GAMEDAY: Oklahoma State at Troy

[IE]

from troy newspaper perspective:




Key matchup: Oklahoma State?s offense vs. Troy?s defense - Bottom line, Troy must stop some folks this week. The chances of Troy pulling an upset in the first two weeks against teams with the two best running backs in the country (Arkansas) and the fastest wide receivers in the country (Florida) were slim enough, but giving up 500-plus yards and 46 or more points in each game just isn?t Troy Trojan defense. This is a defense that?s been more touted and said to be deeper (by more people than just myself) than any Troy defense. It?s time to put up or shut up, even against guys that can play. OSU?s got some guys that can play. See WR Adarius Bowman and TE Brandon Pettigrew (and RB Dantrell Savage, if he?s healthy, and either QB Bobby Reid or Zac Robinson)

Big question: Can Troy play a full 60 minutes? You saw Troy?s second half at Florida - it was outstanding, and it wasn?t against Florida?s junior varsity squad. But the first half was downright awful, and anyone who wears the Cardinal and Black would admit it. You heard Troy?s first half against Arkansas - most of which was very, very good. But the second half, for the most part (save Jamie Hampton?s long run) just wasn?t very good. OSU has had some similar problems, but Troy can?t afford to play half a game and expect not to get embarrassed on national TV.

The pick: Troy 33, Oklahoma State 30. Let?s take a Whibbs field goal near or at the end.

The rationale: Homer pick? Opinions don?t matter to me. Getting back in first place in the Dothan Eagle Fearless Forecasters contest does. Everyone else picked Okie State. But all seriousness aside, what I?m basing this on is that I?m expecting Troy to play like it did in the second half at Florida from the start. Troy can get down 10-0 and be fine (or 14-0, see Missouri in 2004), but not 28-7. I see it going back and forth the whole game. Troy, when put in the national spotlight, rises up to the challenge (see 2006 New Orleans Bowl, 2004 vs. Missouri, don?t refer to games on ESPN PLUS at Arkansas State). History doesn?t always repeat itself, but when a lot of guys return from last year, it?s a good thing to base a pick on. I recorded OSU vs. Georgia and OSU had an uninspired performance after many thought this would be the Cowboys? breakout year. A lot of people thought the same about Missouri in 2004. Can Adrian Vera flip field position like Thomas Olmsted did against Missouri? Maybe, if he gets the ball off in time. There?s a lot of similarities - OSU might be better than Missouri that year. Troy?s also better than Troy that year.

And they?re at home. Bottom line is we pick to see if we?ll be right.

 

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OSU notes


Tough enough


Some have questioned quarterback Bobby Reid's ability to play through minor injuries. Reid suffered a slightly sprained ankle and low-grade sprained knee last week, left the game and did not return.
"I don't think there's a toughness issue involved,? offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said. "Any time you run the ball at that position you have to be tough. You don't take hits in practice. You don't get hit in the spring. The last times those guys really got touched (before opening at Georgia) was Dec. 28 (in the bowl game).?

?Former colleagues: OSU defensive coordinator Tim Beckman and Troy head coach Larry Blakeney were on the Auburn staff together in 1988-89. Beckman was a graduate assistant. Blakeney was the wide receivers coach.

"I know Troy State well, and I know coach Blakeney well,? Beckman said. "I know they'll be prepared and ready. We've told our guys if you want to be a championship ballclub you have to learn how to win on the road.?

The Cowboys are 2-9 in road games in the Mike Gundy era.

?Finding Pettigrew: Brandon Pettigrew hauled in a career-high seven receptions in the opener but had only one catch against Florida Atlantic.

"It depends on how people play him,? Gundy said. "It's similar to the way people used to play Rashaun Woods. He'd get 12 catches one week, and only two or three the next and everyone wanted to know why. It depends on how they play inside.

"Every time our quarterback showed something other than run-action they'd grab him. They bear hugged him and didn't let him get off the line. Because of that, they allowed (Adarius) Bowman to run down the field. It's a give and take. I'd love to get him the ball six to eight times a game.?

?No redshirt: OSU has played four scholarship true freshmen ? wide receivers Dez Bryant and Damian Davis, running back Kendall Hunter and safety Deron Fontenot. Walk-on Bryant Ward has played on special teams.

?O-line improves: The offensive line doesn't need "pancake? knock-down blocks for the offense to have success. In last week's win, Bowman and Kendall Hunter scored on plays because of their yards after the catch.

"Coach Wick (Joe Wickline) says we need to get our guy blocked, but the least we can do is cover up color (get in their way),? offensive tackle Brady Bond said. "We've got backs and other guys who can make moves to get free.?

 

[IE]

17 is the key number for Cowboy defense



? Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman has assessed the situation and come up with a number.

Seventeen.

He figures if his defense can hold Troy's spread offense to 17 points on Friday night, the Cowboys should be fine.

Coincidentally, Troy's No. 17 ? quarterback Omar Haugabook ? is the man who could mess with that calculation.

"If we're able to stop him,? OSU linebacker Patrick Lavine said, "which I believe we are, we're going to win the game.?

Haugabook is the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, and he was the MVP of the New Orleans Bowl after guiding Troy to a 41-17 win against Rice. The dual-threat quarterback is "an unbelievably perfect fit for the spread offense,? Beckman said.

"I He has a very strong arm; he can allude pass rushers. He's a strong, very competitive football player.?

Haugabook (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) has been a strong, competitive quarterback since he was in high school at Belle Grade (Fla.) High School, where he threw 30 touchdown passes his senior year and was named all-state. He was recruited by some Southeastern Conference and Big East schools, but his grades landed him at Dodge City (Kan.) Community College.

When it came time to get out of Dodge, Troy ? and newly hired offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who was looking to install a spread offense ? came calling. In 2006, Haugabook threw for 2,401 yards and 21 touchdowns. He rushed for 313 yards and five touchdowns as Troy went 8-5.

Troy's first two games give a skewed perception of Haugabook's progress. The Trojans had Arkansas in week one and national champion Florida last week. In those two games, Haugabook completed 44-of-92 passes for 487 yards and three touchdowns but ran 19 times for only 42 yards. He's thrown one interception in each of the first two games.

Troy coach Larry Blakeney said his team was shocked by the speed of the SEC defenses and took time to adjust. Overall, he's been pleasantly surprised by his young offensive line, and Haugabook has met expectations.

"Offensively, we've not been great, but we've been pretty good protecting the passer,? Blakeney said. "Omar, our quarterback, is doing a great job leading this football team. He's dealing with what the defensive people are offering.?

Defensively, OSU is hoping to keep Haugabook in check.

"You have to control him,? Beckman said. "He's got a lot of people's attention, and for good reason.?

 

[IE]

Reid can prove himself tonight, unless he's lost the job already


TROY, Ala. ? I don't have any advice for Mike Gundy on the quarterback dilemma at OSU. He doesn't listen to me, anyway.

So I'll send along my wisdom to Bobby Reid. Listen up, son. You better start playing, and you better start playing well. Those footsteps you hear behind you aren't from foam-mouthed pass rushers, they belong to Zac Robinson, a very good understudy who has designs on your job.

I don't know what Oklahoma State will do at quarterback tonight in the Alabama sticks. Reid? Robinson? Stop off in Monroe, La., and pick up Charlie Weatherbie? Gundy is talking in riddles this week, and his Mad Hatter, offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, was no more enlightening.

Some are starting to believe that Robinson will get the call tonight as an audition for next week, when the Big 12 scrum starts with Texas Tech, a game not only bigger than Troy, but also bigger than Georgia. The Cowboys have to have holsters straight when Mike Leach comes to town.

Reid's sporadic play has allowed Robinson to make this a derby. Reid hasn't always played well and hasn't always played. He has the annoying habit of getting nicked up and coming out of games, as he did Saturday night against the Howard Schnellenbergers.

State's staff might be ready to show Reid what happens to a quarterback who can't play tough. Might be ready to use Reid's banged-up status as an excuse to let Robinson have the reins, with an eye toward permanent ownership.

Too early to tell whether this is Wally Pipp's headache, but Robinson made the most of the chance against Florida Atlantic, completing 14 of 20 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns.

"They finally got their best throwing quarterback in there against us,? said Schnellenberger, bringing clarity to the situation.

The Colonel doesn't talk in riddles. He says some crazy stuff, but usually about his own squadron. If Robinson indeed is the better thrower, he has to play, because we're still waiting for Reid's running to remind us of Vince Young.

The Cowboy players claim no clue as to how this drama will play out.

"My job is to block, so I'm going to block, and whatever goes on back there goes on,? said tackle Brady Bond.

Some have called Reid the biggest recruit in OSU history, but this is his fourth year on campus. There's still time for Reid to be the quarterback the Cowboys need him to be, but the hourglass has sprung a leak.

Whoever quarterbacks State tonight will do well. Troy can't play a lick of defense. The Trojans can score, maybe even enough to win, but the Cowboys will run up and down the field on the best team in the Sun Belt Conference.

If not with Reid, then with Robinson. And who knows if Reid even will get the chance.

 

[autt_4]

GO TROGANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!:SIB :SIB

 

[IE]

OSU looking to stay out of Troy's trap


Cowboys face the dreaded trap game Friday vs. Trojans.


The mention of Troy this week brought a chuckle from Missouri coach Gary Pinkel.

"I'm . . . glad you brought that up again," Pinkel said. "Not a lot of good memories."

Pinkel and his Missouri program cannot escape or forget the memories of Sept. 9, 2004. Troy 24, No. 19 Missouri 14.

It is the landmark victory that gave Troy's fledgling Division I-A program a shot of national credibility. It is the game teams from Bowl Championship Series power conferences refer to when they see Troy on their schedule. Troy is a trap game for those BCS schools who face the Trojans.

Oklahoma State hopes to avoid the trap that caught Missouri three years ago when it ventures to play at Troy. From a coach's perspective, the term trap game is not a cliche.

"We really didn't play our best game that night, and they had a good football team," Pinkel said. "Look at what's happened in just the last couple of weeks. That's why people get tired of coaches saying 'Let's just focus on this one game and this game only.' But it's obvious why that's said. Anybody can beat anybody."

Troy coach Larry Blakeney understands
the perception of his program was transformed considerably with that one performance three years ago.

Prior to becoming a full-fledged Division I-A (now the Football Bowl Subdivision) member in 2001, Blakeney's Troy program earned plenty of success as a Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision) program. Troy qualified for the I-AA playoffs six times in a seven-year stretch in the 1990s and made the semifinals twice.

As a Division I program, Troy is 2-21 against BCS schools. The first win was a 21-9 triumph at Mississippi State in 2001. But the Bulldogs stumbled to 3-8 that year.

Beating Missouri, though, was different.

It was a home game and the first time the small school in southern Alabama had ever hosted a major name school in football. ESPN televised the game nationally that September night three years ago, figuring it would be a showcase for Missouri and standout quarterback Brad Smith. Instead, a potential giant killer was unveiled.

"Beating a Big 12 team here that was ranked coming in and on TV was a huge boost to our university and our program," Blakeney said.

While the Trojans have not posted a similar win since, they have given their best shot to some name opponents.

LSU in 2004 and Florida State and Georgia Tech last year pulled out close home victories in the fourth quarter over the Trojans. Arkansas and Florida played their starters well into the fourth quarter before convincing victories the first two weeks of 2007.

"Early on I was always concerned and worried about how our kids were going to approach these games," Blakeney said. "Our kids have never shied away. We've been woodshedded pretty good a couple of times, but we've competed"

OSU coach Mike Gundy and his players understand what awaits them.

"I would say that they will be fired up," Gundy said. "I would say that they will be rocking and rolling down there."
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TROY VS. BCS OPPONENTS


Friday night?s game against Oklahoma State is the 24th time in the last seven years Troy has played a school from a Bowl Championship Series conference. The breakdown of those previous 23 results:

2001


Lost at Nebraska 42-14
Lost at Miami 38-7 Won at Mississippi State 21-9
Lost at Maryland 47-14

2002


Lost at Nebraska 31-16
Lost at Iowa State 42-12
Lost at Missouri 44-7
Lost at Mississippi State 11-8
Lost at Arkansas 23-0

2003


Lost at Kansas State 41-5
Lost at Minnesota 48-7
Lost at Nebraska 30-0
Lost at Virginia 24-0

2004


Won vs. Missouri 24-14
Lost at South Carolina 17-7
Lost at LSU 24-20

2005


Lost at Missouri 52-21
Lost at South Carolina 45-20

2006


Lost at Florida State 24-17
Lost at Georgia Tech 35-20
Lost at Nebraska 56-0

2007


Lost at Arkansas 46-26
Lost at Florida 59-31

 

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Playing Oklahoma State part of Trojans' new scheduling philosophy
Friday, September 14, 2007
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The Troy University football team has an "Anybody, anywhere" motto as it continues to grow its reputation as a Division I-A program.

Unfortunately for the Trojans, "anywhere" usually means anywhere but Troy.

The road warrior persona for Larry Blakeney's squad is changing little by little, though. At 7 tonight, Troy plays host to Oklahoma State (1-1) at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium in a game that will be televised on ESPN2 and broadcast on AM-1070. Athletics Director Steve Dennis said Troy's scheduling philosophy is changing and the home opener after back-to-back losses to SEC powers Arkansas and Florida is evidence.

"Previously, we had two-for-one games," Dennis said, referring to schedule deals that promised Troy would travel twice for only one home game in return. "What this game is, we're playing home-and-home (with OSU) and then we will go back there in 2011 or 2012 for a (money) guarantee game.

"We've kind of moved up to that spot. The next spot we want is to be in with these folks who can give us home-and-home games. The Big 12, with Missouri and Oklahoma State, have shown a willingness to work with us in that situation."

When the Trojans shocked Missouri, then ranked 17th in the nation, in 2004 in a nationally televised game, one Big 12 team begged out of its scheduled visit to the Wiregrass. Iowa State canceled its trip soon after the Trojans downed Missouri 24-14.

"I wasn't here for Iowa State," Dennis said, "and I don't know all about that. Something may have come up for them.

"What has changed, at least for me, is when we have an agreement to schedule a game, we want to make sure we play that game. It's hard enough to get a schedule without having to worry if (opponents) are going to buy their way out.

"The old contracts had a $10,000 buyout. Give me a break. Now, the buyouts will be you pay what the (gate revenue) would have been."

Next season, Troy will travel to Ohio State and LSU in exchange for a guaranteed paycheck and will return Oklahoma State's visit. In 2009, Arkansas and Florida return to the schedule.

"We'll have three guarantee games this year," Dennis said. "As a conference and a school, we want to have two guarantee games where we don't have a return trip, one home-and-home with a Division I-A opponent and then offer a guarantee for a Division I-AA or another home-and-home with a I-A opponent."

This year, though, the Trojans are trying to put their 0-2 start behind them and make some more noise against a Big 12 squad.

Both Troy and OSU bring high-powered offenses into the game, which could turn out to be a soggy affair with a 50 percent chance of rain. Troy averages 356 yards of total offense, with 248.5 coming through the air. Oklahoma State gets 225.5 through the air and 151.5 on the ground.

Troy has averaged 28.5 points in two SEC losses while the Cowboys average 28 a game.

Zac Robinson stepped in for starter Bobby Reid against FAU and threw for 250 yards. All-America wideout Adarius Bowman has caught 10 passes for 200 yards and three TDs.

Omar Haugabook has thrown for 487 yards for the Trojans, with Gary Banks catching eight for 96 yards. Haugabook has completed passes to 14 receivers.

 

[IX_Bender]

IS Dantrell Savage traveling with the team and will he play?

 

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Dantrell Savage: It seemed realistic that the senior might rush for 1,300 or more yards, but he's struggling just to get on the field due to a nagging groin injury. It's doubtful the small, explosive back will play tonight at Troy, a school he signed with out of high school before ending up at a junior college. Best case scenario is that he probably returns next week for Texas Tech.

http://newsok.com/article/3125464

 

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The remnants of Hurricane Humberto, which weakened to a tropical storm on Thursday, are expected to hit Troy, Ala., tonight and early Saturday morning. Troy and Oklahoma State are scheduled to kick off at Troy at 7:01 tonight.


According to the National Weather Service, there is a 50-percent chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight in Troy and winds are projected to be about 5 miles per hour.

If the storm dissipates as expected, the game should be played as scheduled, barring lightning.

Humberto hit Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi on Thursday afternoon, dropping 2-4 inches of rain an hour. Thursday afternoon 114,000 people in Texas and Louisiana were without power because of the storm.