Troy Looks to Rebound From First Loss in League Play

A week after suffering its first loss in the Oakland Activities Association Red Division, the football team will look to get back on track when it travels to face West Bloomfield Friday night.

Troy (2-2, 2-1 in the OAA Red) had won its previous two games, at Royal Oak and at home against Rochester, in convincing fashion, but the Colts were unable to slow down a talented Clarkston team in a 28-13 loss on Sept 16.

Despite last week’s loss, Troy coach Gary Griffith said there were some positives with the way the Colts played, particularly in the second half. Troy trailed Clarkston 28-0 after the third quarter, but rallied for 13 points in the final 12 minutes.

“Our kids didn’t fold up the tent, and if you look at it from our perspective we won the second half,” Griffith said. “We tightened up defensively and we started moving the ball offensively. In hindsight, we felt like if we had been able to play at that level in the first half we could have made it a closer game.”

Troy will look to bounce back against a West Bloomfield team that will enter the game with an identical record to the Colts’, though one of those wins was the result of a forfeit. The two teams are tied with Clarkston and Troy Athens for second place in the division at 2-1 in league play, trailing only defending state champion Lake Orion.

Offensively, Troy will need to be better in terms of time of possession, which is an area that the team struggled in last week. Clarkston opened the game with a 14-play drive and controlled the ball for most of the first half, allowing the Wolves to build a 337-12 advantage in total yards at one point in the second quarter.

Defensively, Griffith said his team will be challenged by West Bloomfield, which has several playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.

“West Bloomfield has great team speed at the skill positions, and the quarterback throws the ball very well,” Griffith said. “They take advantage of that, and they have an absolutely enormous offensive line.”

Griffith said one of the keys for the Colts defensively will be to make sound pre-snap reads and stay true to their responsibilities.

“We’re trying to shore up our pass coverage, which we thought was a little weak last week, and trying to make sure our linebackers know what their (roles) are,” Griffith said. “We need to make sure we know where our help’s coming from and try to keep the ball in front of us and make our plays.”

Kickoff for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m.