Troy University Athletics
Trojans Hoping To Hog-Tie Arkansas
11/10/2009 4:00:00 PM | Football
Riding a seven-game win streak, including six straight in Sun Belt Conference play, the Troy Trojans will step out of conference play this Saturday when they venture to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start and will be televised on CSS by the SEC Network. The broadcast of the game will also be available on ESPN GamePlan as well as online at ESPN 360. Troy fans can also listen to the game on the Troy/ISP Sports Network.
One of the headliners in the game is Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett. The sophomore was named SEC Player of the Week for his accomplishments against South Carolina last Saturday when he threw for 329 yards. The Trojans understand his efficient style of play will be tough to stop.
“He is more of a pure passer maybe, but I saw him run for a touchdown the other day against South Carolina so you can't go to sleep on him,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “He will pull it down, and he will run. He's a big, strong guy, and he can really get it out of his hands and down the field to all spots on the field. His strike power is pretty awesome.”
Not only is Mallett tough to handle, but Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino shows multiple offensive looks that can confuse opponents. Troy defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell has been diligently preparing for the Arkansas offense, and he said the challenges will be great this Saturday.
“They do a lot of good stuff,” Rowell said. “They run an NFL style system which is something we don't see a lot of in our conference. They create different situations for you, personnel wise. They make you have to move and adjust differently for the run game. In the pass game they are going to attack you down the field. They have some big wideouts that can run and catch the football and make some plays.
“Obviously the quarterback is a heck of a player. He's got a big time arm, and puts balls in all the right spots. He can squeeze it in any hole, so it definitely makes it a big time challenge for us.”
The Trojans are certainly no slouches in the passing game either. Troy currently ranks as the seventh best passing attack in the nation, while the Razorbacks pass defense ranks 116th. But, the Trojans aren't worried much with statistics because, much like in the Sun Belt Conference, things can change quickly in the SEC.
For Troy, this game is about accomplishing something that has only happened once in school history. The Trojans knocked off Mississippi State on the road in 2001 for the only SEC victory in school history. This team is ready for that to happen again.
“That's actually one of our pre-season goals, to beat one of the big schools we faced,” senior quarterback Levi Brown said. “This our last chance to do that. Obviously our big goal is to win the conference and go to New Orleans, but we also have other goals and this is one of them. We're looking forward to it, we always do. I just hope we play a little bit better than we did last time. I treat every game the same whether it's a conference game or not. We're going to prepare the same way and hope we can win.”
Brown also has a personal accomplishment within reach this weekend. He currently stands just 13 pass attempts shy of the NCAA single-season record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception. The NCAA record of 271attempts without an interception was set by Trent Dilfer at Fresno State in 1993.
Brown's current streak of 258 attempts, which stretches back to the first quarter of the game against UAB that started Troy's win streak, is more than twice as long as the next closest active streak in the country.
It just so happens that Arkansas' Mallett currently owns the second longest active streak, at 123.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools in football. Arkansas won the 2007 season-opener 46-26 in Fayetteville and took a 23-0 victory in Little Rock in 2002.
Troy has had success against the Razorbacks in other sports. The Troy men's basketball team posted a signature victory over Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena on Dec. 3, 2002, and the Troy baseball team posted one win in a three-game series against Arkansas to open the 2007 season.
Trojans Talk About Arkansas
HEAD COACH LARRY BLAKENEY
On Arkansas
“Certainly Arkansas has proven their metal. I saw part of the South Carolina game on TV. They are pretty good. Mallett is certainly a big time player and they have more big time players to go along with him. We'll see what we can find out about them in the days to come and prepare for them.”
On Timing of The Game
“I don't know if it's ever a good time to play an SEC team. Early in the season we played one and lost. This time in the year at least you have them between two conference games. We're between two conference games also. There's no good time when you're playing a great team. They can about anything they want to on offense, and they look like they are improving.”
On Quarterback Ryan Mallett
“He is more of a pure passer maybe, but I saw him run for a touchdown the other day against South Carolina so you can't go to sleep on him. He will pull it down, and he will run. He's a big strong guy, and he can really get it out of his hands and down the field to all spots on the field. His strike power is pretty awesome.”
Looking Forward To The Game
“I've said this all along that the season is a marathon. You have to take it one game at a time, and you have to deal with it as it comes. The match-ups are different every week, and you try to find the match-ups that are good for you and go with them. You try to stay away from the ones that are bad for you if possible, and certainly we'll have to have a great plan and have to execute the plan to the fullest to have a chance.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEREMY ROWELL
On Preparation for a Bobby Petrino Offense
“Very Carefully. They do a lot of good stuff. They run an NFL style system which is something we don't see a lot of in our conference. Offensive scheme is different. They create different situations for you personnel wise. They make you have to move and adjust differently for the run game. In the pass game they are going to attack you down the field. They have some big wideouts that can run and catch the football and make some plays. Obviously the quarterback is a heck of a player. He's got a big time arm, and puts balls in all the right spots. He can squeeze it in any hole so it definitely makes it a big time challenge for us.”
On Comparison To Tim Tebow
“I would say two totally different comparisons. What Florida and Tebow does on offense is totally different to what Arkansas and Mallett do. Obviously if you look more to a pro style NFL offense and it's a little more prototypical than Tebow, but you never know once you get there what happens.”
On Defensive Performances This Season
“In my opinion we haven't played great yet. We're still looking for a full four quarter game. We play great at points and have made some great plays at key points. We can get after the passer during those situations and play the run very well. We haven't played a four quarter football game yet. For whatever reason that may be, and we work on it every week on finishing plays. This past week we played horribly. We tackled horribly. The effort is there. The effort is not the problem. We just keep working on getting to that perfect game and making plays and doing the things were supposed to be doing to get to that full four quarter game.”
On Pressuring Mallett
“We're going to have to scheme a little bit. Offensive line for them is big and they move very well. They seem to protect Mallett very well. We're going to have to do some stuff to create pressure and create situations to break through and try to get him on the ground and fluster him and get in his head a little bit. That's always a challenge.”
QUARTERBACK LEVI BROWN
On Facing Another SEC Opponent
“We're looking forward to it and we always do. I just hope we play a little bit better than we did last time. I treat every game the same whether it's a conference game or not. We're going to prepare the same way and hope we can win.”
On Distractions At Beginning Of Season And Now
“I would agree that there probably were (distractions at the beginning of the season). Looking back on it, we probably listened to the media a little too much and thought we were better than we were. I don;t think that's the case now. We're playing well and kind of in a rhythm so I expect us to play well.
Season Goals
“That's actually one of our pre-season goals was to beat one of the big schools we faced. This our last chance to do that. Obviously our big goal is to win the conference and go to New Orleans, but we also have other goals and this is one of them.”
SEC Experiences and How They Help In Preparation
“It got us prepared I would say (playing Florida in the Swamp). We play these games every year so it's not really anything new for us.”
On Experiences In Bowling Green and Florida Losses and Tieing Them To This Game
“For me it's long gone. I try to forget about them as much as I could. We learned from it. I think we learned from it right after the Florida game. We went a different direction and got some things corrected. It's fixed now. We're a lot better now than we were in the first two games.”
DEFENSIVE END BRANDON LANG
On Distractions
“I won't say we're distracted. This is just another game on our schedule. That's how we look at it. They are considered the big dogs outside of our conference so we just have to take it like any other game. We have to come in well prepared and play for four quarters. We're very excited. We love playing against big time universities. It's a chance for us to showcase our talent, and it's going to be a great game.”
On timing
“We're back on the road again. The main thing is for us to not take our eyes off of our goal. We want to get back to New Orleans. We need to stay focused and play hard.”
On this game having nothing to do with the goal of Sun Belt Title
“It does because we want to win. We're not going in there just to show up. We're going to play, but hopefully this game will make history for the university.”
On Razorbacks Offense
“We've been watching them. We saw a little bit of the South Carolina game. We've been watching some film. They are very talented. They have a good quarterback, a nice running back and a good offensive line. This is just a good team in general, and we are ready to step up to the challenge.”
On Learning From Bowling Green and Florida losses
“I feel like those were the first two games of the season, and we were just getting into the swing of things. I think everybody is playing together now, and when we get to playing like that it's scary. We're a whole lot better.”
LINEBACKER BEAR WOODS
On Arkansas
“We know we're going up against a big time opponent and we're anxious about it. This is the last stretch of the season. This is our last three games, and we know we have to play our best football at this time. We're going to see some really good football teams so we have to work hard.”
On Stepping Out Of Conference Play
“The way we are playing in conference play it would be kind of nice to just knock out the last two conference games and have them all in a row. To have a non-conference game, we're fine with where it's at. We're excited to have the chance to win another non-conference game. We're 1-2 out of conference, and we're going to try to get to 2-2.
On Facing SEC Teams
“They have great athletes and great coaches. You can't make mistakes. It's about us playing our style of football and brining our intensity to the game and dictating how the game is going. If you make mistakes against good teams like Arkansas and Florida then you're not going to have a chance.”
LINEBACKER BORIS LEE
On Arkansas
“It's another opportunity to face a powerhouse school in Arkansas so I'm really looking forward to going up there. We are more ready for this game. The team has come together and we're on a roll. The defense is playing better and the offense really has put up points every week. The entire team has basically improved so much since the first two games. This is our chance to come out and show everyone that we're better than the first two games we showed out of conference.”
On Ryan Mallett
“I have heard a lot about him. I heard he throws it like a missile. He can sit in the pocket and do some amazing things. People have been saying some great things about him including the coaches.”
The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start and will be televised on CSS by the SEC Network. The broadcast of the game will also be available on ESPN GamePlan as well as online at ESPN 360. Troy fans can also listen to the game on the Troy/ISP Sports Network.
One of the headliners in the game is Razorbacks quarterback Ryan Mallett. The sophomore was named SEC Player of the Week for his accomplishments against South Carolina last Saturday when he threw for 329 yards. The Trojans understand his efficient style of play will be tough to stop.
“He is more of a pure passer maybe, but I saw him run for a touchdown the other day against South Carolina so you can't go to sleep on him,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “He will pull it down, and he will run. He's a big, strong guy, and he can really get it out of his hands and down the field to all spots on the field. His strike power is pretty awesome.”
Not only is Mallett tough to handle, but Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino shows multiple offensive looks that can confuse opponents. Troy defensive coordinator Jeremy Rowell has been diligently preparing for the Arkansas offense, and he said the challenges will be great this Saturday.
“They do a lot of good stuff,” Rowell said. “They run an NFL style system which is something we don't see a lot of in our conference. They create different situations for you, personnel wise. They make you have to move and adjust differently for the run game. In the pass game they are going to attack you down the field. They have some big wideouts that can run and catch the football and make some plays.
“Obviously the quarterback is a heck of a player. He's got a big time arm, and puts balls in all the right spots. He can squeeze it in any hole, so it definitely makes it a big time challenge for us.”
The Trojans are certainly no slouches in the passing game either. Troy currently ranks as the seventh best passing attack in the nation, while the Razorbacks pass defense ranks 116th. But, the Trojans aren't worried much with statistics because, much like in the Sun Belt Conference, things can change quickly in the SEC.
For Troy, this game is about accomplishing something that has only happened once in school history. The Trojans knocked off Mississippi State on the road in 2001 for the only SEC victory in school history. This team is ready for that to happen again.
“That's actually one of our pre-season goals, to beat one of the big schools we faced,” senior quarterback Levi Brown said. “This our last chance to do that. Obviously our big goal is to win the conference and go to New Orleans, but we also have other goals and this is one of them. We're looking forward to it, we always do. I just hope we play a little bit better than we did last time. I treat every game the same whether it's a conference game or not. We're going to prepare the same way and hope we can win.”
Brown also has a personal accomplishment within reach this weekend. He currently stands just 13 pass attempts shy of the NCAA single-season record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception. The NCAA record of 271attempts without an interception was set by Trent Dilfer at Fresno State in 1993.
Brown's current streak of 258 attempts, which stretches back to the first quarter of the game against UAB that started Troy's win streak, is more than twice as long as the next closest active streak in the country.
It just so happens that Arkansas' Mallett currently owns the second longest active streak, at 123.
This will be the third all-time meeting between the two schools in football. Arkansas won the 2007 season-opener 46-26 in Fayetteville and took a 23-0 victory in Little Rock in 2002.
Troy has had success against the Razorbacks in other sports. The Troy men's basketball team posted a signature victory over Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena on Dec. 3, 2002, and the Troy baseball team posted one win in a three-game series against Arkansas to open the 2007 season.
Trojans Talk About Arkansas
HEAD COACH LARRY BLAKENEY
On Arkansas
“Certainly Arkansas has proven their metal. I saw part of the South Carolina game on TV. They are pretty good. Mallett is certainly a big time player and they have more big time players to go along with him. We'll see what we can find out about them in the days to come and prepare for them.”
On Timing of The Game
“I don't know if it's ever a good time to play an SEC team. Early in the season we played one and lost. This time in the year at least you have them between two conference games. We're between two conference games also. There's no good time when you're playing a great team. They can about anything they want to on offense, and they look like they are improving.”
On Quarterback Ryan Mallett
“He is more of a pure passer maybe, but I saw him run for a touchdown the other day against South Carolina so you can't go to sleep on him. He will pull it down, and he will run. He's a big strong guy, and he can really get it out of his hands and down the field to all spots on the field. His strike power is pretty awesome.”
Looking Forward To The Game
“I've said this all along that the season is a marathon. You have to take it one game at a time, and you have to deal with it as it comes. The match-ups are different every week, and you try to find the match-ups that are good for you and go with them. You try to stay away from the ones that are bad for you if possible, and certainly we'll have to have a great plan and have to execute the plan to the fullest to have a chance.”
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR JEREMY ROWELL
On Preparation for a Bobby Petrino Offense
“Very Carefully. They do a lot of good stuff. They run an NFL style system which is something we don't see a lot of in our conference. Offensive scheme is different. They create different situations for you personnel wise. They make you have to move and adjust differently for the run game. In the pass game they are going to attack you down the field. They have some big wideouts that can run and catch the football and make some plays. Obviously the quarterback is a heck of a player. He's got a big time arm, and puts balls in all the right spots. He can squeeze it in any hole so it definitely makes it a big time challenge for us.”
On Comparison To Tim Tebow
“I would say two totally different comparisons. What Florida and Tebow does on offense is totally different to what Arkansas and Mallett do. Obviously if you look more to a pro style NFL offense and it's a little more prototypical than Tebow, but you never know once you get there what happens.”
On Defensive Performances This Season
“In my opinion we haven't played great yet. We're still looking for a full four quarter game. We play great at points and have made some great plays at key points. We can get after the passer during those situations and play the run very well. We haven't played a four quarter football game yet. For whatever reason that may be, and we work on it every week on finishing plays. This past week we played horribly. We tackled horribly. The effort is there. The effort is not the problem. We just keep working on getting to that perfect game and making plays and doing the things were supposed to be doing to get to that full four quarter game.”
On Pressuring Mallett
“We're going to have to scheme a little bit. Offensive line for them is big and they move very well. They seem to protect Mallett very well. We're going to have to do some stuff to create pressure and create situations to break through and try to get him on the ground and fluster him and get in his head a little bit. That's always a challenge.”
QUARTERBACK LEVI BROWN
On Facing Another SEC Opponent
“We're looking forward to it and we always do. I just hope we play a little bit better than we did last time. I treat every game the same whether it's a conference game or not. We're going to prepare the same way and hope we can win.”
On Distractions At Beginning Of Season And Now
“I would agree that there probably were (distractions at the beginning of the season). Looking back on it, we probably listened to the media a little too much and thought we were better than we were. I don;t think that's the case now. We're playing well and kind of in a rhythm so I expect us to play well.
Season Goals
“That's actually one of our pre-season goals was to beat one of the big schools we faced. This our last chance to do that. Obviously our big goal is to win the conference and go to New Orleans, but we also have other goals and this is one of them.”
SEC Experiences and How They Help In Preparation
“It got us prepared I would say (playing Florida in the Swamp). We play these games every year so it's not really anything new for us.”
On Experiences In Bowling Green and Florida Losses and Tieing Them To This Game
“For me it's long gone. I try to forget about them as much as I could. We learned from it. I think we learned from it right after the Florida game. We went a different direction and got some things corrected. It's fixed now. We're a lot better now than we were in the first two games.”
DEFENSIVE END BRANDON LANG
On Distractions
“I won't say we're distracted. This is just another game on our schedule. That's how we look at it. They are considered the big dogs outside of our conference so we just have to take it like any other game. We have to come in well prepared and play for four quarters. We're very excited. We love playing against big time universities. It's a chance for us to showcase our talent, and it's going to be a great game.”
On timing
“We're back on the road again. The main thing is for us to not take our eyes off of our goal. We want to get back to New Orleans. We need to stay focused and play hard.”
On this game having nothing to do with the goal of Sun Belt Title
“It does because we want to win. We're not going in there just to show up. We're going to play, but hopefully this game will make history for the university.”
On Razorbacks Offense
“We've been watching them. We saw a little bit of the South Carolina game. We've been watching some film. They are very talented. They have a good quarterback, a nice running back and a good offensive line. This is just a good team in general, and we are ready to step up to the challenge.”
On Learning From Bowling Green and Florida losses
“I feel like those were the first two games of the season, and we were just getting into the swing of things. I think everybody is playing together now, and when we get to playing like that it's scary. We're a whole lot better.”
LINEBACKER BEAR WOODS
On Arkansas
“We know we're going up against a big time opponent and we're anxious about it. This is the last stretch of the season. This is our last three games, and we know we have to play our best football at this time. We're going to see some really good football teams so we have to work hard.”
On Stepping Out Of Conference Play
“The way we are playing in conference play it would be kind of nice to just knock out the last two conference games and have them all in a row. To have a non-conference game, we're fine with where it's at. We're excited to have the chance to win another non-conference game. We're 1-2 out of conference, and we're going to try to get to 2-2.
On Facing SEC Teams
“They have great athletes and great coaches. You can't make mistakes. It's about us playing our style of football and brining our intensity to the game and dictating how the game is going. If you make mistakes against good teams like Arkansas and Florida then you're not going to have a chance.”
LINEBACKER BORIS LEE
On Arkansas
“It's another opportunity to face a powerhouse school in Arkansas so I'm really looking forward to going up there. We are more ready for this game. The team has come together and we're on a roll. The defense is playing better and the offense really has put up points every week. The entire team has basically improved so much since the first two games. This is our chance to come out and show everyone that we're better than the first two games we showed out of conference.”
On Ryan Mallett
“I have heard a lot about him. I heard he throws it like a missile. He can sit in the pocket and do some amazing things. People have been saying some great things about him including the coaches.”
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