Troy has plenty of pieces to winning puzzle

Everyone is aware of Troy’s 24-21 win over LSU, but the Trojans are more than a one-trick pony. Troy has a 10-2 record and playmakers who helped lead them to the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Running back Jordan Chunn, who had 191 yards on 30 carries against LSU, is within two rushing touchdowns from overtaking former Louisiana-Lafayette standout Tyrell Fenroy for the career Sun Belt record. Chunn has 47 touchdowns on the ground in his college career to date.

Keep an eye on freshman sensation kick returner and defensive back Marcus Jones. The 5-foot-9, 170 pounder was the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns this season, including two against Coastal Carolina.. Against Arkansas State, Jone had a 99 yard kickoff return and 100 yard interception return.

The Trojans have recorded 37 interceptions over the past two season, the third most in FBS during that span.

Also a standout in the Troy secondary, Blace Brown is another player to watch. The junior is a converted who had six interceptions in 2016 and added five more this season.

Troy center Deontae Crumtie was originally a signee with UAB before moving to Denton. He is the first freshman in school history to start the season opener of his freshman year. Crumtie has started 37 games at Troy. His cousin Lito Sheppard is an NFL cornerback.

The player that you will see lead the charge for the Troy offense is Brandon Silvers, a four-year starter at quarterback. In fact, the Trojans have had only had two starting QB’s since 2010. Corey Robinson was the starter from 2010-’14 before Silvers grabbed the baton.

Only a two-star recruit attracting minimal interest from Middle Tennessee, La. Tech, South Alabama and Southern Miss, Silvers has been a steady hand at the controls for Troy. He had a streak of 192 consecutive passes without an interception. Silvers set an all-time national freshman record by completing 70.5 percent of his tosses, breaking the previous mark set by Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford (69.5%).

A local product for the Trojans is sophomore left guard Kirk Kelley (6-4, 310), who prepped at John Ehret. He graded out 96 percent as a blocker against Alabama State and 85 pcercent against New Mexico State. He followed in footsteps of Antonio Garcia, who played guard at Troy and became a 2017 third round pick by New England.

Kelley earned All Metro honors at Ehret in baseball with a 2.49 ERA, punching out 193 batters during his final two seasons on the mound. The former left-handed pitcher told me he topped out at 93 miles per hour.

Watch Kelly and the Trojans make their best pitch for a win in the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl versus North Texas at noon Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

NOTES:
The Trojans will wear Cardinal chrome headgear with white pants and white jerseys for Saturday.
Troy leads the all-time series with North Texas, 8-2.
Defensively, Troy will not blitz much, but expect stunts and movement before and after the snap along the defensive line.
Some famous Troy alums include superb NFL pass rushers Demarcus Ware, a 2005 first round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, and Osi Umeniyora, a second round choice of the Giants in 2003.
Ted Clem kicked a 50 yard field goal as time expired in 1984 giving Troy an 18-17 win over North Dakota. The win gave the Trojans the NCAA Division II title. It was one of three National Championships Troy owns (two in Division II and one on the NAIA level).
Troy was not always known as the Trojans. From 1931-’73, the school nickname was the Red Wave, their spin on the in-state Crimson Tide. In 1973 following a win over Northeast Louisiana (now ULM), the team decided to re-adopt the name Trojans, the mascot for the school prior to 1931.