Troy Trojans 2022 College Football Preview
July 21, 2022
2021 Recap
Record – 5-7
ATS – 4-8
This ain’t yo momma’s Neal Brown program, yo.
The Trojans struggled for the third straight season under the tutelage of Chip Lindsey and coughed and wheezed their way to a mark of 5-7. They played a boring brand of football and didn’t beat anyone with reasonable credentials. Not good. Thankfully, the Lindsey regime came to an end and it’ll be up to a person named Jon Sumrall to get this team back where they belong – In the thick of the FUN BELT race. Let’s goooo!
Troy Trojans 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
Troy was brutal on offense LY (338 YPG, #109 FBS; 22.8 PPG, #102 FBS) and were horrible at moving the ball on the ground for the second season in a row (100 YPG, #123 FBS). QB Gunnar Watson has been decent the L2Y (24-11 TD to INT) and he’s got three of the top-four WRs back in the fold. That bodes well for the THROW GAME. #1 RB Kimani Vidal (701, 5 TD LY) leads a deep group and the offensive line features four experienced upperclassmen starters and well over 100 career starts. We expect a decent improvement in production in 2022.
DEFENSE
You can typically rely upon the Trojans to play a good brand of defense and they did a good job in 2021 (#3 Sun Belt run D, #6 pass efficiency D). They were also MASTERS OF PENETRATION whilst booking 38 sacks (#1 Sun Belt sacks per game). Nine starters are back on this side of the football and we have high hopes for 2022. The DL should be great as they have great size inside and lethal pass-rushing ability on the outside led by DE Javon Solomon (11 sacks LY)(!). The ageless and excellent Carlton Martial leads an experienced LB group, and they boast an above-average secondary. Recall that they booked 16 INTs LY which led the FUN BELT. Yup, we predict good things for the defense.
Special Teams
We can’t talk about the PR/KR performance from LY without throwing up in our own mouth but they bring back a solid P/PK combo in Luke Magliozzi and PK Brooks Buce (8/9 FG LY).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – Argh. We were hoping to see something a bit lighter. They have a tough non-conference gig (at Ole Miss, Army, at Western Kentucky), have to travel to face Appalachian St, and draw the mighty Cajuns (A) from the West.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – November 12 – Army
It’s never ever ever ever a fun deal to battle with the Black Knights but this also happens to be a conference SANDWICH spot following a yuuuuge road game with Louisiana.
Season Win Total
Per BetOnline July 21
Over 6.5 -115
Under 6.5 -115
MEGALOCKS says:
No leanage.
This is a sharp number, yo. In fact, we just cut our hands to shreds looking up the price. We’ll search the INTERWEBS over the rest of the summer for a flat ‘6’ to go ‘over’ but will pass on ‘6.5’. Stay tuned!
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Over the L10Y, Troy has only managed to book a winning record in the years spanning 2016-2018, well before the time that people believed in a deadly experimental gene therapy promoted by late-night pedophile TV talk show hosts.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
Let’s just put our cards on the table. If Troy doesn’t achieve bowl eligibility there is something wrong with the universe. They look solid on both sides of the football and the defense looks extra-SPICY. It’s just a shame that the schedule is a bit nasty, but even so, we’ll call for seven wins (best guess) and a trip to the postseason.
Want more Troy football ?
WEBSITE
https://troytrojans.com/sports/football
FORUM
http://troyfans.com/board/2/trojan-football
NEWS
http://www.dothaneagle.com/sports/troy/
http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2653/troy-trojans