Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer
Column: Crowd Fuels Trojans
9/15/2012 10:44:00 PM | Football
As soon as I stepped on the campus of Troy University, a sense of something special was in the air. I could see it in the faces of the students, the players, the coaches and even the new director of athletics, John Hartwell, who was introduced on Friday. Amidst all the excitement and the near unbearable anticipation, two words were at the forefront of any and every Trojan's mind.
“Beat State.”
Tonight, in front of a record crowd, Troy almost did just that. They opened the game like a house of fire. Three plays in, senior linebacker Brannon Bryan way-laid an opposing Bulldog as the cheers of over 29,000 rained down.
It continued from there, predominately in the form of senior running back Shawn Southward's repeated gashing of the, to this point, relatively vaunted Bulldog defense. In the end, Troy played, in my mind, one of the most physical, inspired games I've ever seen the men of Troy take the field for.
And the intensity was infectious. The band sounded louder, the student section was larger, their dedication to motivating the team was stronger.
The Trojans may have suffered a bitter defeat but believe you me, they made quite the impression on the suddenly upstart Bulldogs. Troy outgained Mississippi State in every way possible as the Maroon and White were thoroughly outplayed, especially in the second half.
Even Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen admitted what I and everyone else with an affinity for the Cardinal and Black attack already knew.
“I think we didn't play very well, we got outcoached and we didn't have a very good plan. They had guys open all night and huge running lanes,” he said.
But the bigger story is how dominant and how strong the Trojan faithful can be when in full force. Despite four giveaways, Troy dominated a team that had walked all over its prior opposition. The Trojans muscled around a squad that, due to conference affiliation, is thought of as out of Troy's league.
This game proved two things to me. One, Troy can play with the big boys and beat them as it took two career-best performances just to hold Troy at bay. Two, our fans can impact a game just as much as any other highly-touted crowd in the nation, as Mullen himself said.
“I tell you what, you know, give them credit. They played hard, what a great atmosphere they had. Their student body did a great job filling up the stadium and trying to give them home-field advantage, so their fanbase deserves that credit,” he said.
There's not a doubt in my mind that Troy is just as competitive as Mississippi State is. But the scoreboard did not show it. No matter, as the scoreboard also does not show who the better team really was. And Troy, much like the head coach of the Bulldogs, can credit its fans for giving them an extra boost at game-time.
The mantra of the 2012 Troy Trojans is “Unfinished Business.” And no, this is no moral victory as Troy is far too good to settle for those against top-tier teams. Make no mistake about it however, this was a statement.
Troy showed all day long just what kind of fans we have and just what kind of environment we could offer any team that comes in here thinking that victory is all but assured.
And in that regard, we should consider today a resounding victory.
“Beat State.”
Tonight, in front of a record crowd, Troy almost did just that. They opened the game like a house of fire. Three plays in, senior linebacker Brannon Bryan way-laid an opposing Bulldog as the cheers of over 29,000 rained down.
It continued from there, predominately in the form of senior running back Shawn Southward's repeated gashing of the, to this point, relatively vaunted Bulldog defense. In the end, Troy played, in my mind, one of the most physical, inspired games I've ever seen the men of Troy take the field for.
And the intensity was infectious. The band sounded louder, the student section was larger, their dedication to motivating the team was stronger.
The Trojans may have suffered a bitter defeat but believe you me, they made quite the impression on the suddenly upstart Bulldogs. Troy outgained Mississippi State in every way possible as the Maroon and White were thoroughly outplayed, especially in the second half.
Even Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen admitted what I and everyone else with an affinity for the Cardinal and Black attack already knew.
“I think we didn't play very well, we got outcoached and we didn't have a very good plan. They had guys open all night and huge running lanes,” he said.
But the bigger story is how dominant and how strong the Trojan faithful can be when in full force. Despite four giveaways, Troy dominated a team that had walked all over its prior opposition. The Trojans muscled around a squad that, due to conference affiliation, is thought of as out of Troy's league.
This game proved two things to me. One, Troy can play with the big boys and beat them as it took two career-best performances just to hold Troy at bay. Two, our fans can impact a game just as much as any other highly-touted crowd in the nation, as Mullen himself said.
“I tell you what, you know, give them credit. They played hard, what a great atmosphere they had. Their student body did a great job filling up the stadium and trying to give them home-field advantage, so their fanbase deserves that credit,” he said.
There's not a doubt in my mind that Troy is just as competitive as Mississippi State is. But the scoreboard did not show it. No matter, as the scoreboard also does not show who the better team really was. And Troy, much like the head coach of the Bulldogs, can credit its fans for giving them an extra boost at game-time.
The mantra of the 2012 Troy Trojans is “Unfinished Business.” And no, this is no moral victory as Troy is far too good to settle for those against top-tier teams. Make no mistake about it however, this was a statement.
Troy showed all day long just what kind of fans we have and just what kind of environment we could offer any team that comes in here thinking that victory is all but assured.
And in that regard, we should consider today a resounding victory.
Goose Crowder - T-Day
Saturday, April 18
Donnie Smith - T-Day
Saturday, April 18
Gerad Parker - T-Day
Saturday, April 18
Gerad Parker - April 16
Thursday, April 16