Trojans tackle first scrimmage of fall camp

The offense takes reps during Troy’s recent scrimmage, Troy Athletics photo

The Troy Trojans held their first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday as they prepare for the upcoming football season.

For the Trojans, fall camp offers a chance to run game simulations for not only the players but also the coaches. One big change for the Men of Troy is that both the offensive and defensive coordinators will not be on the sideline this year.

“It's [Adam Austin’s] choice,” said head coach Gerad Parker. “He wanted to go up there along with Dontae [Wright].

“Both our coordinators will be upstairs, and I want them to have the liberty of being where they need to be to be at peace to call a game. Both want to be up there, so it's good practice for us.”

The team ran a variety of drills and scenarios, but the coaches said that the players learned the most at the end of practice.

“I like the two-minute stuff because there's so much good teaching,” Parker said. “Our players had a good idea of how much to go get on offense and how to stop the clock.

“The defense made a good play down the stretch, especially with the ones. I thought the short-yardage stuff is good for eye discipline because you're going to get guys' best calls on offense. I thought defensively we had some eye violations and things that showed up.

“The offense schemed them a little bit and went after them. It'll be good to evaluate them.”

A position battle is ongoing for the Trojans on the offensive line. Last year, the Trojans tested their depth at the position with injuries across the line at different parts of the season.

“It's figuring out who the inside pieces are,” Parker said. “There are a lot of guys rotating inside, figuring out who those will finally be.

“We try to play through depth and figure out who the eight to 10 guys we can play with, but sooner or later we got to say, ‘Hey, these are our five’ that'll be the key. We’ve got good tackle depth, better than we've ever had in two years.

“Three or four of those guys are really battling out on twos, but I think the biggest step for them will be the interior of our offensive line.”

Another battle rages on as Troy searches for its next kicker. Scott Taylor Renfroe took the field goals for the Trojans, but he has graduated.The placekicker for the Men of Troy was Paddy McAteer, who transferred to Indiana.

The battle sees three kickers trying to aim for the top spot, with Parker looking to fill both spots left by Renfroe and McAteer.

“We're in an active competition,” Parker said. “There are three guys: Jalen Ballard, Ethan Head and Hayden Wolfe.

“I do think that there has been some separation. We're kind of getting an idea of who it's going to be. I do think kickoff will be two different guys again to save legs for a long season.”

The Trojans will have two more weeks to battle for their spot on the depth chart. Troy is set to face the Sam Houston Bearkats for its first game of the season on Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium.