Troy’s Louisiana natives eye LSU

By Drew Champlin

Published: November 10, 2008

TROY — Troy’s three players from Louisiana — cornerback Jorrick Calvin and defensive tackles Dion Gales and Rashad Roussell — have been fired up for the Trojans’ 7 p.m. Saturday game at LSU for a long time.

All three of them said they needed more tickets for family members, and that the process isn’t as easy as they thought. Many times, players trade their allotted tickets to give to family members or to teammates.

“I’ve got 20,” Roussell said. “I probably need 30 or 40. I say, ‘I’ll give ya’ll any home game, away game, you just give me LSU tickets.’ I’m making arrangements for next year because those Florida tickets will be in high demand (Troy plays at Florida in 2009). That’s how I got most of them.

“It’s real tough. Them boys want money. It’s college, they low on funds. Them boys want their money.”

Roussell, who is from Boutte, La., said his first scholarship offer in high school came from LSU, but was revoked by then-head coach Nick Saban when he said they filmed a Ford F-150 commercial. Roussell said he had a heated verbal exchange with Saban.

“I don’t regret it at all, to be honest with you,” Roussell said. “We had a commercial we did together, an F-150 commercial together. I don’t know if I can say what he was. He caught himself talking to me in a crazy way and I went off on him, saying all kinds of F-words.

“He’s just a coach to me. I could care less. He was talking to me in any kind of way, and I didn’t have it.”
Roussell signed with West Virginia, but went to junior college and came to Troy. He redshirted last year and said this would be the first game his family got to see him play in college.

Gales, a New Orleans native, is first cousins with LSU wideout Ricky Dixon. Calvin, who is from Baton Rouge, said his family cheered for Southern University in Baton Rouge.

“It was all about the (Southern) Jaguars in my family,” Calvin said. “I never dreamed of playing for Southern. I wanted to play for Florida State, but it was a family thing and everybody wanted to cheer for the Jaguars.”

Jernigan’s return a spark: Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown got the go-ahead from head trainer Chuck Ash and team doctor Jeffrey Dugas to return star wideout Jerrel Jernigan to action Saturday.

Jernigan, who had surgery Oct. 28 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, came back just 11 days later and caught six passes for 88 yards in Troy’s 17-7 win over Western Kentucky. He didn’t play until the second half and Troy only got a field goal after he came in, but he made a difference.

“Chuck and Dugas said after warmups that they thought he should play,” Brown said. “They said it again at halftime. I went in there thinking if (WKU) scored early in the second half, we’d play him, and they did.”

After the Hilltoppers scored, Jernigan caught a 14-yard pass on his first play, then a 21-yard pass. On 4th and 4 late in the game, he caught a pass and went for 11 yards, but the Trojans turned it over when Kennard Burton fumbled on the next play.

“I kept bothering (trainers and doctors) and asking if I was going to play this week,” Jernigan said. “I’m not at the speed I normally have. It’s going to come but it will just take time. I’ve just got to suck it up and play through it. To me, I felt a little slower. I favored my knee a little bit when I stuck my routes, but it will come.”

Jernigan, who is second in the Sun Belt in most receiving categories (54 catches, 666 yards, 5 TDs), went over the 1,000-yard career receiving mark against WKU. On the surface, he seemed like the old Jernigan, one who could take it the distance any time he touched the ball.

Brown said he didn’t feel like Jernigan was there yet, and they would monitor his touches to prevent overuse, and likely wouldn’t put him at quarterback anymore.

“He’s not 100 percent, but he did well and was a factor in the game,” Brown said. “He had two plays he would have scored on if he had been healthy.”

Trojans add defensive back: Troy got a commitment from St. Petersburg, Fla., safety Josh Brown. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Brown officially visited Troy last weekend and picked the Trojans over offers from Iowa and Wake Forest.