Fall Previews 4 of 63: Troy

Troy: 

Head Coach: Neal Brown
2014 Record: (3-9, 3-5 T-7th Sun Belt)
Basic Offense: Multiple
Basic Defense: 4-2-5 Multiple

Offense: 

Brandon Silvers

At a historically impressive position for the Trojans, Sophomore Brandon Silvers (191-271/1,836/11TD) looks to head into his sophomore season as an established quarterback, rather than a redshirt freshman looking to not make mistakes. Named to the 2014 Sun Belt All Newcomer team, Silvers should see significant improvement this fall with 11 starts under his belt and the trust of new head coach Neal Brown. Seniors backups Dontreal Pruitt (44-77/533/1TD) and Dallas Tidwell (3-6/16/0TD) will be there in case Silvers falls prey to injury or poor play with Pruitt getting the first shot behind center after making a start versus SEC power Georgia in 2014.

The Trojans were surprisingly competent rushing the football in 2014 and return the top two leading rushers from last fall in 2014 All-Sun Belt honorable mention Brandon Burks (96/584/3TD, 23/181/1TD) and junior Jordan Chunn (111/505/6TD). The duo was a combination of the speed and quickness of Burks with the power running of Chunn and together make a very solid rushing attack with the quarterback adding some yardage on the ground. Third string running back Andre Flakes will be expected to take his first carries at running back after playing on special teams as a true freshman. His development and ability to turn the Trojan rushing attack into a three headed monster will help Troy significantly. At the slot/h-back/fullback position, sophomore Josh Anderson (10/42/1TD) will be a player to watch with his ability to block on the second level giving room for the running game to find open space. Junior Nick McLaughlin will back up Anderson and see some playing time in the offensive backfield.

While rarely used other than in blocking situations, senior Tommy Blevins (2/40/0TD) will see playing time at tight end with redshirt freshman Gabe Hill second in line. The tight end position could see a bit of a resurgence with more reliance on the running game.

Troy has as many wide receiver designated players on the roster for 2015 as any team in the nation. It is no secret that the Trojans love the throw four wide receivers out on the field to either find open space for the rushing attack or find holes in the secondary in the passing game. Starters Bryan Holmes (34/474/5TD), Jarvis Bentley (9/55/0TD), Teddy Ruben (15/212/1TD), and K.D. Edenfield (21/147/0TD) do not have the gaudy stats of Troy receivers in the past but did a great job of helping a redshirt freshman find his way last fall. Holmes was named to an All-Sun Belt honorable mention last fall. The quartet should see their numbers inflate significantly as the Trojans call more passing plays for their now sophomore quarterback. Emanuel Thompson (3/28/0TD), Blace Brown, John Johnson (11/99/0TD), Trey Page (5/64/0TD), and Clark Quisenberry (3/44/0TD) will all see playing time and must be ready to contribute on the field at a higher lever in 2015.

With skill position players all over the field taking their lumps but ready to step up in 2014, the biggest offensive question mark is on the offensive line. Only left tackle Antonio Garcia (18 career starts) and center Dalton Bennett (24 career starts) made starts for the Trojans last fall with Bennett's name popping up on both the Lombardi and Rimington Watch Lists. The projected starters at left guard (Luke Lawrence), right guard (Johnathan Boring), and right tackle (David Gross) played a combined 90 snaps on the offensive line last fall. In comparison, Garcia played 630 snaps on the offensive line in 2014. Junior Tyler Lassiter is the only backup offensive lineman with any real experience and should be able to see the field on his own merit this fall. Aaron Herring, Taylor Edwards, Jay Dye, and Xavier Fields must all be ready for spot duty on the offensive line as well as significant snaps on special teams plays.

Defense: 

Lonnie Gosha

In an interesting twist, defensive end Jamal Stadom (55 tkl, 6.5 tfl, 4.5 sacks) is being pushed harder than expected by junior Rashad Dillard (2 tkl) and both are currently listed as co-starters on the depth chart. That is expected to change in the fall as Stadom should separate himself from Dillard and earn the starting role after making all 12 starts in 2014. Dillard will also see playing time but Stadom will get the majority of the snaps. At defensive tackle, junior Garrett Peek (14 tkl, 1 tfl, 1 sack) has been able to outperform senior D.J. Johnson (4 tkl) heading into fall camp and looks to be the starter at one inside lineman position. Johnson will see playing time as well in the trenches with fellow senior Deon Lee (10 tkl) pushing his way into playing time in what could work to be a solid three-man rotation at defensive tackle. After a solid junior season at nose guard that included making all 12 starts, Lonnie Gosha (27 tkl, 3 tfl, 2.5 sacks), should get the majority of the snaps in the middle of the Trojan defense. Sophomore Bryan Slater (1 tkl) has the size to be a competent backup but will need to improve significantly so that he can give Gosha a chance to catch his breath versus the high power offenses of the Sun Belt. Rounding out the defensive line is 2014 All-Sun Belt honorable mention and 2015 Lombardi Watch List member Tyler Roberts (48 tkl, 9.5 tfl, 5 sacks). The senior was by far the most explosive defensive lineman for the Trojans and it will be certain that every Troy opponent will know where Roberts is on every play this fall. Sophomore Sam Lebbie (26 tkl, 3 tfl) is a very good complement to Roberts and could be the next in a line of very good Trojan defenders before his career ends at Troy.

Running what is conventionally a 4-2-5, the Trojans lack experience with only junior Terris Lewis (25 tkl) having any starting experience. Even with his three career starts on the table, Lewis has not been able to shake JUCO transfer Justin Lucas from the top of the depth chart. Both are currently listed at the top line of the depth chart and this could be one of the most interesting positional battles heading into the fall with both middle linebackers wanting desperately to earn that starting job. Fellow junior Daniel Warren (18 tkl, 1 tfl) is currently third in the competition but has the ability to push himself back into the race and earn playing time on defense as well as special teams. Weakside linebacker William Lloyd is a JUCO transfer as well and showed his ability in spring drills to earn the starting job heading into the fall over Mitchell Roland (30 tkl). Both linebackers should have a shot at significant playing time and this positional battle could almost be listed in the co-starter list. It would not be a surprise to see either in the starting lineup at WLB versus North Carolina State.

Montres Kitchens

The Trojan secondary begins and ends with senior free safety Montres Kitchens (88 tkl, 6 INT, 7 pd). The hard hitting safety was named to the 2014 1st team All-Sun Belt and well as the 2015 Thorpe Award Watch List. Kitchens is one of the best players in the Sun Belt at any position and should generate significant NFL draft buzz as the 2015 season progresses. Backup free safety Robert Johnson is coming off of a redshirt season and is ready to learn from Kitchens so that he can step in and take over in 2016. At both cornerback positions, the Trojans could easily start players that were not with the program last fall in JUCO transfer Jalen Roundtree and UAB transfer LaMarcus Farmer. Both are very talented players and distanced themselves from their competition. Converted wide receiver Jalen Harris, senior Josh Burnham, and sophomore Dondrell Harris (26 tkl, 2 tfl) will all help at cornerback in limited roles this fall. At the nickel position, senior Darrin Reddick (37 tkl, 1 tfl) picks up where he left off in 2014 after making four starts. He is a players still coming into his own and could show significant improvement this fall while being pushed by another JUCO transfer in Demetrius Cain, a linebacker on the JUCO level but moving to the nickel/third linebacker spot for Troy. At strong safety, another starter from 2014 is being pushed to his limit with junior JaQuadrian Lewis (57 tkl, 5 tfl, 1 INT) and senior Rod Adams (19 tkl) both level on the depth chart. Lewis, with eight starts in 2014, should be the favorite to earn the starting role this fall but Adams has repeatedly made his case in the spring for more playing time in the defensive backfield this fall.

Special Teams: 

Last season, the kicking game fell squarely on the shoulders of Ryan Kay. The junior was 10-14 on field goal attempts with a long of 47 yards, 30-30 on PATs, punted the ball 67 times for a 39.9 average with 22 inside the 20, and 6 over 50 yards. While Kay has all but wrapped up the punting positional battle heading into  the fall, senior Jed Soloman and his 52 kickoffs in 2014 is looking to make a push to get several field goal attempts. The most likely scenario is for Kay to punt and kick field goals while Soloman is the kickoff specialist.

Overall:  

The 2014 season did not go the way the Trojan faithful had hoped for with a 3-9 season. The players wanted to send former coach Larry Blakeney out to retirement on a good note but struggled with an 0-4 non-conference slate that included a disappointing loss to Abiline Christian.

With a first year head coach and new players all over the field, there is an air of optimism at Troy heading into the 2015 season. The level of optimism will be tested early for the Trojans as Troy travels to North Carolina State, Wisconsin, and Mississippi State with home games versus Charleston Southern and South Alabama mixed in between. That is a tough stretch even for good Power Five teams, but coming off of a 3-9 season things are even more tough for Troy. The Trojans should lose to NC State, Wisconsin, and Mississippi State while defeating Charleston Southern. The South Alabama game becomes a huge swing game for the season with a win putting the Trojans at 2-3 heading into week six and hope still alive for a .500 season. I don't think the Trojans are quite ready to make that jump and will start the season at 1-4.

The Trojans should be able to bounce back from the 1-4 start with matchups versus Idaho and New Mexico State to equal up last season's win total at 3-4. A trip to North Carolina to face a tough Appalachian State should result in a loss but the Trojans have a chance to rebound the next week versus UL Monroe. At 4-5 and needing two more wins to get to .500, Troy will fall just short with Georgia Southern and Louisiana rolling by for dominant wins. The "Black Friday" matchup versus Georgia State should be a fun game with lots of points scored with Troy pulling out the hard fought win. 5-7 or possibly 6-6 with an upset win is the best case scenario for the Trojans this fall.