Troy will welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers to Larry Blakeney Field on Saturday, Oct. 18, after beating New Mexico State last weekend for the Trojans’first win of the season.
The Mountaineers come into this week with the same record as the Trojans, 1-5. However, Troy is showing some resilience after its win over New Mexico State.
Last week, Troy ran all over the Aggies and had 350 rushing yards, the most in a game all season.
Junior running back Brandon Burks had 200 total yards alone against New Mexico State and will have to help lift the team up over Appalachian State this week.
Also, Troy’s defensive line has improved tremendously over the past few weeks. It only allowed 123 rushing yards and one touchdown last week, and had four sacks against New Mexico State, who had not allowed a single sack before facing the Trojans.
Redshirt freshman Jamal Stadom led the defense with 10 tackles, two sacks, and helped with a couple of fumbles. Troy will need the aggressiveness of Stadom and the rest of the Trojan defensive line to triumph over Appalachian State.
“They run three down front, they’re really quick, and they’re a really good football team,”said senior offensive lineman Terrence Jones.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brandon Silvers will have to be prepared to take on the quick defensive threat that the Mountaineers have.
Silvers was 23 of 30 on passing attempts last week with 211 passing yards and 70 rushing yards. His dual threat on offense keeps the opposing defense on its toes and has proven to help the Trojans win.
Appalachian State is averaging more points per game and more yards per game than Troy, but at the rate that the Trojans are improving, hopefully they can beat the Mountaineers for the second straight win.
An advantage for Troy this week is at the quarterback position. Appalachian State’s starting freshman quarterback Taylor Lamb has given up six interceptions alone, while the dual threat of Troy’s junior quarterback Dontreal Pruitt and Brandon Silvers have only given up two interceptions all season.
A good week of preparation for the Trojans will be needed to take down the Mountaineers.
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