signing period. Don’t be surprised if they go after some more transfers, but they’ll also look for another signee that can help next year.

Troy opens the regular season Saturday against Piedmont.