Trojans have made great strides
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
BY TOMMY DAHLK / Lincoln Journal Star
Last September, Troy got blown out in nonconference games at Missouri and South Carolina.
That hasn’t been the case for the Trojans this season.
In early road games against Florida State and Georgia Tech, a new spread offense kept the Trojans in both games until late in the fourth quarter. In fact, against the Seminoles, Troy had the lead with six minutes left before costly turnovers enabled Florida State to pull out a 24-17 victory.
Troy coach Larry Blakeney said he’s pleased with his team’s progress this year.
“We’ve had some good moments and some bad moments,” Blakeney said. “The kids are confident that they can move the ball. We’ve been able to get some yards, move the chains and score some points. Basically, we’ve hurt ourselves like a lot of teams do late with turnovers and trying to force it a little bit. But I like what I’m seeing, and we’ve been practicing well.”
In just the sixth season after making the jump from Division I-AA to I-A, Troy seems to have found its niche on college football’s top level.
But what has caused this sudden metamorphosis from pretender to near contender?
Well, offensive coordinator Tony Franklin can take some credit.
Last season, the Trojans ran a mostly run-oriented offense. They ranked 111th in the nation in total offense, averaging only 283 yards per contest.
In order to compete on this level, Blakeney knew he’d have to be able to put more points on the board. So he hired the highly regarded Franklin. While serving as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator in 2000, Franklin’s offense was 11th in the nation in total offense and second in passing.
Franklin has brought his spread offense to Troy, and after three games, the Trojans are averaging 338.7 yards against stiff competition.
Junior wide receiver Gary Banks said the players have had an easy transition into the spread offense.
“Coach Franklin’s system wasn’t too hard to adjust into,” Banks said. “It wasn’t anything too difficult. He made it as simple as possible and catered to our needs.”
The new offense is more fast-paced, running out of the no-huddle often. Plus, instead of running the ball 30 to 40 times a game like the Trojans did last year, they are primarily passing. Against Florida State, junior quarterback Omar Haugabook attempted 39 passes, a school record.
Banks and the other wide receivers have enjoyed the change. Already this season, Banks has 23 catches for 246 yards. He caught 25 passes all of last year.
In 2004, Banks came to Troy as a quarterback after spending three seasons playing baseball in the Chicago Cubs’ organization. During fall camp, Banks moved to wide receiver.
Banks said a lot has changed since he arrived.
“Just the atmosphere here that is going on around campus is different,” Banks said. “The way Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins has been conducting business shows there’s a positive uprising in Troy, not only in athletics.”
Blakeney agrees, and thinks his program has changed a lot in the past couple of seasons.
“I’ve got to think we’ve made some improvements,” Blakeney said. “We’ve enhanced our facilities and we’re improving at a steady rate. I think we’ve improved our caliber of players that we can bring in here. Everything is about players and being able to recruit good student-athletes.”
Now, all Troy needs is one major upset to get on the map. Banks said he hopes Troy can pull it off against Nebraska.
“I don’t think any of us are nervous going into Nebraska because we’ve played at Florida State and Georgia Tech,” he said. “When you’re a school like Troy, you have to play these types of teams to put yourself out there. This year, we’ve been maybe just one or two plays away from pulling off a big upset.”
Most Commented news