Troy Football Notebook – Mid-Camp Report, Waffle House, Heroes/Hardships and Of Course, Football

TROY, Ala. – Troy is well past the mid-way point of fall camp, with classes starting on campus on Wednesday. The Trojans went through their first scrimmage Thursday night under the lights at The Vet, and the early returns were positive on both sides of the football.

"That was a big night for our football team because it's our one and only way to really turn our team loose and see what they will do in a live setting with tackling," head coach Gerad Parker said. "It gave us a lot of evaluation points that you really can't do until you play because we have to make sure that we are taking care of our football team as well."

Before a reward of snow cones and pizza after the scrimmage, the Trojans put the ball down for more than two hours on the turf where they have won back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles.

"I walked away from last night cautiously comfortable, in head coach speak," Parker said. "To see us tackle live for the first time in a scrimmage setting, I thought we did pretty well. I thought our sideline management and how we operated – communications, substitutions, penalties – were all really good."

The scrimmage was controlled by a full Sun Belt Conference officiating crew, and Troy utilized in-helmet communications, including cutting off the signal with 15 seconds on the play clock.

"I loved the way we ran to the football on defense, and the growth of our offense will continue to develop," Parker said. "Thursday was a big step that we needed to take from practice four to practice eight. We walk away from this very encouraged."

Trojan House
Taking a page out of the Troy men's basketball playbook, the coaching staff invaded Waffle House late Thursday evening for a much-needed reprieve from their offices on the second floor of the North End Zone Facility.

Fifteen or so coaches and staff shoved into the booths of Waffle House and carried on about life, family, the glory days … pretty much anything other than football.

"An All-Star Special has some magic in it," Parker said. "It's a grind for us too, and sometimes being able to get outside the building is needed. I don't think we talked one thing about football. Being able to sit in a booth, eat a good meal and share old stories – find a way to connect outside the office – is always good for our souls. It sure helped me sleep better last night; the sausage patties helped too!"

Your Why, Heroes and Hardships
The game of football is more than what happens between the lines for three hours once a week in the fall. Football builds men, saves lives that otherwise might be lost to the wrong path and creates bonds that last a lifetime.

After every practice in the spring, Troy's assistant coaches, many of whom became emotional while delivering their message, shared their why. Why Troy? Why coach football? Why they are who they are. In fall camp, the messages changed to who their heroes are and a hardship along the way and how they overcame it.

Heroes spanned from parents battling illnesses, spouses who have barely unpacked boxes before moving to the next job and community members who simply wanted to make a difference in a young boy's life.

Tears were shed during the messages not only by the coaches sharing their testimonials but also by the 175 pairs of eyes that were locked onto the speaker.

"I want our great leaders of this program, the people we've hired, to have a voice," Parker said. "They've earned the right to have a voice; they are great men, great fathers, great husbands, and what better way to model that than to let them be felt through our football team.

"It provides all of us some perspective in knowing that, okay, he's gone through something like this, so when our hardships happen, now or later, we can lean on other people to get through them. Hardships are coming for all of us, and everyone has a story. I think it's important for us to know that they can lean on each other, and you don't know that until you learn people.

"We're learning each other, and there are some powerful leaders in this program. I don't want to be the only one leading; I think that is selfish and not doing our great coaches justice. The best way to empower people is to give them a voice."

Phase Two is Complete, On to Phase Three
Parker came into camp with three distinct phases in mind and broke up the schedule accordingly. Troy is practicing in four-day blocks with a break on the fifth day to represent each new phase.

"This is the last piece of camp, and for us, this is a big step to situational football – making sure we are ready to play the games through all situations," Parker said. "We got to play physical football in phase two; now we have to do a better job of down and distance, knowing situational football on offense, what do we need to grow in, and finally, how to use our personnel. We have to start eyeing in on what people do, what they do really well, and making sure our game plans put those players in those positions; that's what phase three is for."

Troy is back on the field Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning before classes start Wednesday.

"We'll put on full pads Sunday, ust to wear them again and have a goal line segment in them, but other than that, we'll be in shells," Parker said. "We'll play physical thud football, working situations and getting this thing ready to go."

Stepping Up and Showing Out
It's the time of year when a few players will rise to the top of the crop and stand out, whether for their play-making ability or leadership.

"I think everybody is going to appreciate how Gerald Green plays the game," Parker said. "It might not always be at running back, but you will see him in special teams as well. He plays really hard, and he's done a nice job becoming a leader.

"Offensively, we're in a position where Devonte Ross, Ethan Conner and Jordan Lovett are taking steps to becoming great players. Defensively, I think our edge rushers of Jah-Mal Williams, a healthy Phillip Lee, Tre Shaw and Raymond Cutts, those guys going to be good edge pieces for us," Parker said. "I really love how B-Jack (Brendan Jackson) and Jordan Stringer have kept us solid in the front seven. I like where everybody is headed, and I like the leadership of that group."

Troy University Athletics

Troy Football Notebook – Mid-Camp Report, Waffle House, Heroes/Hardships and Of Course, Football

Players Mentioned

Ethan Conner

Raymond Cutts

Gerald Green

Brendan Jackson

Phillip Lee

Jordan Lovett

Devonte Ross

Jordan Stringer

Jah-Mal Williams

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