A View from the Stands – Troy 47 Vs Idaho 7

Once again the Trojan defense was spectacular. They stole the ball, the momentum, and the game from the anemic Idaho Vandals. It was a pleasure to watch a game where the special team’s highlights were the punt returns of McKelvin instead of the punting of Olmstead.

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Our defense spread five rushing losses, two fumbles, five interceptions, eleven broken up pass plays, six quarterback sacks and nine quarterback hurries over four quarters for the most lopsided win this season. The Trojan defense didn’t just stop the Vandals; they punished them for showing up at Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium.

We scored three quick touchdowns in the first quarter. The first came when Johnny Faulk picked up a fumble and ran almost 79 yards for a touchdown to end Idaho’s lengthy drive on their first possession of the game. Idaho then went three and out on the next possession and punted. Our offense took over and marched down the field for Betterson’s first touchdown of the day. Idaho had another short drive after the kickoff and punted to McKelvin who promptly return it 60 yards for another touchdown. Offense, defense, and special teams had all scored a touchdown. Betterson was having a tremendous day as it seemed the Idaho defense was avoiding him because they didn’t want to be run over. What more could Coach Blakeney ask for?

Well from where I was sitting Coach Blakeney could ask for a better passing game. We started McDowell and he is quick and he is certainly slippery when those huge linemen seem to have him cornered. But he threw 12 passes and only completed 3 of them. He was also sacked five times and we only converted 4 of 13 third downs. At the end of the first half our offense had a touchdown on one long drive and a field goal on one short drive. I thought we were going to let Idaho back into the game as the Vandals seemed to be gaining momentum as the first half ended.

Our defense shut down Idaho’s running game and when passing became the Vandals only viable option, our defense intercepted five passes, forced another fumble, and generally made Idaho’s day miserable, and, by the way, scored another touchdown (Johnson 24 yard run) on one of the interceptions. The day ended with the offense scoring three touchdowns, and the defense and special teams scoring three. Add the two field goals and the defense and special teams outscored the offense 27 to 20

Although Olmstead’s punting wasn’t spectacular, the punt returns of McKelvin were. He had five returns for 135 yards including the 60 yards for a touchdown. I don’t think many more teams will willingly kick the ball to him.

The fourth quarter looked like practice. I thought I even saw some fans suit up for a few plays. Two players did impress me though, Carl Meadows and Kenny Cattouse. Meadows was impressive. He was calm and commanding in the backfield. His passes were perfect to the receivers who dropped them. I think the coaching staff should take another long look at him. Cattouse was like a cat out there. He sees the field well and changes directions while running full speed. I guess we don’t need him right now with Betterson and Richardson but he’ll be fun to watch the next three years.

I can’t end this article without applauding DeWitt Betterson. He broke the all-time rushing record at Troy and will continue to set a new mark every time he carries the ball. He is a powerful runner that runs over defenders as well as around them. He broke the record while running over one defender and stiff-arming another for 56 yards and a touchdown. He can do it all – and has!