(PHOTO/Joshua Thurston)
After a long bye week, the wait is finally over for Trojan football fans as the team prepares for its next Sun Belt conference game against the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky.
The rivalry between Troy and WKU has been a long-standing one as on more than one occasion the two teams have battled head to head for the opportunity to get ahead in the conference, and no one knows that more than senior Trojan quarterback Corey Robinson who is returning to his home state for the matchup.
“They are good. They’re athletic,” Robinson said. “They have been the best in the conference for the last couple years.”
Despite recognizing the merits of his opponent, Robinson has not given up hope.
“They are beatable,” Robinson said. “We have to go out there and execute, and play just like we do in practice.”
Robinson isn’t the only Trojan who believes that the key could be in the practice. Linebacker Mark Wilson also places his focus on the fundamentals as well as improvement.
“I have a lot to improve on,” Wilson said. “I haven’t been satisfied with my season, thinking about just the things that Mark Wilson needs to get better at, and this game is my chance to improve.”
Despite their previous problems with road games, Troy hits the road this week with a win behind them at Georgia State, which also gives them a win in the conference, bringing their conference record to an encouraging 2-1.
“They are all tough, whether you are playing on the road or at home, but it does complicate things when you travel,” said head coach Larry Blakeney. “Our road schedule has been pretty tough, and it will continue to be.”
No matter the difficulties that the team will be faced with in the coming weeks, the current focus is completely on WKU.
“My mind set is that we are going in and taking it one game at a time, starting with Western Kentucky,” Wilson said.
In concurrence with Wilson, Robinson has his head in this game, acknowledging that it will be both a physical and mental challenge for the players, bringing an end to their restful bye week.
“Let’s go out there and play hard,” Robinson said. “These guys, they like to talk, but we can’t let that get in our heads.”
“Sometimes we don’t play all that good, but we always play hard,” Blakeney said, and that is exactly what the team plans to do.
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