Football Hosts Idaho on Homecoming

TROY, Alabama – With the grueling non-conference schedule fully in the rearview mirror, the Troy football team turns its focus to its seven remaining Sun Belt Conference games, beginning with a visit from Idaho on Saturday in Veterans Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:34 p.m. and the Homecoming contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

The Troy Sports Radio Network will have full coverage of the game beginning with the pregame show at 12:30 p.m. on the full 16-station network. The pregame show will originate live from the Alumni House and fans can engage on social media using the hashtag #RebuildTheWall.

Fans are encouraged to come to Tailgate Terrace (plaza located at the South end of the stadium) for Trojan Walk, which will begin at 12:15 p.m. Troy students will once again be able to use their flex dollars to purchase concessions and a pregame DJ will entertain the student section.

Troy head coach Neal Brown learned a lot about his team in the second half of last weekend's loss at Mississippi State. The Trojans (1-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) trailed 38-0 following a disastrous first half, but Troy outscored Mississippi State 17-7 in the second half and outgained the Bulldogs 223-86 after the break.

"I'm extremely proud of how our team competed in the second half," Brown said at his weekly press conference. "We competed very hard in the second half and I thought we never quit. We challenged them at the half to come out and compete; to play the way we are supposed to play, the way they have been trained to play. They stepped up. That gives me hope moving forward and I really hope looking back that is going to be a pivotal moment in our season and in our program."

Troy's starting quarterback on Saturday will be a game-time decision after starter Brandon Silvers went down in the first quarter at Mississippi State. The Trojans played three quarterbacks against the Bulldogs and it was Dontreal Pruitt who played at the highest level. The senior, who was a captain for the game, completed 12-of-17 passes for 90 yards and rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

"I have confidence in Dontreal," Brown said. "I was pleased with how he came in and performed, and I think in a tough situation because our backup quarterbacks don't get a ton of reps in practice. Our kids have a lot of respect for him and he'll play better with more practice."

No matter who the quarterback will be on Saturday, senior running back Brandon Burks is looking for his second 100-yard rushing game of the year. Burks has accounted for 73 percent of Troy's rushing yards this year – 405 of 555 – and has four touchdowns on the ground. He has shown the flair for the dramatic with touchdown runs of 54 and 77 yards, this first Trojan to do that since 1996.

The Vandals (1-4, 0-2) are allowing 542.6 yards, 317.8 rushing yards and 47.0 points per game this season; Idaho has allowed 38 points or more in all five of its game this year.
Troy's defense will have its hands full with Idaho wide receiver Dezmon Epps, who is averaging 132 yards and 10.5 catches per game. The Vandals also have some uncertainty at quarterback after starter Matt Linehan was injured a few weeks ago and missed the Arkansas State game. Linehan has five touchdowns and six interceptions in four games, while Jake Luton has three interceptions on the year.

The Trojans will look to get pressure against an offensive line that has allowed 12 sacks in five games. Troy comes in with 11 sacks on the year, which is well above their average from a year ago. Tyler Roberts leads the unit with five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks to go along with four quarterback hurries.

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Burks

Dontreal Pruitt

Tyler Roberts

Brandon Silvers

Troy University Athletics

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