Troy at Middle Tennessee State

Written by Steve Janus

This Tuesday the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders will host the Troy Trojans for the Palladium Trophy, as these two Sun Belt rivals face off in a very important game that could end up deciding who takes home the conference title. Troy comes in winners of the last four against Middle Tennessee State, but the oddsmakers are calling for the streak to come to an end, as the current college football odds have the Blue Raiders favored by 3.5-points over the Trojans at home.

Troy (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt): It has been a rollercoaster start to the season for the Trojans, as all four games have been decided by a touchdown or less. The reason is while the offense has been playing great, averaging 34 points a game, the defense has been absolutely awful, as they are giving up nearly 460 yards a game. In the last game against Arkansas State the Trojans piled on 505 yards of total offense, but the defense gave up 450 yards, and allowed the Red Wolves to come all the way back from 21-7 to take a 28-27 lead with just under a minute to go, but the offense bailed them out once again scoring in the final seconds to take home a 35-28 win.

Quarterback Corey Robinson completed 18 of 38 attempts for 316 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 1,244 yards and eight touchdowns over the first four games of the season. Chris Anderson led the way with 74 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but it has really been a running game by committee so far this season. Wide out Jerrel Jernigan is the guy opposing defenses must pay attention to in the passing game, as he had 10 catches for 209 yards and a score last week, and is also the teams main return man.

Middle Tennessee State (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt): After a disappointing 17-24 loss at Memphis, the Blue Raiders responded with a big win over Louisiana-Lafayette in their last game, taking home a 34-14 victory. The Blue Raiders have also been very good on the offensive side of the ball this season, averaging 31 points a game, but where I believe they have the edge against Troy is on the defensive side of the ball, as they allow just under 24 points a game. Only once has the Blue Raiders given up more than 17-points in a game this season.

The Blue Raiders have been without their star quarterback Dwight Dasher so far this season, as he was suspended for the first four games, but he should be back in action this week. With Dasher back the Blue Raiders offense should be even more explosive than it has been to start the season.

Looking at the Odds: I think you have to lay the points on Middle Tennessee State in this game, as they are not only getting arguably the best player in the conference back, but this is a rivalry game that the Blue Raiders have been waiting for all season. More than likely their will be plenty of points scored in this game, but I think Middle Tennessee definitely has the edge on the defensive side of the ball. Forget Troy’s dominance over Middle Tennessee, the Blue Raiders will come out with a big win this Tuesday. My final score prediction is Middle Tennessee State 44, Troy 33.

Comments

Got something to say?