Troy University Athletics
Trojans Turn Focus To Cowboys
9/26/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
Troy football coach Larry Blakeney did not enjoy the kind of birthday celebration on Sunday he had hoped for.
Yes there was cake and plenty of good tidings for the Trojans coach on his 61st birthday, but he and his football team were still stinging from a 28-10 loss to nationally ranked Ohio State in a game Troy could have just as easily won.
“We made enough mistakes to lose a couple of games, but we played hard,” Blakeney said Monday at his weekly meeting with members of the media. “We just have to play better, especially when we play someone like that. We have to grow from that experience.
“I'd much rather be coaching today from a win rather than a loss, because we have another big-time opponent right in our face, one that I am sure will be excited about playing us. We expect to find them at their best.”
The Trojans could point directly to four plays in particular on defense where there were breakdowns. Those four plays resulted in the Buckeyes four touchdowns and accounted for 103 of OSU's 139 yards passing in a game when the Buckeyes, with a first-time quarterback, managed just 309 yards of total offense.
"I feel like it was a missed opportunity,” junior linebacker Bear Woods said. “I think all of us were really disappointed because we stood equal to them in every aspect of the game. We had four big mistakes in the game and they all resulted in touchdowns. We have to learn from it and move on."
The same kinds of mistakes against the high-powered Oklahoma State offense will result in far more yards, and points allowed. The Cowboys come in ranked fifth in the nation in total offense at 546 yards per game. To make matters worse, OSU has had an extra week to prepare for Troy, and to think about what happened when the two teams met last year.
"They probably are talking about the game last year,” Blakeney said of the Trojans' 41-23 victory. “Last year is last year and this year is this year. This is Troy University in 2008 and they are Oklahoma State in 2008. What's in the past doesn't have anything to do with it. They have skill and talent at every position. They have speed and size and certainly, we've got to correct our errors and we've got to be at our best to have a chance.”
One of the areas the Trojans will focus on this week will be up front on defense, where the team must find a way to replace senior Kenny Mainor, who went down with a knee injury at Ohio State and is likely lost for the season. Mainor had a team-leading three tackles for loss and eight QB hurries before going down with an injury at the end of the first half. He ranks as one of the all-time great ends in school history with 26 career tackles for loss and 40 QB hurries.
“He is one of the smartest football players I have ever coached defensively,” Blakeney said. “I am still hoping for a miracle that the MRI will show something different, but we are almost certain that it is an ACL and he will have to have surgery this week. That is tragic for him and tragic for us.”
With Mainor out of the Trojans' three-man rotation at defensive end, the two remaining starters ? juniors Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield ? will shoulder more of the burden, but will need help. That help will likely come from junior Jeremy Hawkins, sophomore John Mark Patrick and freshman Brandon Boudreaux.
Lang knows about dealing with severe knee injuries because he is still working to regain all of his speed following an ACL tear he suffered last year in the game against Oklahoma State.
“His senior leadership, his speed off the ball, and he is a smart player,” Lang said of Mainor, “we are going to really miss that asset, but we have to step up and fill in. I am going to be gunning after everyone that doesn't have a white jersey on. I am ready to play."
The other area of focus for the Trojans will be on special teams. Troy has struggled to find a permanent replacement for Leodis McKelvin in the return game, and those struggles have resulted in some poor field position for the offense.
“We have to have someone who is hungry to get to the ball and not let it hit the ground if we can help it,” Blakeney said. “They (Ohio State) pinned us back three times. We have to take the bounce away and you do that by catching the punt.”
Sophomore Jerrel Jernigan has been the primary punt returner, but has just four return attempts in three games. As a team, the Trojans have returned just seven of 23 opponent punts for an average of 6.2 yards. Senior receiver Fred Turner, who has one return for 13 yards, may take more of the load this week.
His performance will be under a microscope against an Oklahoma State team that ranks first in the nation in net punting average at 43.67 yards per attempt. OSU opponents have just two return attempts, for zero yards, this season. Cowboys' senior punter Matt Fodge has had six of his eight punts this year downed inside the 20 yard line.
While the Trojans do have areas of concern heading into the game, the plan is the same as for every other game ? play hard and play to win.
“I think they are a better team than last year,” Blakeney said. “They are undefeated and they have had an open date, and that is problematic for us because they will be fresh. We've got another big-time team to play. We have to give them a plan and go fight as hard as we can to bring a win back.”
Kickoff for the game between the Trojans and Cowboys is set for 6:05 p.m. (CT). There will be no television coverage of the contest and, because of Big 12 Conference TV contracts, no web streaming of the game.
Yes there was cake and plenty of good tidings for the Trojans coach on his 61st birthday, but he and his football team were still stinging from a 28-10 loss to nationally ranked Ohio State in a game Troy could have just as easily won.
“We made enough mistakes to lose a couple of games, but we played hard,” Blakeney said Monday at his weekly meeting with members of the media. “We just have to play better, especially when we play someone like that. We have to grow from that experience.
“I'd much rather be coaching today from a win rather than a loss, because we have another big-time opponent right in our face, one that I am sure will be excited about playing us. We expect to find them at their best.”
The Trojans could point directly to four plays in particular on defense where there were breakdowns. Those four plays resulted in the Buckeyes four touchdowns and accounted for 103 of OSU's 139 yards passing in a game when the Buckeyes, with a first-time quarterback, managed just 309 yards of total offense.
"I feel like it was a missed opportunity,” junior linebacker Bear Woods said. “I think all of us were really disappointed because we stood equal to them in every aspect of the game. We had four big mistakes in the game and they all resulted in touchdowns. We have to learn from it and move on."
The same kinds of mistakes against the high-powered Oklahoma State offense will result in far more yards, and points allowed. The Cowboys come in ranked fifth in the nation in total offense at 546 yards per game. To make matters worse, OSU has had an extra week to prepare for Troy, and to think about what happened when the two teams met last year.
"They probably are talking about the game last year,” Blakeney said of the Trojans' 41-23 victory. “Last year is last year and this year is this year. This is Troy University in 2008 and they are Oklahoma State in 2008. What's in the past doesn't have anything to do with it. They have skill and talent at every position. They have speed and size and certainly, we've got to correct our errors and we've got to be at our best to have a chance.”
One of the areas the Trojans will focus on this week will be up front on defense, where the team must find a way to replace senior Kenny Mainor, who went down with a knee injury at Ohio State and is likely lost for the season. Mainor had a team-leading three tackles for loss and eight QB hurries before going down with an injury at the end of the first half. He ranks as one of the all-time great ends in school history with 26 career tackles for loss and 40 QB hurries.
“He is one of the smartest football players I have ever coached defensively,” Blakeney said. “I am still hoping for a miracle that the MRI will show something different, but we are almost certain that it is an ACL and he will have to have surgery this week. That is tragic for him and tragic for us.”
With Mainor out of the Trojans' three-man rotation at defensive end, the two remaining starters ? juniors Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield ? will shoulder more of the burden, but will need help. That help will likely come from junior Jeremy Hawkins, sophomore John Mark Patrick and freshman Brandon Boudreaux.
Lang knows about dealing with severe knee injuries because he is still working to regain all of his speed following an ACL tear he suffered last year in the game against Oklahoma State.
“His senior leadership, his speed off the ball, and he is a smart player,” Lang said of Mainor, “we are going to really miss that asset, but we have to step up and fill in. I am going to be gunning after everyone that doesn't have a white jersey on. I am ready to play."
The other area of focus for the Trojans will be on special teams. Troy has struggled to find a permanent replacement for Leodis McKelvin in the return game, and those struggles have resulted in some poor field position for the offense.
“We have to have someone who is hungry to get to the ball and not let it hit the ground if we can help it,” Blakeney said. “They (Ohio State) pinned us back three times. We have to take the bounce away and you do that by catching the punt.”
Sophomore Jerrel Jernigan has been the primary punt returner, but has just four return attempts in three games. As a team, the Trojans have returned just seven of 23 opponent punts for an average of 6.2 yards. Senior receiver Fred Turner, who has one return for 13 yards, may take more of the load this week.
His performance will be under a microscope against an Oklahoma State team that ranks first in the nation in net punting average at 43.67 yards per attempt. OSU opponents have just two return attempts, for zero yards, this season. Cowboys' senior punter Matt Fodge has had six of his eight punts this year downed inside the 20 yard line.
While the Trojans do have areas of concern heading into the game, the plan is the same as for every other game ? play hard and play to win.
“I think they are a better team than last year,” Blakeney said. “They are undefeated and they have had an open date, and that is problematic for us because they will be fresh. We've got another big-time team to play. We have to give them a plan and go fight as hard as we can to bring a win back.”
Kickoff for the game between the Trojans and Cowboys is set for 6:05 p.m. (CT). There will be no television coverage of the contest and, because of Big 12 Conference TV contracts, no web streaming of the game.
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