New Players Living the Trojan Way

In the past, Trojan fans have gotten accustomed to seeing the ball in the air more than on the ground.

However, with as much running back experience as the Trojans have this year, the ground game might come into play more than it has in the past few years.

A player looking to make an impact on the running game is Montrell Conner, who is also making an impact off of the field (see story below).

With many high rankings in his high school career, Conner signed with Mississippi State out of high school in 2009. Now, he has found his home in Troy as a junior.

A native of Monroe, La., Conner was ranked as the 16th best athlete in the country by Rivals.com and the 11th best prospect in the state of Louisiana. After graduating high school, Conner spent the 2009 season at Mississippi State as a redshirt.

While in Starkville, Conner decided it was best to move back home and enroll in a junior college.

“I was dealing with some personal issues, so I decided it was best for me to move back home,” Conner said.

With the move back, Conner found himself at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mendenhall, Miss., where he rushed for 506 yards on 132 carries, with seven touchdowns. After spending the 2010 season there, Conner transferred to Troy.

Conner was highly recruited as an athlete, although he played mostly running back in high school.

“He's a big strong guy and a hard worker,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “He's been dealing with some injuries, but he's catching the ball very well and breaks a lot of tackles.”

Conner has some experience ahead of him that he can learn from in names like Shawn Southward, Chris Anderson, D.J. Taylor, and T.J. Mitchell.

“I've been dinged up and fighting some injuries, but I'm ready to help my team as much as possible,” Conner said.

Not an Ordinary Drive Home

When you hear of individual players in the news lately, the headline usually involves some rules that were broken or bent due to a lack of character.

However, for Conner and teammate Hollis Moore, a drive through Troy last Tuesday resulted in a demonstration of two players following the Trojan Way and displaying great character.

The two juniors were involved in a car accident with a freshman Troy student from Crestview, Fla., Jacey Sanders. When the players and Sanders got out of their cars, Conner and Moore were surprised to see that she was wearing a Clemson T-shirt.

Sanders had good reason for wearing the enemy's colors, her older brother, Matt Sanders, is a junior offensive lineman for the Tigers.

Despite the obvious allegiance with their first opponent in 2011, Conner and Moore helped Sanders fix her flat tire and the three went their separate ways.

“She said she would be cheering for Clemson, but because of the wreck, she would be cheering us on as well,” Conner said.

“Those young men didn't have to take their time and energy to perform that task, but it demonstrates the great character they possess,” said Jacey's dad, Jay Sanders.

“My wife (Stephanie) and I will be pulling for these young men and Troy football,” Jay Sanders said. “Except for one game!”

Troy University Athletics

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