Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Join Air Force ROTC at the University of South Carolina Great careers Great benefits Pilot Travel N U rse Full Medical & Dental Care E n a I n ee r Build leadership & Management Skills I Jvai\j^r Starting Salary & Allowances: $35,000 ., , y , 30 Days Vacation with Pay Navigator Tuition Assistance for Graduate Degrees More Job Security ... and you may be eligible for one of our scholarships! For more information, call 777-3450 or visit the Air Force ROTC web site www.afrotc.com V > WsmlMk GAME 4 Troy seeks dominance in new conference play Troy at USC 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 Williams-Br.ice Stadium TV: None By BRIAN SAAL THE GAMECOCK This season will see a new look for the Troy Trojans. After dropping “State” from its name and joining a new conference* things are looking positive for the Alabama school. Troy will leave behind its Division I-A independent status and join the revamped, nine-team Sun Belt Conference come kickoff this fall. It will also change its road warrior status. After playing just eight home games in two seasons, Troy will play five at home. The Trojans will play four first-time opponents this season: New Mexico State, LSU, Idaho and South Carolina. The Trojans will rely on experience from their upperclassmen. Troy welcomes back 25 seniors. Of those seniors, 19 will start or rank second on the depth chart. On top of that, 17 starters are returning from last season, eight on offense and nine on defense. Also familiar around the Troy campus is head coach Larry Blakeney, entering his 14th year as head coach for the Trojans. Blakeney needs just two wins to move into fourth place all-time among coaches in Alabama. College Football News predicted Troy as conference champions this season, despite being its first in the Sun Belt. Troy will rely on two preseason, first-team honor players. The Trojan offense will be catered around running back DeWhitt Betterson, while opposing quarterbacks have to throw through the coverage of free safety Derrick Ansley. Ansley is a Sun Belt preseason first team choice and Sporting News’ defensive player of the year. Betterson also is a Sun Belt preseason first-team player and Sporting News’ most underrated player in the Siin Belt. The biggest question mark is the Trojans’ quarterback. The team parted ways with three signal callers. They will welcome back their incumbent quarterback Aaron Leak who took over the duties the second game of the season last year. Look for Leak to be challenged early by sophomore transfer Carl Meadows. Their offensive line should continue to help Betterson as four of the five linemen will be returning starters. Troy will need to improve its yards per game from last season. The Trojans’ average, just below 300, would have been last in the Sun Belt. The defense will need to stand its ground if it plans to make a run at a conference title and a trip to New Orleans. The defensive line will have three starters returning and Georgia Tech senior transfer Alfred Malone, who will take over the tackle position. Running will be difficult against this fearsome foursome. The group of highly touted linebackers signed over the last three seasons looks to have finally settled into place. Boo Smith, Robby Farmer and Bernard Davis were all starters last season and look to carry the torch into this season. The defensive backfield will be bringing back three of its four starters from last season. Ansley had 94 tackles and nine picks last season. Right cornerback Freeman'White had 63 tackles last season. Troy finished last season an even 6-6 last season despite playing such tough opponents as Kansas State and Nebraska on the road. The Trojans went undefeated at home and celebrated their biggest victory of the season against Marshall at home, where they beat the Herd 33-24. Troy could be on an upset quest Sept. 25 when they travel to Columbia. The Gamecocks need to shut down Troy’s running game from the beginning and need to run a balanced offense. Troy will rely on experience and see how far it takes them this season. The Trojans’ dream would be a bowl game. They are no longer a beat-up team for the Gamecocks, or anyone else. New this season for The Gamecock: a full football game recap on www.dailygamecock.com one hour following every football game of the season.