Troy Trojans did not quit on football season
Troy’s football team has found its Mojo … Plus, Chris Amos’s take on this weekend’s games … Photos from downtown Holiday Market and a 5K fund-raiser to benefit the late bike lover Owen Lewis.
Sports column by BILL RICE, JR.
Sports, it’s been said, are important because they can teach “life lessons.” One such life lesson is to never quit or, at least, never quit trying. As George Gipp reportedly told his former coach Knute Rockne on his death bed:
“Rock, someday when the team's up against it, and the breaks are beating the boys, ask 'em to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper.”
Or, to quote Winston Churchill, “never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in …”
Put me in the group of local sports fans who is very impressed Coach Gerad Parker’s first Trojan football team has NOT quit on a season that once looked like it could be one of the bleakest in program history.
Troy again displayed this Churchillian quality yesterday by upsetting rival Georgia Southern on the road 28-20 in a game where Troy thoroughly outplayed the Eagles, who were in first place in the Sun Belt East Division.
Troy - which had won the previous two Sun Belt Titles, started this season 1-7 but has now won two straight and could easily have won three straight.
These post-game quotes by first-year Coach
Gerad Parker resonated with me:
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” said Coach Parker. “I hold back tears and everybody called me soft, but this is an emotional game.
“We’ve been at the depths of hell (at) the start of this year. When you visit a place like that, there’s only one choice. You got to get your team out of it and have belief from these guys. … These guys have been unbelievable. Our staff and our players, how they’ve been resilient, tells you something that’s good about college football.”
And this quote tells us a little more about the behind-the-scenes hard work that’s revealed this team’s admirable character:
“Sometimes I wish our Troy faithful could come watch these guys practice,” said Coach Parker. “Good things have been happening from early on, but it just wasn’t enough good things. Now, the numbers we are putting up, the pace we are moving out, the joy that is in our building, and how they are accepting coaching is all changing. Just the sound of the building is changing because we are winning.
“Sooner or later, you have to start seeing some results, and we are seeing that now. We have to have that to create belief in what is there, and we have that now. We are behaving like a team that wants to keep playing.”
The deck was not stacked with proven players …
Knowledgeable football fans knew Coach Parker was going to face a formidable challenge in his first year as Troy’s coach.
As this sidebar box reveals, few teams in America entered this season with fewer returning starters and proven players than Troy.
While the team won many close games the prior two seasons, the law of averages suggested Troy was due to lose a few games that could have gone either way - a reversion to the mean that has happened this year.
While Troy opened the season 1-7, the team could easily have three more wins (and thus be bowl eligible despite the massive roster turnover).
Troy started the season with a 28-26 loss to Nevada in a game that could have gone to overtime except for Nevada stopping Troy on a last-minute two-point conversion try.
Probably as expected, Troy then lost 31-17 to a very good Memphis team on the road (Memphis is now 9-2).
The next week Troy led the Big 10’s Iowa at halftime and trailed by only a field goal entering the fourth quarter before losing 38-21. (Iowa, who is now 6-4, later routed last year’s national runner-up, Washington, 40-12).
The season’s most disappointing loss - which Coach Parker admitted was “devastating’ - was a 13-9 home loss to Louisiana-Monroe, which has been the cellar dweller in the conference for many years.
Troy lost despite holding the Warhawks to under 250 yards of offense.
After a 38-17 loss at home to Texas State and a road loss to in-state rival South Alabama (25-9), many Trojan fans were probably thinking this team would finish 1-11, one of the worst records in more than 100 years of Troy football.
Most fans were probably thinking the players would write off the rest of this challenging season, a view that was probably reinforced when Troy trailed Arkansas State 23-3 at halftime in Jonesboro the following week.
And then something interesting and noteworthy happened. Troy didn’t accept another lopsided loss. In fact, the Trojans stormed back and took the lead only to see Arkansas State foil a dramatic comeback victory with a score in the game’s final seconds.
Even after Troy suffered a heart-breaking 34-31 defeat, the team didn’t give up.
The next week Troy knocked off Coastal Carolina 34-21 in a game Troy dominated for most of the contest and then, yesterday, Troy upset Georgia Southern in a game where Troy out-gained the conference leaders 441 to 226 and had a 17-minute edge in time of possession.
In other words, this was no fluke victory.
Instead of being 1-10, Troy is 3-7 and, with a handful of lucky bounces (or fewer yellow hankies), could be 6-4 (Troy has three losses by a combined seven points).
Troy has also had to deal with injuries at several key positions, including the sport’s most important position.
Goose Crowder started the season at quarterback but suffered a series of early-season injuries that ended his season. Back-up Tucker Kilcrease, the pride of Highland Home, has also dealt with an ankle injury that caused him to miss games.
Enter the team’s third quarterback, Matthew Caldwell, who now has the look of a future star after throwing for 288 yards against Georgia Southern and 304 yards in the heart-breaking loss to Arkansas Sate.
Caldwell was once a standout quarterback for Auburn High School, leading the Tigers to the 7A state championship game his senior year.
He started his college career at Jax State before transferring to Gardner Webb, where he got several starts the last two years, before transferring again to Troy prior to this season.
Caldwell is not the only emerging star on an offense that, suddenly over the last 2 1/2 games, looks as efficient as any Coach Jon Sumrall had at Troy.
Troy has shown it has two running backs (Damien Taylor and Gerald Green) capable of putting up big numbers on the ground and receiver Devonte Ross has also consistently shown he’s a big-time player.
The defense proved against Georgia Southern (and indeed in a few other games) it can be a solid unit despite losing almost all of its key players from 2023.
A chance to win four straight …
Troy has two games remaining and will no doubt be an underdog again Saturday on the road against 8-2 Louisiana-Lafayette, which is leading the West Division of the ultra-competitive Sun Belt.
However, team confidence must now be sky high. If Troy can limit the penalties that have been an issue all season, another upset victory should be possible.
Troy closes out Coach Parker’s first season at home against Southern Miss, which has won just one game this season.
Due in part to the transfer portal and NIL unlimited “free agency,” it’s now perhaps unrealistic that mid-Major teams can stack multiple winning seasons.
Troy, which has won more games than any other conference team since it joined the Sun Belt in 2004, will not qualify for a bowl this season and will end up with a losing record.
However, because the team and coaching staff stuck together and didn’t quit when many teams might have, the future of the Coach Parker era looks much brighter.
The 2024 Trojans have displayed the rare character to keep playing and practicing hard - and have stuck together - when most teams would be going through the motions.
The late-season resurgence suggests Troy has enough players and coaches with the Right Stuff to quickly return to the top of the Sun Belt and should, once again, be one of the premier mid-Major programs in the country in years to come.
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UA, AU win cupcake games, Troy suddenly looks like old Trojans
Takeaways from Week 12 of CFB ….
It’s finally the weekend usually set aside for an easy scrimmage for Alabama and Auburn before the Iron Bowl - and they were just that. However, our state’s two major programs will now play games next week due to new members of the SEC family being inserted for mandatory fun. Thanks to that, the Tide will play Oklahoma Saturday and Auburn will play Texas A&M.
So much for being rested for a Big Game, but I have never liked that open weekend. Then again, I don’t actually play football and don’t have to make split-second decisions in front of millions of people each week - plus, rest is usually a good thing in life.
The CFP rankings are now starting to actually matter and prompt some critical thinking and interesting fodder for podcasters and sports radio talk show hosts. We now argue over 12 spots, not just 4, which is fun.
Conference championships are important again, but the traditional powerhouses that you’d think would be thriving are limping around the hospital talking to the doctors and nurses, saying they are good as new and ready to be discharged so that they can prove worthy. Some will convince the doctors to let them play, some will not.
For all intents and purposes, Georgia’s playoff season has already begun and Coach Smart’s squad responded well against Tennessee. I am not sure the Bulldogs win this game if it’s played in Knoxville, but the Dawgs were the team that Alabama was rooting for.
Colorado and Coach Prime are still gaining momentum. They punished a Utah team that - like many teams - has had the Buffalos’ number for many years, but the Prime Time version of the Bufs issued some payback.
Colorado has the lukewarm pick for the Heisman in Travis Hunter, who would probably be the lead candidate if more people saw him every week. He is only a top-lister for the top awards for wide receivers, defensive backs and the Heisman Trophy - at the same time.
NIL has brought parity …
The beautiful thing about the new playoff format - and NIL - is that it has allowed more programs to become relevant and challenge the usual big dogs now.
Schools are now investing in NIL collectives rather than saving up for coaches’ buyouts. OK, that might not be necessarily true - some schools are still doing both, but we shouldn’t name names here.
Let’s take a short look at one of the CFP programs maximizing this new world of CFB - Indiana.
I listened to a great interview with Hoosier head coach Cignetti on Coach K’s “Basketball and Beyond” show on XM recently (great show, by the way) and I am starting to understand the hype.
In short, he is a coach’s kid, brought about 25-30 staff people from JMU, has loyal coordinators who have stuck with him 3-5 years now, struck gold with some good transfer portal draws, has coached under Saban, and oh, he just signed an 8-year extension with Indiana, which I’m not sure that has ever happened in Hoosier football nation.
He has a serious exam next weekend with Ohio State and ends with Michigan, so we will see just how big time he is by then.
Huge win for the Trojans!
TROY-GA SOUTHERN: This time of the year, you’re either trying to win something or spoil something. Troy was the spoiler this weekend and it was fun to watch.
Troy is playing really well over the past month and is now resembling the team they’ve been over the past few years, winning conference championships and being a bend-but-don’t- break type program.
QB1 Caldwell is healthy and throwing the ball well (and needs to be on scholarship; how is he not?) and the defense is showing significant signs of being formidable again.
Do you know hard it is to get kids with seven losses to play hard on the road? IMO that is a strong sign of quality coaching. You have to remember coaches can improve and develop during a season too.
Also, great play call to seal the game at the end.
This is a rivalry that goes back to the good ol’ days when Troy was playing for national championships at the Division I-AA level - and oh, Georgia Southern was too. Back then they had a charismatic head coach named Erk Russell, who was previously defensive coordinator for Vince Dooley at UGA.
Those of you old enough to remember when people actually used to read newspapers, you may remember a humorist columnist named Lewis Grizzard. On the hire of Russell, Grizzard said, “When they landed Erk Russell, they got themselves a franchise."
Grizzard was also a huge Georgia Bulldogs fan and wrote some pretty funny columns that he turned into bestselling books, which you can find today in the book section of almost any thrift store in AL or GA.
You think Troy (State) has some championship hardware from back in the day? GASO is a six-time National Champion (1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, 2000) and two-time National runner-up (1988, 1998).
Their nickname is the Eagles, but they were previously known as the Blue Tide from 1924 to 1941, and the Professors after World War II.
Buckle up, pay attention to your flight stewardess for the actions required for flying in this plane they call CFB - we are about to go through some turbulence and it is about to get bumpy! More surprises to come next week. These kids are fun to watch.
Holiday Market draws visitors to Square
A 3-hour Holiday Market on the Downtown Square Saturday featured approximately 12 vendors with tents and another opportunity for residents to support Downtown merchants who are gearing up for the Holidays.
The event drew a good crowd on a beautiful fall morning, including an early appearance of Santa himself! (Photos and captions by Bill Rice, Jr.)
And they were swinging …
The swing near the Gazebo is aways a popular resting location. The Sluders, including Dad Brandon, mother Megan and children James and Marshall did their part to support local merchants and vendors.
Painting and selling …
Local artist Anna Mitchell sold several small prints of downtown businesses and used the time to paint a new watercolor of the Burlap & Silk building on the north-side of the Square.
Mrs. Mitchell, who graduated from Troy University in May, is a native of Birmingham but now lives in Troy with her husband Josiah Mitchell, who works at Moseley Industrial Supply.
Residents looking for original Troy paintings, post cards and prints can visit Anna’s website at: annamitchellfineart.com
The Trop staff supports Downtown
More and more Troy University students are visiting Downtown these days, which was the case Saturday as well. Four students who work for The Tropolitan student newspaper strolled around the Square and spent a little money at the event.
Pictured (left to right) are Elizabeth Odee, a junior from Pensacola, Kacee Holmes, a freshmen from Sugar Hill, GA, Sara Campbell, a senior from Pensacola and Alexander Vines, a sophomore from Calera.
I might know this Santa …
I think this Santa, many decades ago, used to be my Dixie Youth baseball coach … Santa Claus probably needed a lemonade from Byrd Drug because the temperature was a little warmer than in the North Pole. Santa will make another appearance in downtown on December 2nd when the annual Christmas Parade is held at 7 p.m.
5K Run raises money for scholarship
named for late bike-lover Owen Lewis
Approximately 115 runners and walkers participated in a 5K “Turkey Trot” run Saturday morning on the campus of Troy University.
The fun-run fund raiser was sponsored by Tau Upsilon Alpha, the Honor Society for Troy students in the School of Human Services.
Runners made a donation of $20 or $25 to participate. The top time was turned in by freshman Lane Watson, who finished the 5K in 16:48 - 36 seconds in front of the second-place finisher.
The course weaved through many of the scenic areas of campus and finished in front of John Lewis Hall. Caroline Montirie (23:25) was the top female finisher.
The Honor Society created the event to honor the memory of Owen Lewis, the late son of Troy University faculty members Heather and Onick Lewis.
Owen, age 2 1/2, tragically passed away on April 28, 2022 from complications of Lymphocytic Myocarditis after experiencing what was thought to be a normal strep infection.
His parents later started “O’s Cool Bike Foundation” in memory of their son. From the foundation’s website, readers learn that Owens was …
“Quick to smile. Quick to love. Quick to learn. Owen was an amazing young boy that captivated everyone he met. He loved the outdoors, especially going for rides on his “cool” bike with his daddy, Onick. Owen received his first bike, a balance bike, for his first Christmas at only two months old.
“By the time he was 17 months old, he was riding his balance bike. Just a week before his passing, he was so comfortable on his bike that his daddy was running behind to keep up as he would pick up his feet to glide along and go as fast as he could. It is without doubt that he would have been riding a regular bike before he turned three.
“Soon after his unexpected passing, his parents knew ‘we needed to share Owen’s love of bike riding with other young children and allow him to ride on forever through them. With that thought in mind, O’s Cool Bike Foundation became a reality and will help serve our community through several philanthropic endeavors.
“O’s Cool Bike Foundation will serve as the host to the annual Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Bike ride held yearly at the end of April. The funds raised will be used to help supply the bikes to be donated to nearby Head Start programs.
“Additionally, the ride will assist in funding the Owen Wayne Lewis Memorial Scholarship at Troy University. His scholarship will be awarded yearly to a student that is majoring in social work, human services, hospitality, tourism or event management and is also a first-generation college student.”
Supporting a wonderful cause and getting some exercise
Alex Jensen walks back to his dorm after competing in the first ever Turkey Trot Run to honor the memory of Owen Lewis.Jensen, a Troy University freshman from Clearwater, Florida, competed the 5K in 36:28.
Jensen said he decided to attend Troy after receiving a partial scholarship to be in the Sound of South marching band and because his older sister had previously attended Troy. Alex plays the tenor sax in the band.
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I also wonder if some of these "borderline" playoff teams should even want to play in a conference championship game. Take Alabama, which should be 10-2 after the regular season concludes. If the Tide is picked to play in the conference title game (probably against Texas) and loses that game it will have three losses. How many SEC teams will make the playoff field? Would Alabama, with three losses (perhaps a blowout loss against Texas) make the field ahead of two-loss Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M? Who knows? Maybe not.
Also, that game is another chance to get key players hurt right before the playoffs. In fact, Alabama might have lost another national title when it lost its best receiver in a Conference title game.
I wouldn't be surprised if one day, these conference championship games are eliminated as they will invariably end up keeping "deserving" teams out of the all-important playoffs. Then again, these games make a ton of money for Disney/ESPN and the conferences that hold them ... so these conference title games will probably remain.
I am very confident that in a couple of years the playoff field will be expanded to 16 teams - which will probably finally kill off the bowl games.
In today's column, Chris Amos opines that Alabama fans were pulling for Georgia Saturday against Tennessee (as the Vols loss also gives them two defeats on the season). However, as a Bama fan, I couldn't decide who I should pull for in this game. If Tennessee won, they would almost certainly make the SEC title game and play Texas. Even if it didn't play in that game, Alabama would probably make the playoff field ahead of Georgia since Alabama beat Georgia.
Right now, I'd like Alabama's chances in a playoff game against Oregon or Indiana. Especially if Alabama was well-rested and didn't get anyone hurt in the SEC title game.
Winning a conference title is still a big deal, but winning a national title is a bigger deal.
The plethora of drive-killing penalties that determine the outcomes of all close games has long been a pet peeve of mine. I say the refs should "let them play" and keep the hankies in their pockets on borderline calls or possible infractions that don't affect the outcome of the play.
Alas, many officials must think they are getting paid by the penalty and that fans show up to watch these great officials in action. Watch the rest of the season - from high school to the NFL - and note all the games that are determined by dubious penalties.