It's not exactly what you'd call a traditional "trap" game.
On paper, No. 1 Florida isn't expected to have much trouble on Saturday against Troy. But there is that one little thing: Tennessee is up next week.
So what's the possibility that the Gators might just look past Troy in anticipation of next week's showdown with the Vols? None whatsoever, UF coach Urban Meyer said.
"I think we're an intelligent, mature team and we're facing a team we faced a couple of years ago and we had to hold on to beat them,'' Meyer said referring to the Gators' 59-31 victory in 2007. "The best thing that happened to us is when they should have beat LSU, they outplayed LSU last year (a 40-31 loss after leading 31-3). So our guys are ready. I've watched the way they prepared, they are ready to play.''
The Florida players have been extremely careful in not saying one word about Tennessee the past two weeks, insisting as they have since the preseason that after last year's Ole Miss loss at home, they've learned to keep their focus solely on the week's upcoming opponent.
"We know how important it is to take it just one game at a time, one week at a time,'' sophomore RB Jeff Demps said. "If you're not focused on the team you're playing, anybody can beat you at any time.''
For Troy, Saturday's game represents an opportunity to prove that its season-opening loss to Bowling Green wasn't indicative of the kind of team the Trojans are.
"It gives us a chance to come back and show the world that we can still contend with the big-time teams,'' wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan said.
As for being the underdog? QB Levi Brown said it's a role he's become accustomed to.
"I like being the underdog,'' Brown said. "I’m used to it. It’s been that way throughout my career."
No comments:
Post a Comment