Troy Trojans 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Troy 2008 Record: (8-5, 6-1)
Troy 2008 Bowl: New Orleans Bowl vs. Southern Miss (L 27-30)
Troy Coach: Larry Blakeney (144-73-1 at Troy, 144-73-1 overall)
Troy Offensive Coordinator: Neal Brown
Troy Defensive Coordinator: Jeremy Rowell
Troy Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: DuJuan Harris, RB, 1,077 yards
• Passing: Levi Brown, QB, 2,030 yards
• Receiving: Jerrel Jernigan, WR, 868 yards
• Tackles: Boris Lee, LB, 126
• Sacks: Brandon Lang, DE, 10.5
• Interceptions: Jorrick Calvin, CB, 2; Donnell Golden, LB, 2; Boris Lee, LB, 2

Notable Troy Returning Players: G Steven Adams, G Tyler Clark, WR Andrew Davis, C Danny Franks, QB Jamie Hampton, K Sam Glusman, DE Cameron Sheffield, LB Bear Woods

Troy Key Losses: WR Kennard Burton, DT Maurice Coleman, CB Trevor Ford, DT Dion Gales, OT Chris Jamison, S Sherrod Martin, DT Steve McLendon, S Terence Moore, OT Dion Small, WR Gerald Tate, WR Mykeal Terry, S Tavares Williams

The Trojans were a big success in 2008, finishing 8-5 and giving them three consecutive seasons with at least eight wins. Their 6-1 conference mark was only blemished by a 1 point loss to UL-Monroe on a last minute touchdown. In fact, this team would like have had double digit wins if their non-conference schedule hadn’t included road trips to heavyweights Ohio State, LSU and Oklahoma State! Expect the Trojans to be a force again this fall as they return a lot key players from 2008’s championship team.

The Trojans’ spread attack averaged nearly 33 points per game last fall on offense and will once more be led by senior quarterback Levi Brown, who threw for 2000+ yards and 15 touchdowns against only 3 interceptions in eight starts. He should be one of the league’s best this year as he has a strong corps of receivers to throw to, led by junior Jerrel Jernigan, who had 77 catches for 868 yards and 5 touchdowns last fall. Also keep an eye on redshirt freshman Josh Jarboe, who ran into trouble after signing with Oklahoma as one of the country’s best prep wideouts and never made it to Norman. He could be a major weapon for the Trojans after redshirting last year. Troy’s offense isn’t just a passing attack; junior DuJuan Harris is back after rushing for nearly 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns last year. Expect big things from him as a change up to the aerial assault. Furthermore, all of this skill will be protected by a solid offensive line which returns three starters from last year’s unit. Expect Troy to be a dangerous multidimensional offense which should be the Sun Belt’s best.

The Troy defense, which allowed a conference-best 21.4 points per game in 2008, is a little bit less experienced as only 5 starters return. On the line, senior defensive ends Cameron Sheffield and Brandon Lang combined for 16 sacks and 135 tackles last fall and should form the conference’s top book end pairing. The linebackers are also very strong as leading tacklers Boris Lee (126 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 st team All-Sun Belt in 2008 ) and Bear Woods (108 tackles, 2 sacks) should anchor the Sun Belt’s best middle unit. With that much talent back up front, expect the Trojans to be very good against the run. The secondary is more of a concern as the only returnee is senior cornerback Jorrick Calvin, who had 76 tackles and 2 picks a year ago en route to a 2 nd team All-Sun Belt season. However, the other three spots are a question mark so this secondary will probably be less effective in the early going. However, the Trojans still boast one of the conference’s best defenses.

The schedule is much friendlier this year. While a trip to the Swamp looms large in early September, the Trojans only have two BCS opponents and face most of their toughest Sun Belt competition at home. However, they have a tough closing stretch with three out of their final four on the road. Overall, Troy has a dynamic offense and a solid defense which should improve as the year progresses. Their schedule is less difficult than last year’s and they enter the year with the quarterback position settled. When you add all of that up, it leads me to believe that it will a very good year for the defending champions. I expect the Troy Trojans to be back to back Sun Belt Conference champions and I won’t be surprised if this team ends up with nine or ten wins.

Troy Big Games: Sept. 26th @ Arkansas State, Oct. 24th vs. North Texas, Oct. 31st vs. UL-Monroe, Nov. 21st vs. Florida Atlantic

Troy’s Strength:

The Troy defense in 2008 was extremely impressive. The unit ranked first in the conference in pass defense, total defense and scoring defense. And that might not change this year. The interior of the front line needs to be replaced, but ends Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield are talented seniors who will make the line good no matter who fills the holes in the middle. The Trojans ranked third in the nation averaging 3.23 sacks per game and those lofty numbers will continue with Lang and Sheffield. Linebackers Boris Lee and Bear Woods both tallied over 100 tackles last year and are poised for huge senior campaigns. The secondary is where there will be the most turnover, but corner Jorrick Calvin is a good cover man and the new starters have some experience and it will be much easier for them since the front four will get pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Troy’s Weakness:

It is very hard to call the Troy offense a weakness. Quarterback Levi Brown is a playmaker who threw for 2,030 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2008. Brown is not a mobile quarterback, but he makes up for that with his decision making. He completed nearly 62 percent of his pass attempts and threw a mere three interceptions. With Jerrel Jernigan returning to be his top receiving target, the pass offense should be one of the best in the Sun Belt Conference yet again. The news on the ground is just as good. DuJuan Harris rushed for over 1,000 yards during his sophomore campaign and reached the end zone a total of 14 times. There is some bad news somewhere on the offense. Both starting tackles, Dion Small and Chris Jamison are gone and the entire offense could be less effective if Tyler Graves and Nic Riley are not ready to fill the void.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Trojans:

There is little doubt who the favorite to take home the conference title is in 2009. The Trojans outperformed their expectations a year ago and that was with a pretty young team. Now this is a squad full of juniors and seniors. The schedule is not quite as tough as it was last year, but Troy will get an opportunity to knock off Florida and Arkansas and become the darling of the 2009 season.

Troy Betting Odds

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