This week, The Chronicle’s Daniel Carp spoke to The Tropolitan's Sports Editor Caleb Odom about this Saturday's matchup between Duke and Troy.
The Chronicle: This weekend's matchup is between a Duke team that let up 58 points last week against Pittsburgh and a Troy squad that allowed Mississippi State to score 62. Are we going to see any defense this weekend?
Caleb Odom: That's a good question. I really hope that Troy shows up on defense this week. I think they came into the game against Mississippi State expecting them to make mistakes, and that didn't happen. A lot of it was on making tackles, missed assignments and getting burned on the big play. I guess what really has plagued Troy in the last few years is not being able to defend the deep ball.
Duke's offense, when they Pitt last week, they scored a lot of points. I really think Troy has a chance compared to Mississippi State, but that's only if they play up to their potential.
TC: Troy runs a two-quarterback system more efficiently than most teams in the country. What problems has that caused for opposing defenses this season?
CO: It brings a different mindset, for one thing. Because you have Corey Robinson who can sit back in the pocket when he has protection and pick you apart, and you have Deon Anthony who, if you do apply that pressure he can get out of the pocket and beat you down the field for a big gain. A lot of time Troy has tried to rely a lot more on the running game this year, because they have some pretty talented running backs in Jordan Chunnm who is a true freshman, and Brandon Burks, who is the primary guy in the first and second quarters. It's a good dynamic when it's effective but the primary thing is just converting third downs.
TC: Who's a player or unit on either side of the ball that could decide the outcome of Saturday's game?
CO: For Troy, you always have to look at Eric Thomas. He's definitely the feature guy on offense, and the hype is the reality with him. He makes catches that a lot of other players can't make. In the Savannah State game, he had three catches and they were all touchdowns, and only one of those was a wide-open pass. He's definitely an impact player that Duke is going to have to be concerned about, but if they have good corners and are able to shut him down, Troy is going to have to look elsewhere.
That's going to be a big spot for Troy, because if Duke is able to shut down the running game Troy will have to go to the air.
TC: Dropping a game 62-7 has to be really tough for a team mentally. Any concerns with Troy's focus going into Saturday's game?
CO: I think you have to have a little bit of a concern because the feeling at the press conference on Monday for the most part was like, what do we do? Corey Robinson, he's a resolute guy but he doesn't handle losses very well, and the kind of emotion I got from him was that he didn't really have an answer. The loss to Arkansas State was just too many mistakes and a drive that fells short in the fourth quarter, but the Mississippi State game was over in the second quarter because Troy gave up 35 points early.
For them to be effective they have to put those two losses behind them and try to get Larry Blakeney his first ACC victory. So far he's 0-6 in games against ACC schools.
TC: Finally, what's your score prediction for Saturday's game?
CO: In the end, I think Troy is going to find the way to pull it out. I think Troy takes this one 28-24. Should be a tight game.
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