Trojans Looking to Right the Ship

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TROY, Ala. - With Troy coming off of two straight conference losses for the second time since joining the Sun Belt, the task of righting the ship will be an arduous one as the Trojans pay a visit to Miami, Fla. to take on FIU in front of a national crowd.

Troy (2-4, 1-2 SBC) will look to avoid a third Sun Belt loss for the first time in school history, which would all but derail any hopes of the team winning a sixth straight conference crown. In order to do this, The Trojans will have to knock off 2010 conference co-champion FIU (4-3, 1-2 SBC), who is fresh off a loss at the hands of Arkansas State.

FIU handed Troy a crucial defeat last year which allowed the Panthers to share the Sun Belt crown with the Trojans. Defensive tackle Tony Davis feels that the team will be excited for the contest, not only for the national exposure but as well as the chance to avenge last year's loss.

“I think the guys are going to be pumped and excited because we definitely don't want to be embarrassed on national TV. I think we're going to come out with an edge and be ready to play,” Davis said.

“I think it's (last year's loss to FIU) a little bitter on everybody's tongue and we definitely want to get them back after what they did to us here on homecoming. I think a lot of guys talk about it and have it circled on their schedule. I think it'll be a fun game to watch and I think we're going to come out and play well.”

It's pretty well accepted that in order to defeat the Panthers in their own backyard, Troy will have to contain arguably the most explosive offensive weapon in the Sun Belt, FIU's do-it-all wideout T.Y. Hilton.

However, while home-cooking didn't help Troy to get over the hump, maybe the impending road trip will. Under head coach Larry Blakeney's tenure, Troy has never lost to FIU in Miami.

Blakeney acknowledges Hilton's propensity to do damage, as he draws favorable comparisons to former Troy receiver Jerrel Jernigan, who had a similar impact on Troy's offense during his career. Yet, Blakeney is also looking to make sure his team focuses on the FIU signal-caller Wesley Carroll.

“The guy that makes them click is Carroll,” Blakeney said. “But, T.Y. is everywhere. They throw it to him behind the line of scrimmage, they hand it to him, they let him run it from the QB, they reverse it to him, a la Jerrel Jernigan. He catches it on kicks and punts, they're going to throw deep to him, they're going to throw the middle seam stuff to him, they're going to throw the under routes to him, they're going to try to find a way to get the ball to T.Y. Hilton and let him help them win the game.”

“He's not the only weapon that they've got though. They've got a good running back and of course Carroll, the quarterback, is the guy that really makes them go.”

Still, Davis feels that the team has a golden opportunity to take down the Panthers and he says that the team relishes the chance to do so when the lights are on brightest.

“That's what you want,” Davis said of the national exposure. “You want everybody to watch you play and remember this game and I think we'll do well.”

Ultimately, the greatest adversary that the Trojans face may very well be themselves. Blakeney wants his team to come out with great emotion.

“You hope that kind of emotion is there. If it's not there, we're either not the right kind of people or we're not good enough. We could play a really good game, play emotional and play hard, and still get beat at FIU depending on how things go. That's just the hardcore facts about college football,” Blakeney said.

Quarterback Corey Robinson, who is itching to put a self-described sub-par outing behind him, says that the team's season is not over and the Trojans have plenty to play for, whether it be revenge, pride, finishing strong or an outside chance at the conference crown. Robinson does acknowledge that revenge is one factor that sticks out.

“There is that, but we also still want to finish with wins in the rest of our games. There is always motivation when a team comes into your house and beats you, but at the same time there is a lot motivation right now and we've just got to take it and utilize it in the right ways,” Robinson said.

However, while FIU won't be easy to topple, Blakeney feels that the time is now for Troy to kill off their self-destructive habits. Blakeney feels that Troy must get out of its own way before they can get back to playing Trojan football.

“What we've got to do is beat Troy before we can beat FIU. Our problem right now is overcoming ourselves. We can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We can't go retool our players. We've got to coach the ones we've got, coach them well and give ourselves a chance,” Blakeney said.

Kickoff for the game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (CST) on Tuesday, October 25 at Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

Troy University Athletics

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