The Slot-T offense is beginning to take hold. And if this was the Eagles at only 50 percent, look out.
Rogers ran all over Troy in its 24-14 win Friday night at Trojan Field, just the way this smash-mouth system is supposed to work.
Troy (1-2) knew exactly what the Eagles (3-1) wanted to do - and there was little the Trojans could do to stop them.
“We tried to wear them down,” Rogers first-year coach Jeff Walker said. “It’s, ‘Who’s the tougher guy?’ Tonight, we were just tougher. Our kids are starting to believe in themselves. When they start to believe in themselves, we can play with a lot of folks.”
If the Eagles can use the Slot-T to dominate opponents the way Walker did when he was offensive coordinator for Liberty Hill’s back-to-back Class 3A state title teams, this game - and a third-quarter gamble - might be the turning point.
After halfback Tim Weir tied the game at 14 midway through the third quarter on a 13-yard touchdown, Walker decided to go for the jugular.
On the ensuing kickoff, Rogers recovered an onside kick at the 35-yard line.
“That just got everybody pumped up,” said Rogers wingback Jordan Sebek, who ran for a team-best 56 yards on 16 carries. “Right then, we knew we were going to come out and shove it down their throat.”
And the Eagles pretty much did that.
Rogers held the ball for nearly the entire second half and finished with 214 yards rushing, averaging just more than 4 yards per carry.
That number is small, considering Rogers racked up nearly 400 yards on the ground in its two previous wins. But it didn’t matter.
All Rogers needed to do the rest of the second half was eat up clock. Quarterback Chance Marek’s 2-yard score and Ben Baecker’s 39-yard field goal provided more than enough scoring.
Rogers also got some help thanks to 83 yards of Troy penalties, including several personal fouls that kept Eagle drives moving.
That help plus a punishing rushing attack showed Walker exactly what he wanted to see. It’s something he calls the “here we come” attitude.
Walker saw that fire from a team he jokingly called “a bunch of nice guys” earlier in the week.
In part, he can thank the Trojans for that.
“It’s Troy’s homecoming and Rogers is not usually a homecoming team,” Walker said. “We took offense that. The kids didn’t like that too much. That had a little bit to do with their fire tonight.”
The way Rogers moved the ball kept Troy’s offense on the sideline nearly the entire second half. The Trojans ran just 15 second-half plays.
The best offense Troy had all night were its two non-offensive touchdowns, both in the first half.
Safety Mitchell Beck recovered a fumble at the 3-yard line and took it in for a touchdown midway through the first quarter and Derrick Vasta returned a second-quarter kickoff 99 yards for a score.
Other than that, Troy had a second straight forgettable game on offense. The Trojans totaled just 116 yards, including 41 second-half yards.
Troy’s usually strong running game never got in rhythm. Sophomore Cyrus McKenzie had a team-best 28 yards on five carries.
“We struggled at times,” Troy coach Grady Rowe said. “We’ve got to be able to move the ball offensively to get our defense off the field.”
Heading into their bye week before beginning District 25-2A play, the Eagles still have plenty to work on.
Penalties - including 12 false starts - are at the top of the list. But on this night, as Walker walked off the field pumping his fist, he said his players finally are starting to buy in into his system.
The Eagles can feel it, too.
“We’re picking it up,” Sebek said, “but we’re nowhere near where we can be."
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
