Both
Alabama teams are members of the SBC with South Alabama making its first ever
debut in football play inside the Sun Belt. Troy is an all time conference champion.
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| Troy Trojans |
Troy,
which won four straight crowns before being defeated last season, was picked to
finish fifth and received 60 points released during the Sun Belt Media Day. South Alabama, which is not eligible to
win the league crown this season, its final year of a two-year transition to
full Football Bowl Subdivision status, was picked to finish 10th, they received
14 points.
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| South Alabama Jaguars |
Troy placed four players on the
preseason all-conference team: wide receiver Eric Thomas, defensive lineman
Tony Davis, linebacker Kanorris Davis and defensive back Brynden Trawick. South
Alabama did not place any players on the preseason all-conference team.
Trawick, who was named to
the Thorpe Award Watch List last week, finished 20th in the NCAA with 123
tackles in his first season with the Trojans in 2011. The Marietta, Ga., native
ranked sixth in the NCAA with 75 solo tackles and finished 16th nationally
averaging 10.2 tackles per game. Trawick recorded double-digit tackles in six
of Troy's 12 games on the season, including a season-high 20 tackles at Western
Kentucky.
Tony Davis tallied 34
tackles, 2.5 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss last season. The senior from Perry,
Ga., is a versatile player for the Trojans who can play both tackle and end.
Davis returned a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown last season at FIU.
Kanorris Davis finished the 2011
season with 60 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack over 11 games. The
Perry, Ga., native recorded 11 tackles in back-to-back contests against Navy
and North Texas, while recording eight tackles at Arkansas. Named to the 2011
Preseason Pony Express Award Watch List, Davis forced a pair of fumbles and had
four or more tackles in eight different games.
Thomas led the Trojans
and ranked fourth in the Sun Belt with 875 receiving yards and 67 receptions.
The Shreveport, La., native finished third in the league with 5.6 receptions
per game and fourth with 72.9 receiving yards per contest. Thomas led the
Trojans in receiving in 10 of 12 games on the year, had a catch of 30 or more
yards in seven different games and caught a touchdown pass in six different
contests.
Troy
opens the 2012 season on Sept. 1 at in-state rival UAB. The game is scheduled
to kick off at 11 a.m. in Legion Field and will be televised live on Fox
College Sports.
South
Alabama came in last even in my pre-season poll at the Insider as well as many
other polls. South Alabama is a great team and has developed players that will
be future SBC favorites and award nominees. Look for this young program to
prove who they are this fall and maybe a surprise showing.
