Super Bowl Update

TROY – Troy hits the road for a football scrimmage today, but it’ll feel just like home for senior cornerback Bryan Willis.

Troy’s 6 p.m. CST scrimmage is at Garrett-Harrison Stadium in Phenix City, which is a town over from Columbus, Ga., where Willis grew up and starred for Shaw High School.

It’s the second straight year that Troy has held a spring scrimmage in Phenix City. While it’s not ideal for residents and students of Troy, it allows fans in the Phenix City-Columbus area to get easier access to see Troy’s team.

“They’re very interested in us coming, and a welcome mat is always good,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said. “It at least gives some young people the feel for a short road trip, having to be on time, get on the bus, ride over there and get ready for a game, go through that routine.”

Columbus used to be a hotbed for Troy football, as all-conference standouts such as defensive backs Terence Moore and Courtland Fuller and offensive tackle Chris Jamison are just some of several players who have come from there to play for Troy.

Willis and Josh Burnham, a redshirt freshman walk-on defensive back who played at Northside, are now the only Columbus natives on the roster.

“When I go back to Shaw, I tell them Troy’s a good school to go get an education and play sports,” Willis said. “You can go to any school and play, and Troy’s right down the road.”

Willis is excited about the scrimmage because he’ll have more family members and friends who are able to attend.

“We’re really just trying to come together as a team and get more exposure,” Willis said. “I think it really helps the program, for family members and friends to come out and watch me play, it’s just like high school. It feels real good.”

Willis has started off and on for the Trojans. He earned a starting spot in 2009 as a redshirt freshman and garnered all-conference honors. In 2010, he was slowed by a hamstring injury and lost his spot. Last year, a back injury hindered his progress. He missed three games, but had 37 tackles.

Willis had two interceptions in 2010 and four in 2009, and he’s showing signs of looking like the corner he was as a freshman.

“He’s had as good of a spring as he’s had since he was a freshman, to this juncture,” Blakeney said.”

Now, Willis is focused on maintaining his starting spot. He’s been helped by new corners coach Julius Brown with fundamentals work.

“He brings a new attitude,” Willis said of Brown. “He’s always excited and he wants us to compete. As long as we compete, we can work on the fundamentals and get better.

“My main goal is to compete and get better, and try to limit the receivers on my side to less catches. I don’t believe in locking anybody down, but you can limit players to a certain amount of yards and certain amount of catches.

“I’m trying to do my part and hopefully everything else will fall into place.”