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Who: Troy Trojans vs Campbell Fighting Camels
When: Saturday, August 31 @ 6 p.m. EST
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama
How: ESPN+
Line: Troy -35.5, O/U 48.5
Series Record: No previous meetings
(College) Football is Back!
For those of you who tuned in, Week 0 did not disappoint.
Now, we look ahead to a Week 1 match up between the Campbell Fighting Camels out of the Big South Conference (FCS) and the Troy Trojans.
First-year Head Coach Chip Lindsey is certainly a man of the people. Last week, Lindsey was greeting customers at the drive-thru window of a Chick-Fil-A in Troy. This week, however, Lindsey is all football business.
“Destiny Favors the Prepared.”
This is the quote found above the season schedule inside the football facility. Lindsey and staff have worked all off-season preparing this team for what they hope is a Sun Belt Championship year.
First and foremost, Lindsey must have his guys prepared for the Fighting Camels on Saturday.
Troy is looking to start the season with a win for the first time in three years after two consecutive week 1 losses to Boise State. What better way to end the streak than at home with a new north end zone building, a new turf surface, and a new head coach.
For more on the recent upgrades at The Vet:
Keys to the Game
Campbell: Apply pressure early and often, both offensively and defensively. On the offensive side of the ball, the Camels need to jump out to a quick lead.
With the Trojans having one of the best running backs in the Sun Belt in B.J. Smith, the Fighting Camels can not afford to get behind as Troy will have no problem continuing drives and killing time off of the clock.
On defense, Campbell needs to do everything they can to get to Kaleb Barker. They will need to mix up their coverage and send a number of different blitz packages in an attempt to make Barker uncomfortable in his first game back since October 4, 2018.
If the Fighting Camels can jump on the Trojans early and force Lindsey’s hand on the offensive end, Campbell has a chance of returning home with a victory.
Troy: The Trojans need to establish the run game early. Feed B.J. Smith and allow Barker to settle into the game.
The hope is that the Trojans walk away with a convincing home win against Campbell. Also, the hope is for Barker to find his rhythm again after a season-ending knee injury brought his 2018 season to a screeching halt.
The Trojans need to jump out to an early lead and leave the playbook wide open for Lindsey and Barker to work through any early season hiccups.
If the Trojans can execute their game plan, there is no reason for the Trojans to struggle through this contest, let alone drop this game.
For the Trojans’ Position Preview:
ATS Prediction
While I think Troy makes easy work of the Camels, I don’t believe in laying the points in this one. That said, I don’t necessarily feel comfortable taking the points with Campbell, either.
With a new big three for Troy, it would be smart to get a feel for how Lindsey and Pugh are going to run this offense before putting any action on the Trojans.
If you absolutely feel the need to bet this game, I would lean towards the over. Between Barker, Smith, and an experienced offensive line, Troy is capable of hanging 40+ on Campbell. In that case, Campbell just needs to string together one or two drives that go the distance for this total to go over.
On the other hand, with this being Barker’s first game back since last October, it is questionable as to whether Lindsey will keep Barker in the game if this one gets out of hand.
Take a back seat to this game until we know more about this Trojans team in 2019. Use your bankroll elsewhere in what is a full slate of Week 1 college football action.