Some things to ponder this week
September 28, 2008
And some of it, I’ll be covering in my stories/blog entries for the week.
***The pain of last year’s game for FAU no doubt stings every Trojan. Revenge, anyone?
***Troy’s offense has some very dynamic players, specifically Jamie Hampton, DuJuan Harris and Jerrel Jernigan. But as good as all three are, and all 3 have the potential to be great, all 3 have also made some crucial mistakes in the first few games (fumbles, interceptions, etc). In the last two losses, four touchdowns have come after turnovers.
***A banged up Troy defense hits the road for a test against another Sun Belt team with not-so-good out-of-conference showings. Troy’s got talent across its starting 11, but no proven depth yet.
***Wide receiver Mykeal Terry broke out in Lockhart Stadium in 2006. Since then, he’s had his moments but really hasn’t become the gamebreaker some thought he would be. Solid player, yes.
***As for Troy’s receivers, what they’re lacking is that big, physical threat deep. Gary Banks was it last year. Kennard Burton is Troy’s best deep threat, but he’s 5-foot-7. TeBiarus Gill could have been it, but he’s been slow to develop. Next year, with what you would think is an improved Gill, Josh Jarboe, a better (and more filled out than the 5-foot-11, 165 pounds he is now) Chip Reeves, then the options will be there.
***Troy didn’t fire 25 deep passes against Oklahoma State because the offensive line couldn’t block long enough for that to develop. Plus, Troy’s best “long-range” options are across the middle, with Austin Silvoy and Cornelius Williams on the right slot (Y) and Jerrel Jernigan and Andrew Davis (H) on the left slot. It was good to see Hampton look at Silvoy a few times last week, and as he starts to look over the middle more and more (part of the growing process), more big plays will happen. Troy currently does not have any outside receivers that are big enough to win jump balls against cornerbacks.
***What’s going on with the personal fouls? At least 6 I can remember in the last two games, though two were face masks against Ohio State and one was very questionable. Still, the three against Oklahoma State were all, well, dumb and preventable.
***Why are people throwing in the towel? Did anyone see what Florida’s offense did to this team last year? Despite the late loss to FAU, I’d venture to say that last year’s Troy team was better than many bowl teams. Oklahoma State’s going to put up some big-time yards and points on a lot of good Big 12 schools. This is technically a rebuilding year, but there’s talent to get to New Orleans (or St. Pete or Birmingham or Shreveport). Can they put it together without costly errors?
