Troy University Athletics
Troy-MT Set for Sun Belt Network Game of the Week
9/21/2011 1:17:00 PM | Football
The 2011 Sun Belt Network football schedule starts off with one of the most intriguing matchups of the season. It's a rivalry game with a trophy at stake and the conference opener for both teams as Middle Tennessee and Troy square off at 3:30 p.m. (CT) on Saturday, September 24.
The game between Middle Tennessee and Troy will be the 19th meeting on the gridiron between the two schools. The series, which began in 1936, is led by MT, 11-7. Middle Tennessee won the first eight meetings before Troy picked up its first win in 1999. The Trojans have won the last five meetings and six of the last seven.
In last season's matchup between the two teams, the Trojans jumped on the favored Blue Raiders early in a nationally-televised game and never looked back, rolling up 519 yards of total offense in a 42-13 Troy victory in Murfreesboro. Troy piled up 238 yards on the ground in the game while holding MTSU to just 28.
Over the years these two programs have been among the most successful in the Sun Belt Conference – which perhaps fuels the rivalry. The Blue Raiders own the most Sun Belt Conference victories in league history with 43. Troy stands second, just three wins behind the Blue Raiders despite having played three fewer seasons in the league than Middle Tennessee.
The Sun Belt Network is a partnership between the Sun Belt Conference and regional sports networks Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST). The 2011 football season will be the third of a four year marketing, promotion and syndication agreement with CSS and CST that goes through the 2012-13 academic year.
The Sun Belt Network football game of the week will be available in 13 states across the southeast and is available on ESPN3.com and ESPN GamePlan outside of the CSS and CST markets.
About Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast
CSS is a 24-hour sports channel carrying a full slate of college sports programming and can only be found on cable. With over 40 live football games including the SEC, Sun Belt, Conference USA, and Gulf South Conferences, the channel offers a comprehensive sports lineup throughout the year. The channel also offers more than 175 men's and women's live college basketball games and over 60 live baseball games, as well as a comprehensive mix of sports news and in-depth sports analysis geared toward fans in the south.
About Cox Sports Television
The New Orleans-based sports network launched on October 28, 2002 in front of 450,000 Louisiana viewers. CST has grown over 400% to nearly 2 million in the seven years since launch, making it one of the fastest growing regional sports networks in the south. CST is currently carried on cable systems in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Virginia and is available to Dish Network subscribers (Channel 421) in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans markets. CST is owned and operated by Cox Communications Louisiana, LLC. Initially targeted to be a Louisiana sports network, CST has secured collegiate, professional and high school events that have expanded the networks reach throughout the south.
