Trojans Have Georgia On Their Mind

Game Facts:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007 Time: Noon (CT) Site: Athens, Ga.

Stadium: Sanford Stadium Stadium Opened: 1929

Surface: Natural Grass Capacity: 92,746

National Rankings (AP/ESPN-USA Today): Troy (ARV/NR), Georgia (10/10)

Television: CSS - Tape Delay only

Announcers: Matt Stewart (play-by-play), Buck Belue (color)

Radio: The Troy/ISP Network (See Page 5 for affiliates)

Announcers: Barry McKnight (play-by-play), Jerry Miller (color), Chris Blackshear

(sideline) and Mike Mote (studio host). The broadcast begins one hour prior to kickoff.

Internet: Live audio and live stats will be available on www.TroyTrojans.com.

Tickets: Visit www.georgiadogs.com for information. The game is sold out.

Forecast: Mostly Sunny (20%) Temps: High 67, Low 48

THE HEAD COACHES

TROY: Larry Blakeney (Auburn, ?70)

Record at Troy: 134-66-1 (17th year)

Career Record: Same

UGA: Mark Richt (Miami, ?82)

Record at UGA: 67-19 (7th year)

Career Record: Same

THE SERIES

First meeting. Troy is 39-18 all-time against a total of 13 schools from the state of Georgia. Georgia Southern has been the most frequent opponent, and Troy leads that series 10-3.

LAST MEETING

Troy's last game against a Georgia team was against Georgia Tech in 2006.

Trojan Story Lines:

For the third time this season the Troy Trojans take the field against a nationally-ranked opponent ... It will be the 14th game in school history against a ranked foe and Georgia will be the 11th different ranked team Troy has faced ... It will be the seventh time Troy has faced a top 10 ranked foe ... Overall, Troy has a 1-12 record against ranked teams, including an 0-6 mark against top 10 teams ... The Trojans enter the game riding a six-game win streak, the first streak of that length since making the move to Division IA in 2001 ... The six-game win streak is tied with Wake Forest and Boise State for the sixth longest active win streak in the Bowl Championship Division ... The last time Troy won as many as six straight games was during the 1999 season when the Trojans started the year 9-0 ... The Trojans are 4-5-1 all-time on November 3, with the last game in 2001, a 47-14 loss at Maryland ... The Georgia roster includes just one player from the state of Alabama, starting right tackle Chester Adams is a senior from Luverne ... The Troy roster includes a total of 28 players from Georgia, including 19 regular members of the travel squad and 11 starters ... One member of the Troy team, sophomore defensive end Brandon Lang, originally signed with Georgia out of high school ... Lang has been out since the Oklahoma State game with a knee injury and is not expected to play against the Bulldogs ... Senior receiver Gary Banks enters play having recorded at least one reception in 27 consecutive games, which is the 14th longest such streak in the nation ... Troy coach Larry Blakeney and Georgia coach Mark Richt have never faced each other ... Four members of the UGA coaching staff have coached against Troy in the past: Mike Bobo at Jacksonville State in 2000, David Johnson at Marshall in 1998, Willie Martinez at UCF in 1995 and Stacy Searels at LSU in 2004 and Appalachian State in 2000 ... Troy has a 3-2 record in those games ... Searels and Rodney Garner both played at Auburn with Troy assistant coach Shayne Wasden and while Blakeney served on the coaching staff there ... Troy is 1-7 all-time against teams from the Southeastern Conference.

l Saturday, Nov. 3, is National College Football Day, celebrating the anniversary of the birth of an American institution. On the first Saturday in November of 1869, Rutgers and Princeton staged college football's first game. Ever since, the sport has become ingrained in our culture. To honor the great spectacle that is college football, the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic created this annual holiday. As we celebrate the fourth annual National College Football Day, members of the American Football Coaches Association, the Football Writers Association of America and the National Association of Division I-A Football Officials are wearing commemorative lapel pins. This year, National College Football Day has taken on added significance, teaming with The V Foundation for Cancer Research to increase awareness and raise money in the fight against cancer. For more information on National College Football Day, and to make a donation to The V Foundation for Cancer Research, go to nationalcollegefootballday.com. Troy University, then known as Troy Normal School, played its first football game 40 years after that Rutgers-Princeton game, battling to a 0-0 tie with Union Springs on Nov. 5, 1909.

l The Troy roster includes more players from the state of Florida than any Division I team outside of the state of Florida except the United State Military Academy at West Point. A total of 29 members of the Troy squad hail from Florida. Here is a look at the schools in the Bowl Subdivision who raid the Sunshine State for the most talent: Army (30), Troy (29), Wake Forest (25), Middle Tennessee (24), North Carolina State (22), West Virginia (22), Pittsburgh (21), Western Michigan (19), South Carolina (19), Rutgers (19), Louisville (18), East Carolina (18), Louisiana-Lafayette (16), Marshall (14), Connecticut (13), Ole Miss (13), Navy (12) and Bowling Green (12).

l Junior defensive end Kenny Mainor, from Brunswick, Ga., was suspended from the team by Coach Larry Blakeney on Wednesday, Sept. 5, for a violation of team rules. He missed two games before returning to the team for the ULL game last week. Mainor was credited with five tackles, including one for loss, in his return to the field.

l Troy coach Larry Blakeney has a 35-26-1 record in his career in games decided by seven points or less. The point-by-point breakdown follows: 1-point games (2-2), 2-point games (3-3), 3-point games (8-9), 4-point games (8-3), 5-point games (4-0), 6-point games (2-1) and 7-point games (8-8).

l Five members of the 2007 signing class will sit out the fall semester and enroll as freshmen in January, 2008. That group includes: Richie Henderson (WR) from Daphne, Ala., Jacob Creech (OL) from Boaz, Ala., Brandon Boudreaux (DL) from Auburn, Ala., KeJuan Phillips (DB) from Waycross, Ga., and Stacey Williams (DB) from Douglas, Ga.

l In addition to the "gray" shirts, the Trojans hope to be able to redshirt several freshman, including linebackers Xavier Lamb and Lennie Richardson, receiver Stanley Jones, punter Will Goggans, and offensive linemen Matthew Delaney, Zach Swindall, Drew Robinson, Murry Keasler, Micah Grimes and Jamarr Thompson.

l Walk-ons are the life-blood of any football program and Troy coach Larry Blakeney has a long history of rewarding deserving walk-ons with scholarships. A total of eight former walk-ons were awarded scholarships this summer, including: TE Travis Boyd, LS Derrick Thomas, P Adrian Vera, LB Nate Nolin, WR Andrew Davis, LB Bear Woods, OL Steve Adams and DB Darryl Watts.

l The Trojans endured one of the hottest training camps ever this year. During August, the Troy area endured an incredible heat wave that saw temperatures top 100 degrees for 12 straight days, and 15 days total.

INJURY REPORT

The tough opening three-game stretch for the Trojans took a toll on the team in terms of injuries. Below is a list of those Trojans dealing with some pain.

l Junior DB Trevor Ford (knee) is doubtful.

l Senior QB Omar Haugabook (hamstring) is probable.

l Senior WR Tim Johnson (groin) is doubtful.

l Freshman WR Stanley Jones (toes) is doubtful.

l Sophomore DE Brandon Lang (knee) is doubtful following knee surgery on Sept 16. He is expected to miss three months.

l Junior DB Sherrod Martin (broken hand) returned for the game against ULM.

l Senior LB Josh Maxwell (seizure) is questionable.

l Freshman DB Bryant McKissic (concussion) returned for the game against FIU.

l Junior OL Steven Merkel (ankle) is probable.

l Sophomore LB Nathan Nolin (knee) is doubtful.

l Freshman WR Austin Silvoy (concussion) returned for the game against FIU.

l Senior WR Gerald Tate (knee) is doubtful.

l Senior DE Shawn Todd (neck) is probable.

CAREER NOTES

l Senior receiver Gary Banks surpassed the 1,000-yard mark receiving in the Oklahoma State game. Banks picked up his 100th career reception in the game at Florida.

l Senior running back Kenny Cattouse recorded his 14th career rushing touchdown in the game at FIU. He now has 1,684 rushing yards for his career.

l Senior quarterback Omar Haugabook surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for career passing in the OSU game and the 4,000-yard mark in the FIU game. He has now completed 440-of-722 attempts for 4,482 yards and 33 touchdowns in his career. He is now the third leading passer in school history and is 3,137 yards behind Troy legend Sim Byrd for second place. Haugabook reached the 500-yard plateau as a runner in the ULL game and has 15 rushing touchdowns in his career.

l Senior Leodis McKelvin recorded his 100th career punt return in the North Texas game and posted his seventh career return for a touchdown. He is now one behind Wes Welker (Texas Tech, 2000-03) and Antomie Perkins (Oklahoma, 2001-04) for the NCAA career record of eight. McKelvin also reached the 2,000-yard mark for kickoff returns for his career in the North Texas game. He now has 86 career kickoff returns for 2,009 yards, an average of 23.3 to go with 104 career punt returns for 1,395 yards, an average of 13.4.

l With seven points in the game at Florida, senior kicker Greg Whibbs surpassed the 200-point mark for his career. Whibbs reached the 100-mark for PAT kicks in his career, surpassing that mark with six against ULL.

TEAM NOTEBOOK

l Turnovers, Part I: Since 2000, Troy has failed to force a turnover in a game just 14 times. In those 14 games the Trojans are 1-13, with the only victory coming last year against North Texas. Troy is 40-25 in all other games during that time.

l Turnovers, Part II: On the other side, Troy has a 22-4-1 record in games in which the Trojans did not commit a turnover.

l Turnovers, Part III: In their 45-7 victory over North Texas the Trojans committed seven turnovers, the most in a game since the move to Division IA in 2001. The Mean Green failed to convert any of the turnovers into points.

l Turnovers, Part IV: The turnover bug continued in the win over Arkansas State with four but, once again, those miscues did not result in points. Over the last four games the Trojans have turned the ball over 14 times, but none have resulted in points being scored.

l Shutouts: Troy has been shutout just five times in Larry Blakeney's tenure as head coach, and three of those came during the 2003 season. Troy played 142 games under Blakeney before being shutout for the first time, by Arkansas on Nov. 2, 2002. Prior to that game, the Trojans had not been shutout in 227 games. Troy was last shutout by Nebraska, 56-0, on Sept. 23, 2006.

l Shutouts, Part II: Troy's 27-0 shutout of Arkansas State on Oct. 27 was the 14th in Coach Larry Blakeney's tenure as head coach, and the first since the 2006 season-opener, a 38-0 blanking of Alabama State. Overall, it was the 126th shutout victory in school history.

l Numbers: Several Trojans underwent number changes during the offseason this year. Those changes include: LB Boris Lee (30 to 2), WR Andrew Davis (21 to 4), DB Derick Pendergrass (25 to 9), RB Xavier Moreland (39 to 28), LB Nathan Nolin (55 to 30), RB Josh Brownell (47 to 44), TE Travis Boyd (85 to 45), DL Junior Tagovailoa (67 to 55) and P Adrian Vera (31 to 85).

l Long Gone: Several players who were expected to return for the Trojans this year did not make it back onto the squad. Several left the program as transfers, others did not return because of academic problems and others gave up football. That list includes: DB Henry Chubb, QB Julian Foster, RB Anthony Jones, WR Clarence Denmark, RB Justin Brooks, LB Jonathan Reese, RB Xavier Walker, WR/LB Randy Underwood, OL Will Roddy, WR Chris Lucas, WR Larry Johnson, DL Brandon Suggs and DE Jamare Mathis.

l Back In Action: Two players who missed last season return to the squad this year. Junior safety Sherrod Martin missed the 2006 season after having surgery on both shoulders. Martin's injury woes continued when he broke several bones in his left hand on the second play of the game at Florida. He had surgery on the hand on Sunday, Sept. 9, and is expected to miss at least two weeks. Senior running back Sean Dawkins missed the 2006 season after suffering a knee injury during spring practice. Senior defensive lineman Chris Bradwell and junior defensive lineman Maurice Coleman both missed the 2006 season while serving a university suspension.

l JUCO Route: The Troy roster includes 18 players who spent time at junior colleges around the country before joining the Troy program. That list includes: Chris Bradwell (NE Miss. CC), Gerald Tate (Dodge City CC), Elbert Mack (Butler County CC), Omar Haugabook (Dodge City), Derick Pendergrass (Georgia Military), Adrian Vera (Snow JC), Junior Tagovailoa (Coffeyville CC), Mykeal Terry (Santa Ana JC), Brandon Lang (Hargrave Military), Marcus Pittman (Garden City), David McDowell (Butler County CC), Windham Rotunda (College of the Sequoias), Wesley Potter (Snow JC), Tyrell Curtis (Snow JC), Dion Small (Georgia Military), Rashad Roussell (Jones County JC), Kennard Burton (Dodge City CC) and Dion Gales (Miss. Gulf Coast CC).

l Around The Nation: The current Troy roster, which includes 125 players, is very heavily loaded with players from the heart of Trojan country. The roster includes 49 players from Alabama, and 29 each from Georgia and Florida. The other 18 players come from 12 other states around the country: Texas, New Jersey, South Carolina, California, North Carolina, Kansas, Louisiana, Hawaii, Washington, Utah, Tennessee and Kentucky.

l Ranked Foes: The Trojans have faced a nationally-ranked opponent 13 times since moving to Division I-A in 2001. Arkansas (#21) and Florida (#4) were the ninth and 10th different opponents to be ranked when playing the Trojans, joining Florida State (#9 in 2006), Nebraska (#4 in 2001, #9 in 2002, #12 in 2003, #23 in 2006), Miami (#1 in 2001), Maryland (#15 in 2001), Iowa State (#21 in 2002), Kansas State (#7 in 2003), Missouri (#17 in 2004) and LSU (#17 in 2004). Troy is 1-12 all-time against nationally ranked (Division I) opponents, with the 2004 win over Missouri the only victory. The average score of the 13 games has been 37.8-14.3.

l Family Men: The 2007 Troy roster is dotted with family men. Five members of the squad are married and 11 members of the team have a combined 13 children. The five married players are: Gary Banks (Shaundra), Jeremy Jenkins (Konta), David McDowell (Denishia), Junior Tagovailoa (Ella) and Tavares Williams (Toniesha). The children belong to: Banks (Kimora, 3/10/07), Chris Bradwell (Navaeh, 6/21/05), Trevor Ford (Tiana, 7/7/05), Romanique Lewis (Romanique, Jr., 1/9/02), McDowell (Jayda, 2/21/06, and Sha-mya, 7/28/06), Lennie Richardson (Malaysia, 7/21/05), Tagovailoa (Xeapyah, 12/8/05, and Kionosina, 6/10/07), Gerald Tate (Tayshawn, 9/5/06), Mykeal Terry (Samaya, 1/28/06), Williams (Tavares, Jr., 9/30/03) and the newest father, Elbert Mack (Weslee, 8/14/07).

OFFENSIVE NOTEBOOK

l First Quarter Woes: Over the last two-plus seasons, the Troy offense has found the going to be particularly rough in the opening quarter of games. In fact, over the last 31 games, the Trojans have been outscored in the first quarter of games 189-140. Also, over that same stretch of games, the Trojans have been shutout in the first quarter 17 times. That trend has continued even with the improved offensive performance of the Trojans under Tony Franklin. Since his arrival at Troy, the Trojans have been shutout in the first quarter in 11 of the 20 games they have played. Those woes took a break in the North Texas game when Troy hung 21 first quarter points on the Mean Green.

l Spreading the Wealth: The Troy offense is making it difficult on opposing defenses to key on any one receiver by spreading the ball around to several. In fact, at least 10 different receivers recorded one or more reception in each of the first five games this year, and in six straight games dating to 2006. That streak ended when only eight players had receptions in the game at FIU. They picked back up with 10 receivers in the win over North Texas. Overall, 18 different Trojans have recorded at least one reception already this year, including six players who recorded their first career catches. In addition, 13 different Trojans have touchdown catches this season, In terms of both number of players with catches and number of players with touchdown catches, the Trojans lead all of the Bowl Cahmpionship Subdivision. Here are the top teams in college football in terms of number of players with receptions and number of players with TD catches.

Overall Receptions

1. Nebraska 19

2. Troy 18

TCU 18

4. Colorado 17

USC 17

6. Boise State 16

Baylor 16

Texas Tech 16

9. 10 teams 15

19. 11 teams 14

TD Receptions

1. Troy 13

2. Hawaii 10

3. Boise State 9

Memphis 9

Baylor 9

Louisville 9

Purdue 9

Ohio State 9

9. seven teams 8

l Man In A Rush: Senior running back Kenny Cattouse is one of 16 players to have rushed for more than 100 yards in a game at least twice in his career since Larry Blakeney took over the Troy program in 1991. Cattouse's total against FIU was the second best in Troy's Division I-A history, and the second best in a game under Blakeney. Here is a look at the top 10 single game rushing performances at Troy under Blakeney.

Date Back Opponent Att. Yds TD Result

11/15/03 DeWhitt Betterson Utah St. 46 230 2 W, 23-14

10/6/07 Kenny Cattouse FIU 114 205 1 W, 34-16

10/26/02 LeBarron Black FAU 41 189 2 W, 21-6

10/30/04 DeWhitt Betterson Idaho 16 184 2 W, 47-7

11/6/99 Phillip Jones S.F. Austin 28 183 1 W, 27-7

11/8/03 DeWhitt Betterson Middle Tenn 33 177 2 L, 27-20

11/4/06 Kenny Cattouse UL-Lafayette 24 172 2 W, 42-28

11/16/96 Arrid Gregory Samford 13 168 1 W, 50-10

11/30/96 Arrid Gregory FAMU 25 166 2 W, 29-25

10/20/01 Demontray Carter CS-Northridge 17 164 2 W, 44-31

l Conference Honors: Cattouse earned his second career Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week award for his performance against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 22. Cattouse earned his first Sun Belt POW award in 2006, also for his play against ULL.

l Early Accolades: Senior quarterback Omar Haugabook had to make room on his mantle after the 2006 season for all of the awards he brought home. The Belle Glade, Fla., native was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year in 2006 to go with his first team All-Conference nod. He capped his first season in Troy by earning MVP honors at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. In the spring he was honored by the Palm Beach, Fla., County Sports Commission as the Amateur Athlete of the Year. So far this year, Haugabook has been named the preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, was named to the pre-season Davey O'Brien Award Watch List for a second straight year and was named to the preseason Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year watch list. The Davey O'Brien Award is presented each year to the top quarterback in Division IA football.

l Lone Man Standing: Junior Chris Jamison is the only returning starter on the offensive line for Troy this year. Jamison played only soccer until the age 12, which he says helped with his footwork and speed (4.9 in 40, best on OL). Jamison was also a kicker in high school. After starting every game in 2006 at left guard, he moved outside to left tackle to start the 2007 season.

l A Man Among Boys: Senior receiver Gary Banks, who'll turn 26 on Nov. 4, was drafted out of high school to play professional baseball. He spent four seasons in the Chicago Cubs organization before coming to Troy to play football. Gary's wife, Shaundra, had their first child, Kimora, on the morning of the spring game in March. The baby arrived at 5:09 a.m. and, after a couple of hours sleep, Banks was on the field with his teammates that afternoon. He spent his time during the summer fishing in the gulf with former Trojans, Josh Russell and Lee Milliner. Banks currently ranks 14th in the nation, having recorded at least one reception in 26 straight games. Here is a look at the longest active streaks of consecutive games with a reception.

1. Jason Rivers Sr. Hawaii 44

2. Brandon Allen Sr. New Mexico St. 40

3. Danny Amendola Sr. Texas Tech 38

4. Robert Jordan Sr. California 37

Dorien Bryant Sr. Purdue 37

6. Davone Bess Jr. Hawaii 34

7. Travis Brown Sr. New Mexico 33

8. Casey Flair Jr. UNLV 32

9. Jarrett Dillard Jr. Rice 31

10. Ryan Grice-Mullen Jr. Hawaii 30

Kenny McKinley Jr. South Carolina 30

12. Donnie Avery Sr. Houston 29

James Hardy Jr. Indiana 29

14. Gary Banks Sr. Troy 27

l A Man Among Girls: Junior receiver Mykeal Terry was the last player signed by Troy in 2006. He accepted an offer without making a visit to the campus from his home in California. Once he arrived in Troy, he found himself in a "Three's Company" situation, except he has done Jack Tripper one better, by sharing an apartment with three girls.

l Three Amigos: Seniors Omar Haugabook (QB) and Gerald Tate (WR), along with junior Kennard Burton (WR) all came to Troy from Dodge City Community College in Kansas. All three are members of Troy's Florida contingent, and all three have regular discussions on the practice field about who the best player ever from Dodge is. The three usually split the vote among themselves.

l Camp Man: Senior receiver Josh Allen spent part of his summer working at a camp for kids with professional players, Takeo Spikes, Donovan McNabb and Chris Edwards.

l Wrestle-Mania: Junior offensive lineman Windham Rotunda's name may sound familiar to fans of professional wrestling. His father is former WWE tag-team champion Mike Rotunda and his uncles are former WWE stars Barry and Kendall Windham. Rotunda is also the grandson of wrestling Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan. When the Troy coaching staff went to Texas for a camp over the summer, Rotunda pulled some strings and got them ring-side seats for a WWE event in Dallas.

DEFENSIVE NOTEBOOK

l Defense Getting Stingy: After allowing more than 30 points in three of the first four games of the 2007 season, the Troy defense has allowed a TOTAL of 30 points in the last four games. It is the best four-game defensive stretch for the Troy program since the 2000 season when, over four games from Oct. 28-Nov. 18, the Trojans held four opponents to a combined 28 points.

l Player of the Week, Part I: Sophomore linebacker Boris Lee earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 29. In that game Lee had 12 total tackles and an interception he returned 28 yards for a touchdown.

l Player of the Week, Part II: Junior Sherrod Martin was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against North Texas. Martin had 11 tackles in the game, including two sacks and three total tackles for loss. He also was credited with two forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry.

l Military Man: Senior defensive end Shawn Todd originally came to Troy to be a part of the Air Force ROTC after Delta State dropped its program. Shawn comes from an Air Force family, with both of his parents having served, as well one of his brothers, who is currently serving. Todd spent the first three years of his life in Japan while his parents served. Over the summer, Todd completed his Air Force ROTC training in South Dakota and lost 20 pounds during his time there. He will receive a commission as a Lieutenant in October of 2008 and wants to be a pilot or a member of the special forces.

l Garbage Man: According to receiver Gary Banks, junior DB Daryl Watts is the biggest "trash talker" on the defense. Watts, who came to Troy as a walk-on in 2004, redshirted his first year and suffered a broken arm in 2005 in a game at UL-Monroe. He played in every game last year on special teams and will be a leader on that unit again this fall.

l Unlucky Linebacker: Senior linebacker Romanique Lewis has been injury-plagued throughout his Troy career. He suffered a torn labrum (left shoulder) as a freshman, resulting in surgery and a redshirt. Tore the same ligament in his right shoulder as a redshirt freshman, again resulting in surgery and no playing time. In 2005, he broke an ankle against North Texas in the fifth game of the season resulting in another surgery and costing the rest of that season. He missed only one game as a junior in 2006, but has missed time in pre-season camp this year due to tendinitis in his shoulder.

l Shining Star: Senior defensive back Elbert Mack turned his best performance of the 2006 season in the face of the toughest situation. Nicknamed "Nook", Mack's father passed away the week of the New Orleans Bowl. He missed the entire week of practice leading up to the game, but shined on the field against Rice with two interceptions.

l Back In Action: Junior Sherrod Martin returns for the Trojans after redshirting in 2006. He had surgery on both shoulders, right (12/05) and left (2/06), leading to the redshirt season. This fall he will play nickel and free safety. Junior defensive tackle Maurice Coleman missed the entire 2006 season (along with senior Chris Bradwell) after an off-field incident. Coleman Worked at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Brundidge while out of school and over the summer. His return to the field was slowed because of knee surgery to clean out some scar tissue. He missed the opening game at Arkansas but made his return for the Florida game.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK

l Player of the Week: Senior Leodis McKelvin was named Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time this season, and the fifth time in his career, after his performance against Oklahoma State. McKelvin returned five punts for 136 yards against the Cowboys, including one for a then career-best 74 yards and his fifth career return for a touchdown.

l Player of the Week, Part II: McKelvin earned his second Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against FIU on October 6. His sixth career POW award came after he returned three punts for 105 yards, including a new career-best 84-yard TD return, and two kickoffs for 45 yards.

l Player of the Week, Part III: McKelvin earned his third Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against North Texas on October 20. His sevent career POW award came after he returned five punts for 103 yards, including one for 52 yards and a touchdown, and two kickoffs for 59 yards.

l Block Problems: Through three games this year, senior punter Adrian Vera has had three punts blocked and has been under heavy pressure several other times. The pressure got to him in the OSU game when he pulled the ball down and tried to run for a first down deep in Troy territory. He fell one-yard short of making a first down and gave the Cowboys a short field, from which they scored their only first half touchdown.

l Something Different: In an effort to correct the punting problems Troy has endured, senior Greg Whibbs got his first opportunity to punt in the game against OSU. Whibbs lined up for what would have been a 51-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter, but took a direct snap and pooch punted instead. Later, he came on in more of a traditional punting role, and rugby kicked for 61 yards, which was the longest punt for Troy since Thomas Olmsted hit a 73-yarder against ULL in 2004.

l Whibbs Returns For Senior Season: Despite the fact that he has already received his degree in criminal justice, senior kicker Greg Whibbs returned to Troy for one final season. Whibbs graduated in the fall of 2006 and is now pursuing a master's degree in public administration before going to law school. His grandfather, Vince Whibbs, was the mayor of Pensacola for 13 years and the younger Whibbs is well on his way to life of public service. He worked in the office of the Florida State attorney for the first judicial circuit in the summer of 2006 and interned in the Pensacola city manager's office in the summer of 2007. Whibbs was placed on the watch list for the Lou Groza Award last year and hopes to make a run at the award, which is presented annually to the top collegiate place kicker, this fall.

l Only Returnee: Whibbs is the only member of the critical snapper, holder, punter and kicker group that returns for Troy this year. While he will again handle the place kicking and kickoff duties, he will also serve as the backup punter and could be pressed into duty if senior Adrian Vera struggles early in his bid to replace departed senior Jason Wright. The Trojans are also replacing four-year long snapper Zach Yenser as well as the holder, which Wright also handled. Sophomore Derrick Thomas will handle the long snapping duties on both punts and kicks while freshman receiver Austin Silvoy will handle the holds this fall.

l Whibbs Takes Over: After senior punter Adrian Vera went through some major struggles in the first three games of the season, he was replaced by Greg Whibbs for the Trojans' Sun Belt opener against ULL. Whibbs, who has handled all of Troy's placement kicks for three seasons, and kickoffs for the last two, punted six times without incident against ULL, averaging 42.0 yards per punt and downing four of his six kicks inside the Cajuns' 20 yard line.

l Moving Upstairs: Jason Wright served as the Trojans' punter and holder for the 2006 season, but he'll have totally different duties for the 2007 season. Wright now serves as a graduate assistant in the Troy media relations office and will be watching the Trojans play from the press box this season.

COACHING NOTEBOOK

l As Young As You Feel: Counting head coach Larry Blakeney, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Sept. 21, the Troy coaching staff has an average age of 37 years, 78.3 days, entering the 2007 season. That is even younger than the 2006 staff, which started the season with an average age of 38.2 years. While the 2007 group may not sound very young, if you take out Blakeney and offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who hit 50 two days prior to the start of the season, the average age for the rest of the full-time staff drops to 32 years, 282.75 days. Two members of the coach staff, Neal Brown and Chad Scott, have not yet hit 30 years old, and no one on the staff outside of Blakeney and Franklin has hit 40 yet.

l Head Coach Larry Blakeney: Has 29-6 all-time record against in-state opponents ... This season's game against North Texas was his 200th as head coach at Troy ... Blakeney has been to 11 bowl games as a coach and went to two as a player ... Blakeney is one of just two coaches to have led a program from Division II to Division I-AA to Division I-A ... Blakeney ranks sixth on the list of Division IA coaches in terms of wins at his current school. Here is a list of the current active coaches with at least 100 wins at his school.

Coach School Record Years

Joe Paterno Penn State 368-124-3 42

Bobby Bowden Florida State 298-82-4 32

Frank Beamer Virginia Tech 161-84-2 21

Phil Fulmer Tennessee 141-44 16

Larry Blakeney Troy 134-66-1 17

Lloyd Carr Michigan 119-38 13

Jeff Bower Southern Miss 115-81-1 17

l Offensive Coordinator Tony Franklin: Has been very influential in high school football in Alabama for many years. Hoover High School, which was named the No. 1 high school football program in the nation by Sports Illustrated in 2006, has won four of the last six Class 6A state titles in Alabama running Franklin's offensive system ... Franklin is the author of two books, Fourth Down and Life to Go and Victor's Victory ... Part of the success Franklin has brought to the Troy program are his camps, which annually bring hundreds of potential recruits to campus during the summer ... This past summer, Franklin's efforts resulted in 2,200 players attending Troy camps, which ranks as the third largest college camp program in the nation ... Here is a look at the largest camp numbers for 2007 from across the country:

Ohio State (3,800), Penn State (3,030), Troy (2,200), Boston College (2,200), Georgia (1,986), Nebraska (1,900), Florida (1,900), Fresno State (1,877), Nevada (1,650), West Virginia (1,500), Illinois (1,451), Cal (1,400), Texas A&M (1,250), Iowa (1,225), Wisconsin (1,100), Temple (1,100), Boise State (1,100), Rutgers (1,100), Auburn (1,050) and Houston (1,000).

l Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Rowell: Is one of two members of the Troy coaching staff who played for the Trojans ... Rowell played quarterback from 1991-95 ... This is Rowell's third season as Defensive Coordinator, but his first without sharing the title ... Rowell shared DC duties with Ricky Logo (now at Vanderbilt) in 2005 and Mike Pelton (now at Iowa State) in 2006.

l Linebacker Coach Benjy Parker: Is in his second season at Troy ... Parker spent the previous five years coaching in the junior college ranks ... This is his first position as a coach at a four-year college ... Parker is the only native Mississippian, player or coach, on the Troy team.

l Defensive Ends Coach Brian Turner: Is coaching his third different position in the last three years. Coached tight ends in 2005, safeties in 2006 ... Turner also serves as the Trojans' recruiting coordinator ... He was a teammate of Jeremy Rowell's at Troy, where he played on the offensive line ... Left the ranks of bachelorhood over the summer when he married the former Kristi Jernigan ... Turner made his national TV debut in the game against OSU when ESPN put a microphone on him during pregame.

l Defensive Tackles Coach Maurea Crain: Arrived at Troy in December and helped the Trojans to a victory in the New Orleans Bowl ... Played collegiately at Iowa for legendary coach Hayden Fry ... Came to Troy from Tyler Junior College in Texas ... Missed the first couple of days of training camp while working with the Arizona Cardinals ... Is the only member of the coaching staff who is single.

l Running Backs Coach Chad Scott: The youngest member of the coaching staff at 26, Scott played for coach Tony Franklin for two seasons at Kentucky before finishing his playing career at North Carolina ... He spent the 2006 season as a graduate assistant at his alma mater.

l Offensive Line Coach John Schlarman: Is the newest member of the Troy staff, coming to Troy in May of 2007 ... Is Troy's third offensive line coach in as many years, following Jeff Fela (2005) and Matt Moore (2006) ... Fela now coaches at Wagner College while Moore left for a position at Texas Tech ... Also played at Kentucky for current Troy Offensive Coordinator Tony Franklin ... Was a successful high school head coach (27-18) for four years prior to arriving at Troy.

l Inside Receivers Coach Neal Brown: Is the second youngest member of the Troy coaching staff at 27 ... Played at Kentucky in the same offensive system the Trojans use before finishing his playing career at the University of Massachusetts.

l Outside Receivers Coach Shayne Wasden: Also coordinates Troy's special teams ... Wasden, like Blakeney, played at Auburn ... Spent 11 seasons as a high school head coach, posting a 91-34 record, before joining the Troy coaching staff ... Also oversees Troy's very successful walk-on program.

l Strength & Conditioning Coach Richard Shaughnessy: Is back for his 12th season as the Trojans strength and conditioning coordinator ... Has been named as one of the 19 elite strength coaches in the world ... Oversees the conditioning of more than 400 student-athletes at Troy.

l Lots of Girls: The Troy coaching staff, as a group, has seven daughters and only one son. Coach Blakeney also has three granddaughters. Only coach John Schlarman has a sons year the Trojans will have one of the youngest coaching staffs in the nation. On opening day the Troy staff had a combined average age of 37.2 years.

l Plenty of Help: In addition to the full-time coaching staff, the Trojans also have a group of graduate and student assistant coaches who are valuable members of the staff. Graduate assistants include Chris Shelling, who played defensive back at Auburn, Josh Pruitt, a former Troy tight end, and Zach Yenser, who was Troy's center for the last two years. In addition, Eric Gibbons, who played at Colorado State, is splitting time between the field and the weight room and James Gardner, another former Troy offensive lineman, is helping with equipment. Other student assistants include Chris Burkhalter, who was forced to give up his playing career because of medical reasons, who works with Coach Franklin, Kyle Fuller, who serves as a student assistant with the kicking game, Eddie Ruiz, who serves as an assistant for the defensive line, Randy Bryant, who serves as an administrative assistant, and former Troy softball player Sally Jones, who will work with Coach Franklin again this year.

l NFL Experience: Student equipment manager Jeffery Morgan missed the first two weeks of training camp while serving as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons ... He worked with the equipment department and made a trip to the Meadowlands for a preseason game against the New York Jets.

l More Pro Time: First year graduate assistant equipment manager Chris Moore has worked in Major League Baseball with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds and has also worked in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals.

l Tony In Pants?: Long-time Troy Equipment Manager Tony Ferrante has taken on new duties this year as Assistant Director of Athletics for Operations and Facilities ... He worked with the football equipment for 10 years, and still handles all travel arrangements for the team ... Tony can now be seen wearing long pants on a regular basis, something that almost never happened during his years in the equipment room.

HISTORICAL NOTEBOOK

l The Troy football team has been affiliated with four conferences in its history prior to joining the Sun Belt and has won a championship in each. Ironically, the Trojans won league titles in their first two seasons of membership in three of the four conferences. Troy won the 1939 Alabama Intercollegiate Conference title in their second season, the 1971 Gulf South Conference title in their second season and the inaugural 1996 Southland Football League title. The Trojans won the 1999 and 2000 SFL titles in their last two seasons as a conference member. Troy won the 2006 Sun Belt Title in its third season in the league.

l The Trojans have won 14 conference titles, including three in the AIC (1939, 1941, 1942), one in the ACC (1968), six in the GSC (1971, 1973, 1976, 1984 and 1987), three in the SFL (1996, 1999, 2000) and one in the Sun Belt (2006). The Trojans were members of the Alabama Intercollegiate Conference from 1938-59, the Alabama Collegiate Conference from 1960-69 and the Gulf South Conference from 1970-89. Their SFL membership lasted from 1996-2000. All-time in conference play, the Trojans are 179-102-6 (33-21-4 in the AIC, 15-15 in the ACC, 92-50-2 in the GSC, 25-9 in the SFL and 18-7 in the Sun Belt).

l The 2007 season marks the Trojans' sixth as a full member of the NCAA Bowl Subdivision. It is the Trojans' fourth season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.

l Since 2001 the Trojans have an overall road record of 12-32. The Trojans entered the 2007 season riding a three-game road winning streak, but had that run snapped at Arkansas.

l While road wins have been difficult to come by, the Trojans have been particularly difficult to defeat at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. The Trojans boast an overall record of 27-4 at home since the start of the 2001 season. Since the start of the 2003 season the Trojans rank among the top 10 in the nation in home winning percentage. Here is a look at the top 20 in home win percentage since the start of the 2003 season.

Best Home Winning Percentage (2003-07)

Rk School W-L Pct.

1. Oklahoma 28-1 .966

Boise State 28-1 .966

3. USC 27-1 .964

4. LSU 31-2 .939

Ohio State 31-2 .939

6. Louisville 25-3 .898

7. Wisconsin 28-4 .875

8. Troy 19-3 .864

9. Texas 26-4 .867

10. Virginia Tech 28-5 .848

Michigan 28-5 .848

12. Texas Tech 25-5 .833

Iowa 25-5 .833

14. Georgia 24-5 .828

West Virginia 24-5 .828

16. TCU 23-5 .821

California 23-5 .821

Toledo 23-5 .821

19. Missouri 24-6 .800

20. Hawaii 27-7 .794

l Success in home games has been the rule, rather than the exception, and home openers are no exception. In Coach Larry Blakeney's 17 seasons, the Trojans are a perfect 17-0 in home openers. Overall, the Trojans have won 21 consecutive home openers and own a 62-23-2 record in home openers.

l In Larry Blakeney's 17 seasons at Troy, the Trojans are 12-5 in season openers. The Trojans broke a three-game losing skid with 2004's 17-15 victory at Marshall. During Blakeney's reign, the Trojans have played just two season openers at home, winning both. The Trojans have an all-time record of 46-35-6 in season opening games.

Year Opponent Site Score

1991 Central Florida Away L, 10-21

1992 Southern Illinois Away W, 37-13

1993 UAB Away W, 37-3

1994 Connecticut Away W, 31-21

1995 East Tennessee State Home W, 31-7

1996 Alcorn State Away W, 61-7

1997 Alcorn State Away W, 30-0

1998 Alabama State Home W, 26-0

1999 Cincinnati Away W, 31-24

2000 Alabama A&M Away W, 28-13

2001 Nebraska Away L, 42-14

2002 Nebraska Away L, 31-16

2003 Kansas State Away L, 41-5

2004 Marshall Away W, 17-15

2005 Cal Poly Home W, 27-10

2006 Alabama State Home W, 38-0

2007 #21 Arkansas Away L, 46-26

l Larry Blakeney is in his 17th season at Troy in 2007, which ties him for fourth among active head coaches in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision for the longest tenure at their current school. The only coaches ahead of Blakeney are Penn State's Joe Paterno (42nd year), Florida State's Bobby Bowden (32nd year) and Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer (21st year). Blakeney is tied with Jeff Bower of Southern Miss, both in their 17th seasons at their current schools.

Trojans Head Coach Larry Blakeney is already the all-time winningest coach in Troy history and the longest-serving head coach in his 17th season. He reached the 100-win plateau in 2002 and coached in his 150th game with Troy on Sept. 27, 2003, when the Trojans defeated Marshall at Movie Gallery Stadium.

In his career at all levels, including high school and as an assistant coach at Auburn, Blakeney has coached in 437 total contests, posting a combined record of 293-137-7, for a .670 winning percentage.

Blakeney has moved into fourth place all-time among college coaches in the state of Alabama with his 131 victories. Blakeney passed Alabama legend Frank Thomas for fourth on the all-time state list with the win over Cal Poly in 2005. He now stands 46 wins behind his mentor, Ralph "Shug" Jordan, for third on the state list. Jordan posted a 176-83-6 record in 25 years as head coach at Auburn.

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