The competition for Troy is about to pick up.

The Trojans got off to a slow start in their opener against Nicholls and were actually trailing the FCS team 10-7 at halftime. A 28-point fourth quarter would then push Troy to a 38-20 win.

The Trojans almost had as many penalty yards (100) as passing yards (144), but ultimately found a way. Head coach Gerad Parker knows his team has to play much better is they have any shot at competing against the eighth-ranked Tigers on Saturday.

“We have our hands full,” the head coach told the media on Monday. “Our players will know that and understand that turning the film on, but we’ll certainly celebrate also us going to go compete and do what our program stands for in doing so, and make sure and push to our players as we prepare for them.”

The two programs have faced off twice before, with Troy giving the Tigers all they could handle each time. In 2011, in Chad Morris’s first game as offensive coordinator, the Trojans took a 16-13 lead into the half before the Tigers pulled away in the final two quarters, winning 43-19.

The last time the teams met came in 2016, the year Clemson won its first national title under Dabo Swinney. The Tigers turned it over three times that day, and despite leading at one point 27-10, had to hold on as the Trojans scored touchdowns on their final two possessions, only to come up short 30-24.

When watching the film on this Clemson team, it’s the defense that stands out to the second-year head coach.

“They have as good as a defense as I’ve seen on tape in my career,” Parker added. “The talent disparity and the talent they have up and down their roster looks like a top-five program in the country, which it is. So that bodes itself a huge issue.”

After falling to LSU on Saturday night, Clemson comes searching for its first win. On top of that, the Tigers are looking to get their offense on track after the ineffective performance in the opener.

Knowing that, Parker is expecting a raucous environment as the Clemson faithful attempt to cheer on the Tigers to their first victory.

“Then you throw in crowd noise and the environment, and you’ve got to practice that with it,” Parker said. So we’ll do our part on offense to give our guys the proper crowd noise and things that it’s going to take to operate with cadence so we don’t inflict things on ourselves that will already be hard enough. So you’ve got both issues you’ve got to challenge yourself in, and this is why we coach and compete. If Troy will be Troy, I expect our guys to really look forward to going into that type of environment and competing and seeing what we’re made of.”

Photo by Dawson Powers