2009 Troy Football Predictions
The Troy Trojans have won or shared each of the last three Sun Belt championships and they are already making their reservations for the New Orleans Bowl as a fourth straight league title seems inevitable. Bet college football at Bookmaker this season!
Offense – The Troy Trojans ranked second in the Sun Belt in scoring in 2008, averaging 32.8 points per game (26th in the nation), and you can count on them being among the most potent offenses in the league once again this season. Quarterback Levi Brown returns. He earned the starting job after five games last fall when Jamie Hampton went down with an injury. He threw for 2,030 yards and 15 touchdowns after taking over on his way to receiving league Newcomer of the Year accolades. Hampton has since recovered to leave the Trojans feeling safe and secure at the QB spot. Wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan is back after setting a Troy record for receptions in a season with 77. Junior tailback DuJuan Harris returns as well and is coming off a 1,077-yard season. He also proved to be a major asset in the receiving game with 36 receptions. The Trojans must replace a pair of All-Sun Belt tackles with junior college newcomers and returning backups, but center Danny Franks, and guards Steven Adams and Tyler Clark remain. Despite a few new faces up front, I expect the Troy offense to be prolific once again.
Defense – While there are several talented offenses in the Sun Belt, the Trojans seperate themselves on the defensive side of the football. The Trojans boasted five first-team all-conference defenders in 2008, and three of them are back. Troy led the Sun Belt in total defense, scoring defense, and pass defense, and I expect them to be at the top of those categories yet again. All-conference defensive ends Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield return. The exceptional duo combined for 31.5 tackles for loss in 2008 and both figure to have a great chance of playing on Sundays. Senior defensive tackle Kevin Dixon will hold down the interior for the league’s best front line. The linebacker corps is rock solid once again. This unit is led by first-team all-leaguer Boris Lee, who led the Trojans with 126 tackles as a junior last season. Fellow linebacker Bear Woods just sounds like a beast. He also enters his senior campaign after a 100-tackle junior year. David McDowell is the third senior starter in this deep and experienced linebacker unit. If there is an area of concern, it is in the secondary where cornerback Jorrick Calvin is the only returning starter. But the Trojans shouldn’t get burnt too badly with inexperience along the back if their front line continues to live in the backfield.
Prediction: 1st Sun Belt – The old saying is that “defense wins championships” and the Troy Trojans put the best defense on the field in the Sun Belt. Unless the offensive line is not able to reload as well as expected or the secondary has a slow learning curve, the Trojans should bring home another title in 2009.
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