The Troy Trojans finished the 2014 season with a dismal 3-9 record, placing eighth out of 11 teams in the Sun Belt Conference. So far, Troy has started this season 1-1, losing to North Carolina State 49-21 and beating Charleston Southern 44-16.
Troy hopes to have a better season under first-year head coach Neal Brown. Brown, the second-youngest head coach in the FBS at 34, looks to his multitude of returners for success.
The Trojans are returning six offensive starters from a year ago, including redshirt sophomore quarterback Brandon Silvers. Last year, Silvers broke Sam Bradford’s record for completion percentage as a freshman in a season in FBS history, as he completed 70.5 percent of his passes. Additionally, senior running back Brandon Burks should help take the load off Silvers’ shoulders, as he carried the ball 96 times last year, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. With Chandler Worthy and Bryan Holmes, Troy’s two biggest producers at wide receiver gone, seniors Teddy Ruben and K.D. Edenfield will look to fill the void on the perimeter.
Schematically, Brown has used a fast-paced, no-huddle, spread offense against Troy’s first two opponents this year, using four wide receivers almost every play. Still, he balances the offense, running and throwing the ball about the same amount each game. So far, Silver has thrown the ball 44 times, completing 31 of those attempts for three touchdowns. Burks has carried the ball 28 times, along with 25 rushes from other backs and receivers. Additionally, Troy is not afraid to throw the deep ball off play action, so the Badgers safeties should try to read Silver’s eyes and come up with interceptions over the top.
On the other side of the ball, the Trojans are returning almost their entire defense, including six starters. Senior free safety Montres Kitchens led the team in tackles with 88 and interceptions with six last season, and has recorded 13 tackles in his two games this season. Outside of Kitchens, however, the defense is not having much success in either the run or the pass game. Against North Carolina State, Troy’s defense gave up 450 yards and 49 points.
Troy also has questions on special teams, as their kicker, senior Jed Soloman, has only attempted one field goal in his NCAA career, a 32-yard connection.
The Badgers will look to capitalize on offense this weekend, and their experience in the secondary should help limit the Troy passing game. The young Badger defensive line will focus on stopping the run against the spread offense in order to give them the best chance of coming out on top.
