Troy prepares to open Sun Belt play
Troy football looks to start its Sun Belt play with a midweek matchup against Southern Miss Tuesday night at the Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Trojans and Eagles ended last year against each other, with Troy taking the victory and the Sun Belt Championship berth in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 28-18. The Trojans are 6-2 against the Eagles, as well as 2-1 when the game is in the Wiregrass.
Despite the Trojans being off this week, the bye week will be shortened by the Southern Miss game being on Tuesday. However, head coach Gerad Parker said even the few extra days of game planning will be crucial for Troy after a loss.
“I think the extra time is really good,” Parker said. “I think that we probably, in some ways, chased a few too many ghosts in our game planning this week [vs Utah State], and we need to make sure that our players are confident in the game plan.
“Having tight game plans, making sure that we allow our best players to play at their best, but also our guys to play fast and know what to do rather than doing too much is going to be critical for us in a long week.”
Southern Miss is looking to break a three-game losing streak. Despite starting the year 1-0 after a blowout win against Alcorn State, the Eagles suffered defeats at the hands of Auburn, UConn and Tulane.
Despite the losing record, Southern Miss running back Steven Robinson and wide receiver Mario Sanders are both ranked second in the Sun Belt in rushing and receiving especially. Troy looks to utilize its defense that has limited its opponents to 309.3 yards per game, the fourth lowest allowed in the conference.
“I don’t think anyone’s really scored on us because they were that much better than us,” said sixth-year linebacker Bryce Steele. “I think it was more so we beat ourselves, or we made a mistake which allowed them to score or have explosive plays.”
Troy returns home after a two-game run that saw the Trojans suffer their first losses of the season. For fourth-year running back Jordan Lovett, despite the away games helping Troy find out what team they are, home games are what he’s excited for.
“I feel like the away games are what build the team the most,” Lovett said. “Going on away games, I feel like that kind of helps us find ourselves even more.
“And then with us coming back to a home game, just the fans, the culture, everything about Troy, that just makes us feel at home. So, I’m excited to be back home.”
Troy and Southern Miss open Sun Belt play against each other Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. inside the Vet.
For those who can’t make the game, it will be nationally televised on ESPN 2.
Comments