Troy 42 Sidney 14

Sidney has quickly become my favorite site to attend a Trojan road game. They opened a new stadium last year, and Troy has played there both years it has been in use. One of the major perks is that it's the only place north of Troy that the Trojans travel to (with the exception of Piqua), so there's no problem for me to get there in time for kickoff. That's not the only reason, though. It's a very nice stadium in a great setting. Like Fairmont, the stands are close to the field and fairly steep, so the spectators can see everything and feel like they're right on top of the action. It's such a contrast to some of the crappy conditions in which some other schools insist on putting their visitors.

Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets and their fans, the quality of the Sidney football program at this point does not match the quality of their stadium. They have a new coaching staff in place this season, though, so perhaps if they can get some continuity in that area they'll be able to find some more success in coming seasons. For all intents and purposes, this game was over almost before it started. Troy was up 13-0 before the offense even took the field, and they were never really threatened after that. Sidney took the opening kickoff and went three and out. Wendell Ford fielded the punt and ran it back 67 yards for the Trojans' first touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Sam Fulker forced Sidney's returner to fumble the ball, and speedy sophomore Branden Clark picked it up and took it to the house.

From there, the offense and the defense both pretty much had their way with Sidney. Two of Troy's stable of halfbacks sat out with injuries, but the Trojans still rolled up 356 rushing yards (146 yards and 3 TDs coming from fullback Daniel McCormick) and 432 total yards. On defense, Troy held Sidney in check all night, putting some big hits on their ballcarriers and recording several QB sacks. It was a good way to get back on track after last week's disappointing loss.

It's gotten to the point in the season where I check the roster after each big play to see if that particular player will be coming back next season. The Trojans actually look to be in pretty decent shape. Some key players are graduating, but there's also a lot coming back. I didn't really realize how young they were this year, which makes this level of success even more impressive.

There are only two games left for the Trojans (barring the possibility of playoff games, which the Trojans will almost certainly not qualify for, with two losses in this tough region). Fortunately, both of those games are at home. This Friday they will host Trotwood-Madison in the homecoming game. If they win that game, they'll host Northmont the following week with a share of the league title on the line.