Troy head coach Gerad Parker did not try to ease the tone this week. Not with a Sun Belt Championship on the schedule. Not with a short week, cold conditions, and a trip into Harrisonburg to face a James Madison program that looks like one of the most complete teams in the country under second year head coach Bob Chesney.
“This is plus one ball,” Parker said. “We are excited and honestly have a lot of gratitude. One more game to represent Troy.”
The gratitude was real, but so was the warning. Parker made it clear that he understands exactly what the Dukes are built to do.
“They are a top ten defense in the country,” he said. “You may get them once, but great defenses do not get hit twice. They close it up. They make you call something else.”
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Parker praised Chesney for the identity and discipline that JMU has formed. The Dukes are physical, organized, and relentless in all three phases.
“Schematically they are great in everything they do. They are not going to let you be comfortable,” Parker said.
Comfort has not been part of Troy’s story. The Trojans lost their starting quarterback, both offensive tackles, a starting running back, and several key pieces on offense. They won by surviving long stretches of adversity.
“We have had to get it out the mud and do it the Troy way,” Parker said. “We have to handle hard and be connected better than anybody we play. That has been the only way.”
Even when late touchdowns clinched the Sun Belt West, Parker never let himself settle in the moment.
“My first thoughts were our staff and players. Then immediately, how do we prepare for JMU,” he said.
The alarm has been sounded. On Friday night Troy meets what Parker simply calls a monumental challenge.
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