Trojans Set for Homecoming

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TROY, Ala - The Troy Trojans (2-6, 1-3) are looking to get back on the winning track this weekend as they welcome North Texas (3-6, 2-3) to town for a Sun Belt, homecoming contest.

The Trojans and Mean Green are set kickoff at 12:00 p.m. (CT) in a televised game on the Sun Belt Network.

This will be the ninth contest between the Trojans and Mean Green with Troy currently holding a 7-1 advantage over North Texas. Troy has never lost a game to the Mean Green at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Trojans are heading into the game on Saturday coming off of a 42-14 loss at Navy and treading uncharted waters as they look to bring an end to their losing streak. The Trojans are on a four-game skid for the first time since 2006, and they haven't lost five in a row since 1982.

North Texas is coming into Troy under first-year head coach Dan McCarney as losers of six straight to the Trojans, however Troy is not taking this homecoming game lightly.

“They have a new coach, new staff, and I really think they're improving game to game,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “I'm sure they're trying to do the same thing we're trying to do. It should be very competitive and we'll have to play well.”

One way Troy is looking for success is by calling upon some key role players to step up.

“I've interviewed several of the juniors and senior this week that are leadership guys that need to grab a hold of the horns and maybe try to exert themselves,” Blakeney said. “They need to not be sitting back. They need to be stepping out front”

“We are just looking for guys to step up and make plays at the moment,” said junior defensive tackle Tony Davis. “Saturday will be no different. We will need all 11 guys on offense, defense, special teams to make plays for us, to give us an opportunity to win this game. We have the guys to do it, we're just waiting for those guys to break out and show their potential.”

Senior defensive tackle Kyle Lucas also understands the importance of winning this weekend.

“It's crucial for the seniors,” Lucas said “It's crucial for the whole team. If we can finish this thing out strong, you never know what's going to happen as far as the bowl games go.”

Not only does this young Troy team have to find leadership for the last four games to be able to finish bowl eligible at 6-6, but they must also find consistency as well.

“On the defensive side of the ball, we just need to execute our game plan. We need everybody to do their assignment to the fullest, myself included,” Lucas added.

Offensively, Troy hopes to turn things around against a team they traditionally have had success against. In the past four match-ups with the Mean Green, Troy has been able to average 45.3 points per game. That is a far cry from the 18.8 points they are averaging over the current four-game skid.

Despite the lack of horsepower from the Troy offense this season, they are looking to turn the tide against an inconsistent North Texas squad during homecoming. Bowl eligibility is not out of the question.

“We definitely have the talent, we just have to apply it,” Lucas said. “Basically it just comes down to executing on Saturdays, and we haven't been doing that. We're just trying to get to 6-6 at the end to finish out strong.”

The Trojans hope a good home crowd and some leadership are in the cards for Saturday as they look to turn their four-game losing streak into a four-game winning streak to close out the season.

Troy University Athletics

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