Super Bowl Update

With Troy up 4-0, the FIU runner was called safe on this play

Troy went down to FIU for a weekend series and it continues to go south for the Trojans. First, shortstop Tyler Hannah was hit in the face with a ground ball during infield work before the game. He did enter the game later. With Troy up 4-0, the runner here was called safe (got this photo from Adam Prendergast's twitter), and later FIU hit a 3-run homer. This is like the play that cost Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game a few years ago.

After that, FIU's offense exploded for an 11-7 win. Game story HERE and box HERE. Troy and FIU play Saturday at 5 p.m. CST

***Football's second spring scrimmage was in Phenix City on Friday. It's a nice deal for the folks in PC, but Troy's football team attends school in Troy, Ala., and plays its home games there, so this hurts the residents of Troy and the students of Troy, unless you want to ask them to spend nearly two hours driving and paying for gas to go watch a team that should be playing in their own backyard. I said last year it's D2ish for an FBS team to play a scrimmage away from home, especially in Troy's case since the Trojans are on ESPN every year, put guys into the NFL and everybody knows who they are. Do any other teams, especially in the Sun Belt or WAC, do this? (edit: Well, UNC is, which is surprising. My point still stands.)

Meanwhile, game recap with some stats are HERE. Offense, as I said, should have plenty of explosive plays this year and the defense still has some question marks, based on the yards given up, but I don't know who sat out the scrimmage due to injury and who didn't.

Troy is back at practice next Tuesday, Thursday and finishes up with a scrimmage on Saturday.

***Some big news around the Sun Belt. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson is meeting with Georgia State officials next week and GSU could be in the Sun Belt very soon. That's a good road trip for Troy and fans from Troy and in the Wiregrass, Montgomery or Birmingham can make that trip in a day. 3:45 edit - HERE THEY COME for 2013.

***More bigger news in the basketball world. FIU fired Isiah Thomas as head basketball coach after three seasons. It was a trainwreck, as he seemed to be more interested in the Knicks than FIU.

Western Kentucky freshman guard Derrick Gordon, the team's best player, plans to transfer to get closer to home.

FAU already lost star point guard Ray Taylor (even if he didn't play like a star this year) to the pros, and underachieving forward Kore White left a year early. Now, Omari Grier, who shined at times as a freshman is transferring out.

The spring signing period begins next Wednesday, and Troy coaches are looking for at least three impact players who can come in and help turn things around after two losing seasons.