Trojans Set for Home Opener With MTSU

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It only takes a mention of the name to get the Troy Trojans to get a sparkle in their eyes.

Middle Tennessee. Just the thought of the Blue Raiders and the rivalry that has developed over the years in the annual “Battle for the Palladium” gets the Trojans excited.

The two teams, who are both still in search of their first victory in 2011, will renew that rivalry on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The game is being televised on CSS and Cox Sports TV, as well as online on ESPN3.com.

For the Trojans, the game will be even more special this year. In addition to being the home-opener, it will be the first time Troy will play on Larry Blakeney Field. The naming of the playing surface was announced in April, and the official dedication of the field naming will be held just prior to kickoff.

“Coach Blakeney is a great coach and we all love him,” Troy sophomore quarterback Corey Robinson said. “We are going to try to go out there and get this one for him because he loves to beat Middle Tennessee as much as anyone. We are going to be ready to go for the first game on his field and we'll see what we can do.”

Blakeney has fared well against the Blue Raiders in his career, posting a 7-3 mark, but he has been even better in home openers. The Trojans are a perfect 20-0 under Blakeney in home-openers, and have won 24 consecutive home-openers overall.

Like his players, however, Blakeney said the past is just that, the past.

“You can't take anything for granted in college football, certainly in the Sun Belt,” Blakeney said. “Everyone is better and there are a lot of great coaches and players in this league. You have to prepare. It is all about preparation, no matter if you are playing Arkansas or Clemson or a league game like Middle Tennessee or anyone else in our league."

Even with his program's overall success at home, which includes an 89-12-1 mark in 20 years, Blakeney said you can never take anything for granted.

“We don't need to count on the number, we need to count on playing for 60 minutes,” Blakeney said. “We need to count on putting a good, three-phased, plan together and executing it to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Troy has defeated Middle Tennessee in each of the last five seasons, but the Trojans know the past has nothing to do with what happens this weekend.

“When I first got here in 2009, we played them at home and that was my first time to know what the Palladium trophy was all about,” junior defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi said. “Last year, getting the chance to participate and getting a win under my belt, makes me even more eager going into this game.”

Linebacker Brannon Bryan said he expects and even more intense game because of the recent history in the series.

“Past meetings don't mean anything, these are two different teams,” Bryan said. “They are going to come in here and give us everything they have and we know that. We are going to prepare hard for them, just like we do for every other team. They are going to play us harder than anyone. It is going to be a tough game, a dog-fight to the end. We have to be ready for that.”

Both head coaches, Blakeney and MTSU's Rick Stockstill, emphasized the importance winning the ground game has had in the series. That will likely be the key to the game this weekend as well.

“The team that rushes for the most yards has won this game the last five years,” Stockstill said. “The closest it has been was the first game in '06 when they outrushed us by four or five yards, and that was the closest game as well. The bottom line is we've got to do a better job of running the ball and stopping the run. We haven't done a good enough job of that.”

Blakeney agreed completely.

“I do agree with that 100 percent,” Blakeney said. “That leads to, can you run the ball and stay out of known situations. Can you get four or five yards on first down if you run it or if you have a third and four, can you run the ball and get a first down? If you can stop the rush, you put the offense in known situations. Getting them in known situations is very important. If you can run and pass, that is definitely not a known.”

Through the first two games of the year, both teams have had moderate success running the ball. The Trojans averaged 124.5 yards on the ground against Clemson and Arkansas while Middle Tennessee averaged 137 yards rushing against Purdue and Georgia Tech.

Troy junior running back D.J. Taylor said he and his mates in the backfield know how important winning the ground war will be on Saturday.

“We have three good running backs that can start with Shawn Southward, me and Chris Anderson,” Taylor said. “I agree that we need to have a good running game this weekend. I believe we need to step up to the challenge and we will have a good week in order to do that.”

While the Troy ground game has yet to hit its stride this year, the passing game is also still looking for an identity and consistency. Robinson has passed for 631 yards and four touchdowns in two games, but the 13 players to have caught passes this year, nine are in their first year as contributors for the Trojans.

Sophomore Eric Thomas has proven himself to be a big play threat, as well as a weapon when the Trojans get close to the end zone. Among his nine receptions, three have gone for scores and his 144 yards leads the team.

Others who have shown the ability to make plays are juniors Corey Johnson (11 catches) and Justin Albert (10) as well as senior Stanley Arukwe, who led the Trojans in just his second college game against Arkansas with 84 yards on just four catches.

“The key is for Corey, and he knows this and works on this all the time, to build the chemistry between himself and every receiver,” Blakeney said. “He and Eric are on the same page, but he is also getting to where he understands where 15 (Albert) and 5 (Johnson) are going to be. That is a big part of our approach. Now we have to get the field side guys on the same page."

Robinson said his confidence in the entire group has grown through the first two games.

“Eric Thomas is a great football player and he is making great plays for us,” Robinson said. “Stanley Arukwe had a very good game against Arkansas and is getting a lot better. This is the first time he has played football in years. Even with all of the young guys we have, it seems as if all I need to do is throw it out there and they are going to make the catch. They are young, but they are also very talented.”

On the defensive side, the mission for this week is simple – put together four solid quarters of football. In the opener at Clemson, the Trojans gave the Tigers all they wanted for the first half, but gave up some big plays late. Against Arkansas last week, the big plays came early. In the second half, the defense was able to keep the high-powered Hogs in check and get the ball back to the offense.

“We have not been able to achieve our goal, and our goal is to get a win,” senior defensive back LaDarrius Madden said. “We did good in the first half at Clemson and in the second half at Arkansas, but we are yet to play a complete game. Our goal is to have that complete game and get that W.”

Returning home, playing a rival and playing the Sun Belt Conference opener provides all of the motivation the Trojans should need.

“It is going to be so exciting to see all of our fans and see the people who have not been able to go see us on the road,” Massaquoi said. “To have them here to support us, that is the number one thing. We want to perform for the fans. All of this hard work is to get the fans appreciation. We don't lose much here at home. Coach Blakeney only has 12 loses in 20 years here at home and I don't want to make that man mad. I also don't want to disappoint the home crowd.”

If the Trojans can put together four solid quarters of football on Saturday, everyone wearing Cardinal will go home happy, and the Palladium Trophy will remain in Troy for another year.

Troy University Athletics

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