Troy University Athletics
Troy Football Spring Break Rewind – Part II
3/10/2020 11:11:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. – Spring break has arrived on Troy's campus this week, and with it a natural break has presented itself in the Trojans' spring practice routine. With the pause in the practice schedule, head coach Chip Lindsey took some time to share his thoughts on some position battles, Troy's 2020 schedule and other hot topics surrounding the program, and we will share each of those over the coming days.
Yesterday, Lindsey broke down the quarterback competition, looked at Troy's 2020 schedule, addressed the culture change within the team and explained the reason for the Trojans' change up in timing in the spring.
Offensively, the Trojans were among the top 25 teams in the country last year in scoring (33.8), passing offense (313.2), total offense (456.3), completion percentage (64.4) and third-down conversions (46.9). Troy returns eight starters from that unit and will benefit from the return of Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year B.J. Smith who was lost for the season with an injury in week two.
Offensive Line
Along with the quarterback position, this is the biggest question mark of the offseason for the Trojans, not because of a lack of talent, but because Troy lost three starters along the line, all of which earned All-Sun Belt honors in their career.
"The offensive line is another area where we have a really good competition going on, especially at right tackle," Lindsey said. "Bubba Hudson has been a surprise so far, and I really like the progress he's making. He's a guy that has been around here a while behind J.L. Gaston and waiting for his opportunity. Toryque Bateman is also competing for that job and has shown flashes of what he's capable of doing.
"At guard, Jake Andrews has really been solid for us and Jordan Chapman, the other junior college lineman we brought in, has been solid as well. Tyler Burnsed, a redshirt freshman, has shown some flashes the first two weeks, and I'm really excited about his progress."
Troy returns leadership and talent at center and left tackle in the likes of Austin Stidham and Dylan Bradshaw. Stidham, a junior, has started all 25 games at left tackle the last two seasons while Bradshaw started 11 games last year and has the versatility to slide out to guard as well.
Defensive Reunion
The 2019 season was one of turmoil for the Troy defense as the unit lost countless players over the course of the year due to injuries, in addition to more players than you can count on one hand lost before the season started. When the dust settled, Troy started 22 different players on defense over the 12 games with only six players starting nine or more games.
Also, projected starters at cornerback Terence Dunlap and Monte' McGary didn't play a snap all season, neither did Auburn and Iowa transfers Richard Jibunor (bandit) and Jayden McDonald (linebacker), respectively.
"The secondary is what we focused on in recruiting and you can see that paying off," Lindsey said. "Obviously, getting Terence Dunlap back, who I think is an all-conference kind of player, that's a really huge deal for us; he also provides a lot of leadership on that side of the ball. When you look at Monte' McGary, who we signed when I first got here, he looks really good. He's a physical specimen and can play multiple spots in the secondary.
"We're excited to get Richard back on the field because we think he's got unlimited protentional," Lindsey said. "Jayden is very, very capable of being a big-time player. He's got a big-time skill set and he's getting more and more comfortable with the defense."
One player who took advantage of the opportunity to step into a spot left open because of injury was true freshman Dell Pettus. Originally a cornerback, Pettus took over at strong safety and by the end of the season was named a Freshman All-American by Pro Football Focus.
"Dell is continuing to grow, just like we thought he would after a really good freshman season, and he's only going to continue to get better," Lindsey said. "George Jackson is another JUCO defensive back we brought in and he's starting to get more comfortable. Then, this summer we'll bring in a couple more JUCO guys in Markeis Colvin and Zion Williams and the competition level will ramp up even more."
Buy Season Tickets, Get a T-Roy Bobblehead
Fans who purchase or renew their season tickets by May 1, will receive a free limited-edition T-Roy bobblehead. Season ticket packages start as low as $60 and can be purchased by visiting TroyTrojans.com
T-Day Festivities Feature Champions Brunch, Kids Camp, Concert & More
Troy Athletics is rolling out the red carpet for its annual T-Day Spring Game presented by the Vance Law Firm with the inaugural Champions Brunch, Future Trojans Youth Football Camp, a pregame concert, free mini posters and a Kids Zone inside The Vet. The game is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, and admission is free. Complete details on T-Day can be found by visiting TroyTrojans.com/TDay2020.
Yesterday, Lindsey broke down the quarterback competition, looked at Troy's 2020 schedule, addressed the culture change within the team and explained the reason for the Trojans' change up in timing in the spring.
Offensively, the Trojans were among the top 25 teams in the country last year in scoring (33.8), passing offense (313.2), total offense (456.3), completion percentage (64.4) and third-down conversions (46.9). Troy returns eight starters from that unit and will benefit from the return of Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year B.J. Smith who was lost for the season with an injury in week two.
Offensive Line
Along with the quarterback position, this is the biggest question mark of the offseason for the Trojans, not because of a lack of talent, but because Troy lost three starters along the line, all of which earned All-Sun Belt honors in their career.
"The offensive line is another area where we have a really good competition going on, especially at right tackle," Lindsey said. "Bubba Hudson has been a surprise so far, and I really like the progress he's making. He's a guy that has been around here a while behind J.L. Gaston and waiting for his opportunity. Toryque Bateman is also competing for that job and has shown flashes of what he's capable of doing.
"At guard, Jake Andrews has really been solid for us and Jordan Chapman, the other junior college lineman we brought in, has been solid as well. Tyler Burnsed, a redshirt freshman, has shown some flashes the first two weeks, and I'm really excited about his progress."
Troy returns leadership and talent at center and left tackle in the likes of Austin Stidham and Dylan Bradshaw. Stidham, a junior, has started all 25 games at left tackle the last two seasons while Bradshaw started 11 games last year and has the versatility to slide out to guard as well.
Defensive Reunion
The 2019 season was one of turmoil for the Troy defense as the unit lost countless players over the course of the year due to injuries, in addition to more players than you can count on one hand lost before the season started. When the dust settled, Troy started 22 different players on defense over the 12 games with only six players starting nine or more games.
Also, projected starters at cornerback Terence Dunlap and Monte' McGary didn't play a snap all season, neither did Auburn and Iowa transfers Richard Jibunor (bandit) and Jayden McDonald (linebacker), respectively.
"The secondary is what we focused on in recruiting and you can see that paying off," Lindsey said. "Obviously, getting Terence Dunlap back, who I think is an all-conference kind of player, that's a really huge deal for us; he also provides a lot of leadership on that side of the ball. When you look at Monte' McGary, who we signed when I first got here, he looks really good. He's a physical specimen and can play multiple spots in the secondary.
"We're excited to get Richard back on the field because we think he's got unlimited protentional," Lindsey said. "Jayden is very, very capable of being a big-time player. He's got a big-time skill set and he's getting more and more comfortable with the defense."
One player who took advantage of the opportunity to step into a spot left open because of injury was true freshman Dell Pettus. Originally a cornerback, Pettus took over at strong safety and by the end of the season was named a Freshman All-American by Pro Football Focus.
"Dell is continuing to grow, just like we thought he would after a really good freshman season, and he's only going to continue to get better," Lindsey said. "George Jackson is another JUCO defensive back we brought in and he's starting to get more comfortable. Then, this summer we'll bring in a couple more JUCO guys in Markeis Colvin and Zion Williams and the competition level will ramp up even more."
Buy Season Tickets, Get a T-Roy Bobblehead
Fans who purchase or renew their season tickets by May 1, will receive a free limited-edition T-Roy bobblehead. Season ticket packages start as low as $60 and can be purchased by visiting TroyTrojans.com
T-Day Festivities Feature Champions Brunch, Kids Camp, Concert & More
Troy Athletics is rolling out the red carpet for its annual T-Day Spring Game presented by the Vance Law Firm with the inaugural Champions Brunch, Future Trojans Youth Football Camp, a pregame concert, free mini posters and a Kids Zone inside The Vet. The game is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, and admission is free. Complete details on T-Day can be found by visiting TroyTrojans.com/TDay2020.
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