Troy State Athletics Director Johnny Williams continues his search for a replacement on the schedule for Appalachian State. The Trojans have narrowed their list of possible replacements to just three, Navy, Marshall and South Carolina.

Meanwhile, the football team continued to prepare for its home opener against Nicholls State this Saturday at Richard M. Scrushy Field at Memorial Stadium.

The Trojans practiced for two hours in full pads Wednesday afternoon. The defense focused on their assignments against the Colonels’ potent triple-option attack. Head coach Larry Blakeney was pleased with what he saw.

"The defense came out very focused today," Blakeney said. "Nicholls State has a tough offense and they run a lot of plays out of a lot of formations. We have to know what our assignments are to successfully stop them. They have three quarterbacks and each one brings something new to the table, and they aren’t afraid to use all of them. We have to be prepared for what each one does."

The offense practiced against the scout team as the "Trojan Spead" prepares for the Colonels’ 4-3 defense.

"The offense looked good," said Blakeney. "Our receivers were running their routes properly and they got after it. Nicholls is going to have something prepared just for us on defense, so we have to ready for anything and everything they throw at us."

Blakeney feels that his team is ready for Saturday’s game.

"Our guys want to come out and make up for what happened at Murfreesboro," Blakeney said. "I think they are going to come out and be ready to play Saturday."