2013-14 Football Previews – (Sun Belt) – Trojans
The Troy Trojans got very used to winning the Sun Belt Conference and dominating on an annual basis. The past two years something has gone very wrong. After winning five straight Sun Belt Conference titles between 2006 and 2010, the Trojans have won only eight games in the past two seasons combined.
Sun Belt 2013 College Football Previews: Troy Trojans (Team Link)
Head Coach: Larry Blakeney
2012 Record: 5-7
Troy Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: +2,000 (Part of Field)
Troy Gambling Odds to win Sun Belt Conference: +800
Larry Blakeney has been the head man at Troy for 22 years, but the last couple years have him in a little bit of a hot seat. Troy fans expect to win, and the last two seasons have been a major disappointment. Last year’s team went just 5-7, but six of their losses were by one touchdown or less.
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Troy lost a lot of talent from last year’s team, but they do return some of their top players. Can the Trojans get back to their winning ways?
Team Strengths:
Troy is as set at the quarterback spot as anyone in the Sun Belt. Senior Corey Robinson may well be the best in the Sun Belt, and if he happens to be off the Trojans have a star backup in Deon Anthony. Expect both of these guys to see plenty of action, since Blakeney wants to keep the defense on their heels with many different offensive packages. Robinson completed 66 percent of his passes last year, and Anthony completed 69 percent of his passes. Anthony is the better runner, and he’ll get plenty of chances to use his feet in 2013.
Troy definitely has some talent in the secondary. Keion Payne and Chris Davis are solid cornerbacks who should do a good job this season. Chris Pickett and Camren Hudson are solid tacklers at the safety positions. This group should lead the Trojans defense in 2013. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
Shawn Southward did everything for the Troy running game last year, and they are going to miss him badly. Without Southward, it is very likely that there will be a lot more pressure on the Troy quarterbacks to do it all. The Trojans just don’t have any big play makers on the roster at the tailback spot.
To make matters even worse, the Troy offensive line has to be completely redone this season. The unit wasn’t particularly great last year, but this group will likely be worse as they deal with a ton of inexperience and question marks at the tackle spots.
The entire defense could really be considered a weakness. Troy allowed 444 yards per game and 30.5 points per game last season. The Trojans have had a lot of talent in the front seven in the past, but they just don’t have those high quality athletes in those areas anymore. The defensive line will be a real problem this year. Can the Troy defense figure out a way to stop someone this year?
2013-2014 Troy Football Prediction: 5-7
Troy has two amazing quarterbacks, but I’m not sure that will be enough to take them back toward the top in the Sun Belt. There are some quality teams in the league right now, and Troy just doesn’t have as much team balance and depth as some of the other teams in this league. The Trojans have too many question marks. Look for a similar finish to the season as 2012.
2013 Trojans Schedule
8/31/13 7:00 PM ET UAB
9/7/13 7:00 PM ET SAVST
9/12/13 7:30 PM ET @ARKST
9/21/13 TBD @MISST
9/28/13 TBD @DUKE
10/5/13 1:00 PM ET SALB
10/12/13 TBD @GeoSt.
10/26/13 4:00 PM ET @WKEN
10/31/13 7:30 PM ET ULMON
11/7/13 7:00 PM ET @ULLAF
11/16/13 TBD @MISS
11/29/13 TBD TEXST
