FAYETTEVILLE — Troy Coach Larry Blakeney said Monday he never has predicted or guaranteed his team will beat Arkansas when the Trojans play the Razorbacks on Saturday night.
“I’ve never made any kind of stupid comment like that in my life,” said Blakeney, who has a 151-75-1 record in 19 seasons at Troy. “I’m not a prediction guy.
“I have never guaranteed a win over anybody. Please put it out there that I have never made a stupid comment like that.”
Blakeney said he was aware of an Internet report from August attributing a comment to him that Troy would beat Arkansas, and that the report had been picked up by some radio talk shows.
“I’m not sure what the guy’s name was, but let me be the first to call him a liar on the air here,” Blakeney said while speaking on the Sun Belt Conference’s weekly coaches’ teleconference. “I don’t make those kind of statements.
“I don’t do that kind of stuff for my team ... I’ve never been on anybody’s bulletin board with that kind of rank comment.
“I’m not trying to deny anything that I did. I’m just telling you the straight truth I’ve never made that kind of statement.”
Phil Steele, who publishes a preseason college football magazine and has a Web site devoted to the sport, wrote in his blog in August that he talked with Robert Boothe, program director of radio station WOPP-AM in Opp, Ala., and that according to Boothe, “Coach Blakeney told him they WILL beat Arkansas this year! He also said that in all the years that he had talked with the coach over the summer, it was the first time he had told him of a projected upset like that.”
Boothe told the Dothan (Ala.) Eagle newspaper on Monday that he didn’t personally hear Blakeney say the Trojans would beat the Razorbacks, that it was “hearsay” from some Troy supporters.
Steele didn’t respond Monday to an e-mail seeking comment on what Blakeney and Boothe said.
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino was informed of Blakeney’s alleged comments during his Monday meeting with the media.
A reporter asked Petrino if he would use “what Coach Blakeney said before the season” with his players.
“Yeah, we might use that,” Petrino said, after being apprised of what Blakeney reportedly said. “Might as well, huh?”
Another reporter pointed out that Blakeney denied making any such statement on Monday’s Sun Belt teleconference, but Petrino said, “He said today on the Sun Belt call that he didn’t say that? He was misquoted?
“We’re going to use it anyway, how’s that sound?” Petrino said, laughing.
What is undeniable going into Saturday’s game is that Troy (7-2, 6-0 Sun Belt) has won seven consecutive games since opening with losses at Bowling Green (31-14) and No. 1 Florida (56-6).
“We were able to put the 0-2 start behind us and continue to improve and play well,” Blakeney said. “You’ve got to be resilient when you’re in our spot.”
Troy has 13 senior starters, led by quarterback Levi Brown, defensive end Brandon Lang and middle linebacker Boris Lee.
Brown, a transfer from Richmond, has completed 214 of 331 passes (64.7 percent) for 2,777 yards and 15 touchdowns with 3 interceptions this season. He has the nation’s current longest streak without an interception at 258 attempts.
Blakeney said Brown “is a cerebral guy” who has a strong arm and does a good job of studying opponents.
“We’ve protected him pretty well,” Blakeney said. “That certainly will be key in giving him a chance to throw the football.”
Lang leads the Trojans with 6 1 /2 sacks for 42 yards in losses this season and has 21 1 /2 sacks in his career. Lee has a team-high 74 tackles this season and 342 for his career.
“It’s always good to have experienced guys,” Blakeney said. “The leadership element is pretty good on our team. They’re going to try to prepare well and work hard and understand how much of an effort it will take.
“So I think we’ll prepare well. Whether or not we’re good enough remains to be seen.
“It will come down to 60 minutes of history, and if we play great, we’ll have a chance. ... Anything less than that, it will be a difficult task.”
That’s a far cry from a coach predicting a victory, though it may not stop the Razorbacks and their fans from using what Blakeney stressed he didn’t say as motivation.
“They better worry about something else, because it’s not close to the truth,” Blakeney told the Eagle. “In my opinion, you’ve got to be stupid to say something like that, to guarantee a win over Arkansas.”
Sports, Pages 15 on 11/10/2009