Troy Football Series | Offense: Part 1

This is part three of a six part series previewing Troy football during the final week of spring practice. Look for part four in Thursday’s Messenger.

As spring practice rolls on, Troy’s offense continues to impress. The unit scored 123 points in the team’s two scrimmages. Over the past five seasons, Troy’s potent offense has averaged 31.4 points per game. Last season, however, offensive coodinator Kenny Edenfield’s group failed to break the 30-point plateau (22.4 ppg) for the first time since 2006.

“I think it came down to two things last year, turnovers and redzone offense,” Edenfield said. “We’ve worked really hard this offseason on holding on to the football and descision making in the red zone.”

Once inside the 20-yard line, the Trojans scored just 66.7 percent of the time, ranking them 119th out of 120 teams nationally.

Edenfield said poor execution and play calling was partially to blame for Troy’s play inside the red zone but the team has been working feverishly to improve on last season’s shortcomings.

“We’re training our quarterbacks that once we’re in the red zone we already have an opportunity at points and we don’t need to take chances,” he said. “That is the time where you’re not care free, you’re careful. You don’t take risks in that area, you take calculated risks. From a play callers stand point, being a little safer in our play calls and not put us in a position to force the issue in the red zone will help as well.”

While the team’s performance as a whole suffered last year, quarterback Corey Robinson, now a junior, nearly mirrored his freshman numbers. As a sophomore, Robinson threw 28 touchdowns, seven more than his first season. His completion percentage (62.2 from 63.6) and passing yards dropped slightly (3,411 from 3,726) and his interception numbers remained the same (15).

“I think there were times where Corey pressed a little, but we’ve got to keep working and training and improving on that,” Edenfield said. “I think he’s looking a lot better in those area this spring and hopefully that will continue into the fall.”

Troy’s final scrimmage of the spring is scheduled for 10a.m. on April 14 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.