Troy University Athletics
Troy Football Game Notes
8/27/2007 5:00:00 AM | Football
Game Facts:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 1, 2007 Time: 6 p.m. (CT) Site: Fayetteville, Ark.
Stadium: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Stadium Opened: 1938
Surface: Grass Capacity: 72,000
National Rankings (AP/ESPN-USA Today): Troy (NR/NR), Arkansas (21/20)
Television: Saturday's game will not be televised live.
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.HogWired.com for information. Tickets are $35 each.
Forecast: 30% chance of rain Temps: High in low 90s, Low in high 60s
Trojan Story Lines:
Troy is 4-3 during this decade in season-opening games and is currently riding a three-game win streak in season openers ... Troy is 45-35-5 in 85 season openers all-time ... Trojans coach Larry Blakeney is 12-4 in season openers ... 2007 marks the first time Troy has faced a team from the Southeastern Conference in a season-opener ... Troy is 0-2 all-time on Sept. 1, losing to UCF 16-10 in 1990 and Nebraska 42-24 in 2001 ... Blakeney is 0-1 all-time against Arkansas as a head coach and is 0-2 overall, including a 21-15 loss to the Razorbacks as an assistant coach at Auburn in the 1984 Liberty Bowl ... Blakeney is 1-1 all-time against Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt, including a 31-3 victory over Murray State in 1996 when Nutt was head coach there ... Nutt is 11-9 in his career as a head coach against teams from Alabama ... Troy is 1-10 against nationally-ranked opponents since moving to Division I in 2001 ... Arkansas defensive coordinator Reggie Herring served on the coaching staff at Auburn with Blakeney from 1986-90 ... Arkansas defensive line coach Tracy Rocker played at Auburn from 1985-88 while Blakeney was on the coaching staff ... Rocker played for two seasons with Troy outside receivers coach Shayne Wasden at Auburn and he served for five seasons (1997-2001) as defensive line coach at Troy ... While at Troy, three of Rocker's players earned Division I-AA All-America honors, including Al Lucas, who earned the 1999 Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in Division I-AA ... A total of 13 Troy players garnered all-conference accolades under Rocker and five went on to sign NFL contracts ... The Arkansas roster includes four players from the state of Alabama: sophomore WR London Crawford (Mobile), redshirt freshman LB Ryan Powers (Athens), junior OL Cody Green (Oneonta) and freshman DE Damario Ambrose (Mobile) ... Troy does not have any players from Arkansas ... Troy has two players who played at the same high school as players from Arkansas: Troy junior Josh Henderson and Arkansas sophomore Michael Smith are both products of Rickards HS in Tallahassee, Fla., and Troy sophomore Brandon Lang and Arkansas freshman Brandon Lampkin are both products of Tucker (Ga.) HS.
Trojans Notebook:
l The Troy roster includes more players from the state of Florida than any Division I team outside of the state of Florida. A total of 29 members of the Troy squad hail from Florida.
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 Donnell Golden, Xavier Lamb, 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 Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin celebrates his 50th birthday on Wednesday, August 29.
l Senior Leodis McKelvin (22) and sophomore Andrew Davis (20) will celebrate birthday's on Saturday in Fayetteville.
INJURY REPORT
The Trojans made it through training camp with only minor bumps and bruises. The biggest problem during camp was a stomach virus that swept through the team early in camp, affecting several players. The incredible heat wave that saw temperatures top 100 degrees for 12 straight days, and 15 days total, also took a toll, leading to some dehydration issues. Below is a list of players who faced medical problems in camp, and their status for the opening game at Arkansas.
l Senior DL Chris Bradwell (virus) is probable.
l Sophomore RB Josh Brownell (virus) is doubtful.
l Senior RB Kenny Cattouse (dehydration) is probable.
l Junior DL Maurice Coleman (knee) is questionable.
l Soph. WR Andrew Davis (bruised sternum) is probable.
l Senior RB Sean Dawkins (virus) is probable.
l Junior DB Trevor Ford (hamstring) is probable.
l Junior OL Danny Franks (chest) is probable.
l Junior DL Dion Gales (dehydration) is probable.
l Senior WR Tim Johnson (groin) is doubtful.
l Sophomore LB Boris Lee (thigh bruise) is probable.
l Freshman WR Stanley Jones (toes) is doubtful.
l Senior LB Romanique Lewis (shoulder) is probable.
l Junior DL Steve McLendon (chest) is questionable.
l Senior DB Leodis McKelvin (hamstring) is probable.
l Junior OL Steven Merkel (ankle) is questionable.
l Senior LB Marcus Richardson (hamstring) is probable.
l Junior WR Fred Turner (knee) is probable.
CAREER NOTES
l Senior Gary Banks needs just 98 yards receiving to reach 1,000 yards for his Troy career. Banks is also six receptions shy of 100 for his career.
l Senior running back Kenny Cattouse is one rushing touchdown shy of 10 for his career.
l Senior Leodis McKelvin is 13 punt returns shy of 100 for his career. McKelvin is 419 kickoff return yards shy of 2,000 for his career.
l Senior kicker Greg Whibbs is 12 points shy of 200 for his career.
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 40-24 in all other games during that time.
l Turnovers, Part II: On the other side, Troy has a 21-4-1 record in games in which the Trojans did not commit a turnover.
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 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. 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. Both are expected to make major contributions this season.
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 (Garden 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 11 times since moving to Division I-A in 2001. FSU (#9 in 2006) was the eighth different opponent to be ranked when playing the Trojans, joining 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 1-10 all-time against nationally ranked (Division I) opponents, with the 2004 win over Missouri the only victory. The average score of the 11 games has been 35.3-11.7.
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 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 twice in his career since Larry Blakeney took over the Troy program in 1991. Cattouse's total against ULL in 2006 was the fifth best in Troy's Division I-A history, and the sixth 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
10/26/02 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
10/2/04 DeWhitt Betterson Utah St. 28 161 2 W, 49-21
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.
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 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 Un-lucky 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.
l Almost Back: 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 has been slowed because of knee surgery to clean out some scar tissue. He will likely miss the first two games of the 2007 season while recovering.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTEBOOK
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 Fortunate Injury: Senior punter Adrian Vera underwent surgery over the summer on a pectoral muscle after he injured it lifting weights. Vera said the injury forced him to focus more on his technique instead of just trying to kick the ball as hard as he could. He hopes the injury will result in him being a better punter.
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 will celebrate 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 will be 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 363-121-3 42
Bobby Bowden Florida State 293-81-4 32
Frank Beamer Virginia Tech 156-82-2 21
Phil Fulmer Tennessee 137-41 16
Larry Blakeney Troy 128-64-1 17
Lloyd Carr Michigan 113-36 13
Jeff Bower Southern Miss 112-77-1 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.
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.
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 coordinate's 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 will have a combined average age of 38.2 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 14-7 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 10-30. The Trojans are currently riding a three-game road win streak.
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 24-4 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 (2003-06)
Rk School W-L Pct.
1. USC 24-0 1.000
2. Ohio State 27-1 .964
3. Boise State 24-1 .960
4. Louisville 21-1 .954
5. LSU 26-2 .928
6. Oklahoma 24-2 .923
7. Michigan 24-3 .889
8. Texas 22-3 .880
9. Toledo 19-3 .863
10. Virginia Tech 24-4 .857
11. Iowa 22-4 .846
Wisconsin 22-4 .846
13. Troy 16-3 .842
14. Texas Tech 21-4 .840
15. Georgia 21-4 .840
16. Northern Illinois 19-4 .826
TCU 19-4 .826
18. Auburn 23-5 .821
19. Navy 17-4 .809
20. UCLA 19-5 .792
l Success in home games has been the rule, rather than the exception, and home openers are no exception. In Coach Larry Blakeney's 16 seasons, the Trojans are a perfect 16-0 in home openers. Overall, the Trojans have won 20 consecutive home openers and own a 61-23-2 record in home openers.
l In Larry Blakeney's 16 seasons at Troy, the Trojans are 12-4 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 46-34-6 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
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 431 total contests, posting a combined record of 289-135-7, for a .670 winning percentage.
Blakeney has moved into fourth place all-time among college coaches in the state of Alabama with his 128 victories. Blakeney passed Alabama legend Frank Thomas for fourth on the all-time state list with the win over Cal Poly in 2005.
