Tis the season

December 08, 2007

Drew Champlin

For coaching searches

The Houston Chronicle rumor mill has Larry Blakeney’s name listed at the bottom for the Houston job, vacated when Art Briles went to Baylor, but that’s just a rumor mill.

Blakeney is out of pocket today, apparently. A couple of people I’ve talked to in Troy don’t see him going anywhere, but if the Cougars are looking at a 71-year-old Jack Pardee, a 60-year-old Blakeney wouldn’t be out of the question.

Houston would pay more money, no doubt, but the chances of winning a national championship at either school are roughly the same: slim. But at Houston, you can go 8-4 and not worry about your conference not having a bowl spot for you.

Maybe I’ll hear some more stuff tonight in Troy for the basketball game. If you’re nearby, it should be entertaining. Troy hosts Alabama State at 7 p.m.

2:25 p.m. - Spoke with offensive coordinator Tony Franklin. He said it was news to him if Blakeney was going anywhere. “You’re the first person I’ve heard it from,“ he said.

Pre-recruiting/spring look: RUNNING BACK

Drew Champlin

This is the first look at the 2008 Trojans. It’s never too early to speculate on the next season, especially since Troy’s 2007 season is over. Most of these will not focus on 2008 recruits as no one has signed on the dotted line yet.

Note: Players are listed in class based on what they will be in 2008.

WHAT TROY IS LOSING: Two seniors who really knew how to play the game and were good at it, too. Kenny Cattouse had a pretty good senior season where he earned second-team All Sun Belt honors. His presence was missed in the FAU game that ended Troy’s season. Sean Dawkins redshirted in 2006 after suffering a knee injury in the spring and many called him the best football player on the team. Dawkins could block exceptionally well and was a pretty good pass catcher and runner, though not as elusive or fast as Cattouse.

WHAT TROY IS RETAINING: Not much. Sophomore DuJuan Harris showed some burst and gained 372 yards as a backup. The little guy can run and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is very high on him. A prep writer in St. Petersburg, Fla., e-mailed me before the season and said Troy got a steal. Junior Xavier Moreland was the 4th guy after being moved from defensive back before the season. He got 8 carries for 35 yards. Moreland is also fast, but has a long way to go before he can be a big-time contributor as he’s just not a natural running back. Fast, but runs into too many blockers.

Troy signed three other running backs, but redshirt freshman Stanley Jones moved to the H-receiver position where he’ll likely stay. Fred Hawkins and Ricky McGee never made it into school. If they ever surface at Troy again, it won’t be until 2009 at the earliest if they were sign and place guys.

Josh Brownell, to my knowledge, didn’t play this season and the Geneva native who came as a walk-on and played some in 2006, could grow into the role that Dawkins provided as a blocker.

DREW’S PREDICTION: I look for Troy to bring in as many as three running backs. They might sign more, but expect three qualified running backs to join the stable. Harris has great potential, but isn’t very big and the Trojans need someone who can get a yard on 4th and 1. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a JUCO running back who is bigger than Harris come in and win the job, but whoever the main guy is needs to be one who knows all the details in the Tony Franklin system - that includes making calls and knowing when and who to block. Anyone can carry the ball, but not everyone can be a successful running back.

Hoops look: Alabama State at Troy

December 07, 2007

Drew Champlin

What: Alabama State (3-2) at Troy (3-4)
When: 7 p.m. CST Dec. 8
Where: Trojan Arena (4,000)
Last time out: Troy beat Shorter, an NAIA school, 83-72. Alabama State beat Oakwood, umm, 72-61

Probable starting lineups
TROY
G-Jerome Odem (6’1, 160, Sr.) - 7.9 ppg, 3.0 apg
G-O’Darien Bassett (6’2, 190, Sr.) - 16.0 ppg, 5.9 prg, 2.9 apg
F-Justin Jonus (6’6, 221, Sr.) - 17.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg
F-Trayce Macon (6’8, 191, Soph.) - 8.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg
F-Jarvis Acker (6’6, 210, Sr.) - 5.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg (2 games)

ALABAMA STATE
G-Brandon Brooks (6’2, 180, Jr.) 8.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.6 apg
G-Andrew Hayles (6’5, 195, Jr.) 12.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg
F-Brandon Gordon(6’7, 200, Sr.) 9.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
F-Joel Bosh(6’6, 200, Sr.) 8.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg
C-Chief Kickingstallionsims (7’0, 245, Jr.) 10 ppg, 3.6 rpg

What to watch for: The Trojans held Texas A&M Corpus Christi 7-footer Chris Daniels in check in a 21-point win last Saturday. Can they do the same with Chief Kickingstallionsims? Gosh, I’m hoping he is declared academically ineligible before the game so I won’t have to type his name over and over again in my game story. Seriously, though, Chief, a Stetson transfer, isn’t near the player that Daniels is, but he’s still bigger than everyone dotting a Trojan roster. Last year, Alabama State beat Troy 63-56 at ASU despite not having as much talent as Troy. This year, they’re probably more talented and more experienced than the Trojans, but basketball’s a funny sport.

Player to watch, Troy: Justin Jonus. Scoring average has gone down 11 ppg since his 44-point outburst vs. Paul Quinn, but Jonus needs a big game vs. ASU with a good shooting percentage.

Player to watch, ASU: Andrew Hayles. He hit 6 3-pointers on the way to 18 points in last year’s game with Troy. The junior can fill it up from outside the arc and should have plenty of chances against Troy’s zone.

Troy will win if: The Trojans force the tempo with its press and force ASU to play Troy’s game. The Trojans are finally healthy and eligible and are playing much better basketball.

ASU will win if: They limit turnovers against the press and get a decent game from Chief.

Drew’s prediction: Still need Troy to convince me more that they’re consistent, but a win would keep things rolling. However, ASU 79, Troy 73

Pre-recruiting/spring look: QUARTERBACK

Drew Champlin

This is the first look at the 2008 Trojans. It’s never too early to speculate on the next season, especially since Troy’s 2007 season is over. Most of these will not focus on 2008 recruits as no one has signed on the dotted line yet.

Note: Players are listed in class based on what they will be in 2008.

WHAT TROY IS LOSING: Only the two-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in Omar Haugabook. It’s hard to believe his career at Troy is over because it seems like he just got here. Nevertheless, his play at the position gave that position a steady force, one it has not had since the Brock Nutter days (that I wasn’t here for and maybe shouldn’t comment on), and led the Trojans to 15 wins over two seasons and two shares of conference titles. Haugabook was a leader everywhere he went and that alone will he tough to replace.

WHAT TROY IS RETAINING: A slew of quarterbacks. Sophomore Tanner Jones returns, as well as sophomore Jamie Hampton, sophomore Jonathan Chandler and junior Levi Brown. Troy had another quarterback in Jed Tyre, a walk-on, but he left the program in fall practice. Troy also has a verbal commitment from Chris Todd, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound gunslinger who was at Texas Tech for two years, but had the misfortune of being only a year behind Graham Harrell, one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Both Jones and Hampton got experience this year, while Chandler redshirted (after some experience in 2005) and Brown sat out after transferring from Richmond. Todd is set to enroll in the spring.

What you have in Jones is a guy with a cannon of a right arm but isn’t as tall or as quick. What you have in Hampton is a guy who can run, who is about 6-foot-2 but needs to put some weight on him. He does have a nice, left-handed touch, but needs more strength on his throws. What you have in Chandler is someone who can run, but struggles with the deep ball. What you have in Brown, according to coaches, is a good arm but not as much mobility.

Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said Brown and Jones have to be dead-on accurate if they want to play, since they aren’t as good of runners. Coaches are high on Todd, who can do both, but came from a terrible, terrible JUCO program in Hutchinson, Kan., where his play regressed in a system that was comparable to what Troy ran during the three years prior to when Franklin arrived.

DREW’S PREDICTION: Todd wasn’t brought in to sit on the bench, so if he can regain the form that led to him being pretty good at Texas Tech and great as a high school passer in Kentucky, he’ll start. Jones and Hampton each had their moments, but probably aren’t ready - yet - to keep Troy at a Sun Belt championship level. Hampton has worlds of potential, but a redshirt year would help him gain strength where he could be the starter for two seasons after Todd graduates AND perform at a very high level. Todd and Hampton are Tony Franklin recruits, so they have that going for them. Jones had some good moments when he threw the ball, but his two throws in the FAU game left a lot to be desired - including one where he underthrew a wide-open Kennard Burton in the end zone after Haugabook left due to injury for a play in the first half. Troy settled for a field goal. Look for Jones to have the upper hand as the backup again and for one of the quarterbacks - not sure which one - to leave because they don’t want to be fifth on the depth chart.

Back - some more thoughts

December 06, 2007

Drew Champlin

Troy still has itself to blame for not going to the New Orleans Bowl. Who does it have to blame for not getting selected despite a pretty good 8-4 season? I guess the BCS, which rewarded an overrated Hawaii team for barely beating a 4-9 Washington team at home. If Hawaii’s not in the BCS, then Troy’s in the Armed Forces Bowl. But I doubt they were thinking about a Sun Belt school when making those selections.

But the past is the past. Look to the present. I believe that the Sun Belt absolutely needs to get another tie-in next season. Sure, it will cost the conference some money, but the point is not to throw your teams to be sacrificial lambs so your conference can make some bucks. Another bowl doesn’t need to be created - we don’t need to have the ScreenTech Showdown at Rip Hewes Stadium in Dothan (just kidding, Shannon and Terry) - but somehow the Sun Belt needs to force its way into either the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham or the GMAC Bowl in Mobile. Why? Sure they aren’t glamorous locations, but the teams will benefit and fans of most Sun Belt schools (especially Troy for both bowls, MTSU, ASU and WKU for the Birmingham and the Louisiana schools for the GMAC) can travel to them easily. Half of Conference USA’s teams get bowl bids and something about that statement isn’t right especially when we’re at a point where at least two Sun Belt teams will have records of 7-5 or better.

If the Sun Belt can’t get another tie-in next season, even if it’s in Kuala Lampur, it is letting down its member institutions.

INJURIES - This had a lot to do with Troy’s offensive decline in the FAU game. I think the biggest hit was not having Kenny Cattouse at full strength. He played one series early, but apparently was not well enough to play the rest of the game. Think of those 7 dump passes to Sean Dawkins. Cattouse would probably have doubled the yardage that Dawk got on those receptions because he’s faster and a better runner (that doesn’t take away from Dawk’s contributions, but it’s the truth). It also didn’t help having one of the most dependable receivers in Josh Allen and one of the better playmakers in Jerrel Jernigan sidelined.

That being said, Troy was about 30 yards away from a second straight trip to the New Orleans Bowl.

When I talked to Wright Waters, the Sun Belt commish, Sunday, he was trying all day to make deals for Troy. How? I have no idea, but I believe him. The problem is, tie-ins are tie-ins. The New Mexico Bowl has a contract with the WAC to take a bowl-eligible team from that conference. The last one left was a 6-6 Nevada team. Same goes for the Insight Bowl (Big 12-Oklahoma State), Independence (SEC-choice of Alabama or S. Carolina, took Alabama), Armed Forces (Pac 10-California), Humanitarian (ACC-Georgia Tech) and Las Vegas (Pac 10-UCLA). All of those were 6-6 teams.

The attendance comment was correct - Troy needed to have more than 17,000 fans at the stadium Saturday, but even with an overflow crowd of 45,000, the Texas Bowl still would have taken TCU. The guy who wrote me back pretty much said Troy was never on the radar, since TCU had 7 wins.

But Waters and the Sun Belt Conference now have 6-7 months to get a new tie-in, and I don’t expect a new bowl to be created unless a current one folds.

When I look at next year, I see Florida Atlantic, UL-Monroe and Troy as the top 3 teams. Troy needs a QB to develop (could be commitment Chris Todd, another running back who is able to do all things well in the system, including block, and another cornerback or two. The other positions have plenty of depth returning.

Starting soon, I’ll examine every position group daily (pre-spring, pre-recruiting) and we’ll see where the Trojans stand.

Until then, I’m on vacation for about 10 more hours and it’s basketball season.