Idaho set for run after run
No, the University of Idaho doesn’t have a bootleg version of Troy’s playbook.
It wouldn’t matter much, anyway. The Vandals essentially know what’s coming when they line up against the Trojans today at 1:30 PDT at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Ala., but it won’t make it any easier to defend.
“They don’t throw the ball much,” said Idaho coach Nick Holt, whose club is 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. “They’re going to run the ball and try to control the line. They’ve got a couple of good wideouts, but throwing hasn’t been their M.O. They want to line up in two-back and two-tight end (formations) and try to pound you.”
The curious thing is the Trojans (3-4, 1-2) haven’t been wildly successful on the ground. They’re averaging 143.4 yards per game, 17 yards more than Idaho. Troy, however, has attempted 282 running plays to 146 passes this season, compared to Idaho’s 289-261 ratio.
“Oregon pounded it at us,” Holt said. “Some in our conference haven’t been as successful trying it.”
Another oddity: Troy’s offensive line has struggled. Left guard Junior Louissaint, who made every highlight show with his 63-yard touchdown dash against Missouri, and left tackle Henry Tellis have been solid. Numerous players are rotating at the other three positions as Troy tries to find some stability. Pass protection has been a bigger issue than run blocking.
“We’ve had some problems on the line,” said Troy coach Larry Blakeney.
Troy’s weekly press release includes a list of grades for the offensive line. In last week’s narrow loss to defending co-national champion LSU, Troy’s Kenny Griffin graded at 33 percent in limited duty, Donnie Bostian and James Edwards each earned 62s, Lee Milliner was at 73 percent and James Gardner was at 74. Louissaint and Tellis were at 86 and 78, respectively.
It must be emphasized, however, that Troy is doing a lot of things right. The Trojans haven’t been explosive on offense, but their run-first offense has augmented their stingy defense.
They started the season with wins over Marshall and then-ranked Missouri. They narrowly lost to South Carolina and LSU. They’ve dropped two Sun Belt games by a combined eight points. Marshall leads the MAC East, Missouri is tied for first in the Big 12 North, LSU is tied for second in the SEC West and South Carolina is third in the SEC East.
“We’re a pretty good team if we don’t beat ourselves,” Blakeney said.
As the scores suggest, Troy seems to play its best against its toughest competition.
“That’s a theory: We’re up to our competition or down to our competition,” Blakeney said. “If I had the answers to all of that, I’d probably be a millionaire.”
“We stuck our noses into two highly motivated football teams (Arkansas State and New Mexico State) and we furnished some of the fuel by winning at Marshall and beating Missouri. Ten days (after beating Missouri) we’re fighting for our lives at Las Cruces (N.M.) and it was the same thing with Arkansas State. It was their homecoming.”
True freshman D.T. McDowell, who played minor league baseball in Anaheim’s organization last summer, replaced senior Aaron Leak at quarterback last week. McDowell took heavy punishment against LSU, but is expected to start if he’s healthy.
Idaho is aware of Troy’s penchant for trick plays. Receiver Jason Samples, a former high school quarterback, has attempted three passes, completing one for a touchdown.
Notes
Troy is located about 60 miles from Tuskegee, where slain Vandals cornerback Eric McMillan was buried Sept. 30. UI players and coaches weren’t able to visit McMillan’s gravesite because the team wasn’t expected to arrive in Troy until roughly 9 p.m. Friday. … Idaho running back Rolly Lumbala will probably get the bulk of the workload with Jayson Bird battling a bad shoulder bruise. … Lake City grad Jeff Edwards is back from a knee injury but he’s not at 100 percent and probably won’t start at defensive tackle.