Saturday, November 23, 2024
Latest:
Troy FootballUncategorized

The Other Side of the Wall: The Campbell Game Preview

Thomas Gleaton

Campbell Camels Quick Facts

  • First season: 2008*
  • 2018 Record: 6-5 (best overall record; ties 2011, 2017)
  • Conference: Big South (2018—)**
  • Head coach: Mike Minter (7th season, 30-37)
  • First ever game against Troy
  • Last Sun Belt matchup: 2018 Coastal Carolina (L, 58-21)
  • Location: Buies Creek, NC (halfway between Raleigh and Fayetteville)

* – The Camels fielded a team from 1925 to 1950. The team folded because of the Korean War.

** – Campbell did not offer scholarships in football until it joined its other programs in the Big South last year.

Campbell’s Offense

Players to Watch:
  • QB Hajj Malik-Williams
  • WR Caleb Snead (1st team Big South)
  • TE Michael Wooten (1st team Big South)
  • OL Jacob Cuddington (1st team Big South)
  • OL Matt Price (1st team Big South)

When I began planning this article, I looked at the depth chart from the spring and saw two quarterbacks with little experience taking over the position that led the team in rushing yards. As it turns out, neither quarterback is starting.

Instead, freshman Hajj Malik-Williams will be under center. Malik-Williams originally committed to Army, but for whatever reason ended up in North Carolina.

Looking at his high school highlights, it’s clear he has the ability to make plays out of nothing. Running looks effortless, and he has a pretty accurate arm.

Off the field, in this week’s interview, head coach Mike Minter talked about his leadership despite his age.

It doesn’t help that he’ll be protected by an experienced line featuring two first-team preseason selections. He also has a few first-team weapons as well as a senior running back in the backfield.

All this adds together to make for a balanced offense, but last year the team was somewhat prone to turnovers. The Camels threw 10 picks last year (almost one each game) and lost nine fumbles.

Add to this an average of 168 rushing yards per game, and you have an average offense that gains experience everywhere but under center.

The Camel Defense

Players to Watch:
  • DL Damien Dozier (1st team Big South)
  • DB Dorian Jones (1st team Big South)
  • DT Isaiah King
  • CB Kam Prewitt

Defensive Coordinator Weston Glazer took over the gig with three games left last year. His first shot was a 49-0 throttling by #2 Kennesaw State. The next two games, the Camels held their opponents to 12 points or fewer.

In that same interview, Minter said Glazer got to properly install his system over the offseason, so this team shouldn’t have much learning to do. That’s especially good since they’re returning all but three starters.

A few guys are back after injuries, and two made the first team preseason conference list. There’s experience all around this defense.

My biggest note from last season is that they were strong against the pass… limiting opponents to 122 yards per game. They worked hard enough to keep the team at a nearly 0 turnover margin.

The team’s weakness is against the run. Campbell gave up over 217 yards per game on the ground… and 117 rushing first downs… per game. At 446 rushing attempts, that’s a first down every 3.8 rushes.

Maybe they just needed an anchor on that line. Senior defensive tackle Isaiah King is back after missing all of last season with an injury. He had 46 tackles in 2017, and he’s had at least 10 sacks every year he’s played.

That all adds up to defense that’s as balanced and experienced as the offense, but with even more potential.

Breakdown

This all sounds good, as if Troy has a worthy opponent on the other sideline, but that just isn’t the case. Coastal Carolina of all teams throttled this squad last year, and whatever difference lies between this year’s Camels and last is at the very least equal to the difference between last year’s Coastal team and this year’s Trojans.

At first glance, the offense is well balanced, and it well should be. A deeper dive shows that the most rushing yards Campbell had in a loss (109) is 15 yard fewer than the least rushing yards the team had in a win (124).

Ergo, stop the run, shut down the offense.

Take for instance the Gardner-Webb game. Statistically, the Camels kept up with the Bulldogs on the ground and in the air… but lost 35-7.

Campbell’s offense couldn’t get anywhere. Six drives ended in punts, three in interceptions, and two in fumbles lost.

Another problem is the team seems to burn out quickly. Campbell outscored opponents 116-39 in the first quarter last year, but opponents won the fourth quarter 49-17.

Again, look at the Coastal box score. It was 24-21 at halftime.

Conclusion

Campbell is a team on the rise in the FCS. Little by little, the upstart is working its way to becoming a solid program.

The team has had two straight winning seasons, and they could very well have another. However, Campbell has 12 wins in the last two years.

Realistically, Troy shouldn’t have a problem stopping the run game, and despite the secondary’s losses this season I don’t see an issue with the pass defense against Campbell. Troy’s offense will without a doubt be the strongest the Camels face all season, and that’s bad news for lazy scorekeepers.

Prediction: 50-17 Troy