Troy University Athletics
Saturday, October 15
Troy, Ala.
6:00 p.m.
Troy University
vs
ULM
Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer
Trojans Look to Rebound Against Scrappy Warhawks
10/12/2011 6:40:00 PM | Football
MEDIA INFORMATION | GAME INFORMATION | LIVE STATS
The Troy Trojans are many things.
They are unorthodox, fast-paced, consistent and tricky to game-plan for. However, there's always been one trait that they've prided above all else and that is their resiliency.
This weekend in front of the Trojan Nation, that particular quality will be put to the test in the form of a historically troubling opponent for the Trojans.
After taking a tough loss at the hands of the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns, the Troy Trojans (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) return to the friendly confines looking to take out their frustrations on ULL's in-state rival, the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (1-4, 0-1).
The Trojans will square off at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday at Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in a contest billed as the Sun Belt Game of the Week. The game will air on the CSS/CST throughout the Southeast and can also be heard on the Troy IMG Sports Network.
The Trojans will look to fix the mental miscues that cost them last week in Lafayette as they look to remain on track for their sixth straight Sun Belt title.
“We made too many mistakes, penalties, and turnovers in the game to come out with a win,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said of last week's loss.
The game is of historical note as well, as it will mark the 250th game together for Blakeney and Head Athletic Trainer, Chuck Ash. The two have the longest active relationship between head coach and head athletic trainer in the FBS.
However, Blakeney maintains that the on-field success of his men is of top priority.
“We still got a job to do and make sure we get this team squared away,” Blakeney said. “We've got Louisiana-Monroe coming in who got us in the same fashion last year. We've been here before, we were here last year. We won the championship with one loss… you're not out of it until you're out of it.”
While ULM has not had much success within the walls of Troy, Blakeney stresses that his team must be better prepared, as in conference play, no outcome is off the table.
“They've always been a pretty good team. They've never beaten us here that I know of, but that doesn't mean they can't. It's all about playing that game 60 minutes, all hands on deck. They've been our nemesis more than anybody in our league,” said Blakeney.
Junior offensive lineman Kyle Wilborn refused to make excuses after last week's loss, echoing Blakeney's sentiments about the team playing more sound football. Wilborn knows that the Trojans can correct their mistakes, but also understands that time is of the essence.
“I think it was a good thing, a blessing in disguise really because it was more of a wake up call for us. The season is not even over by any stretch. It's an unpredictable league, everyone's evenly matched this year. There are a lot of good teams in our conference,” Wilborn said.
Sophomore quarterback Corey Robinson believes the effort is there, but the execution is what lagging for the Trojans.
“We've got guys who are going 100 percent every play,” Robinson said. “But we've just got to start playing smart football. The things we are messing up on are correctable. It's encouraging to know that we can correct things we are doing wrong, we've just got to start now.”
“We have to find a way to win every week,” Robinson added. “And that's what we're going to try to do. We've just got to claw and scratch and try to get our way to a win every single week from here on out.”
While Troy may have a conference loss, this is a situation that they have faced before. Out of the five straight conference championships that Troy has won, there has only been one instance where the Trojans ran the table in conference play.
One thing that won't be an issue for the Trojans is staying motivated. The team is aware of what the situation is, and it knows that their young guns, who have performed admirably this season, will once again be called upon to come up with significant contributions this Saturday.
“What happened on Saturday, everybody has already forgotten about it,” Robinson said. “The young guys are going to be challenged this week. The only motivation we need right now is pretty much knowing that if we lose another conference game, our chances are a lot less of winning the conference.”
In particular, Robinson and Blakeney both feel that a home game following a tough road trip is just what Troy needs to get back to doing what it does best.
“We always enjoy playing at home in front of the home crowd. We just need to put on a show for them,” Robinson said.
“We'll have our hands full with Louisiana-Monroe, so hopefully we'll have a good crowd,” Blakeney said. “A good home crowd is always good medicine for a football team.”
All in all, it is a Sun Belt game for the Trojans and thus, Blakeney knows that his team needs to leave it all on the field.
“Conference play is what it's all about and it'll be highly competitive. We've got to get ourselves prepared well and play as hard as we can play,” Blakeney said.
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Troy vs. Saint Francis (Full Highlights)
Wednesday, November 26
Players Postgame Press Conference (Saint Francis)
Wednesday, November 26
Scott Cross Postgame Press Conference (Saint Francis)
Wednesday, November 26