Troy running back will miss season

By Drew Champlin

Published: October 2, 2008

Troy freshman running back Chris Anderson, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native, won’t get a chance to play in front of his home crowd next Tuesday when the Trojans play Florida Atlantic. In fact, he won’t be able to practice this fall or next spring with the Trojans.

The NCAA ruled recently that Anderson was a partial qualifer, meaning that he can attend classes at Troy but can’t work out or practice with the team until next summer, provided he’s still eligible. It’s a similar situation to freshman linebacker Kanorris Davis, who was ruled out during fall camp.

Troy coaches were peeved when Anderson was pulled out of practice this fall. He had risen as high as No. 2 on the depth chart and was counted on to provide depth this year. The NCAA took several weeks before finally giving Troy a ruling.

“They want to see the hall passes for when he went to the restroom and the grade books,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said Sept. 21. “The kid’s just like 150 other kids from the same way.”

Despite the ruling, Troy has four running backs who have gotten carries this year - starter DuJuan Harris and backups Xavier Moreland, Maurice Greer and Fernandus Edwards. Nate Nolin has also been used as a blocking back.