Troy State’s 28-13 victory over Alabama A&M this past weekend in Huntsville catapulted the Trojans into the No. 2 spot in this week’s Division 1-AA poll.

The Trojans jumped in front of Montana, who lost a 10-9 squeaker to Hofstra of New York on Saturday. Georgia Southern still clings to first place only 19 points ahead of the Trojans after a 29-7 defeat at the hands of the Georgia Bulldogs.

Third place belongs to UMass and in fourth place is this weekend’s opponent Appalachian State.

Appalachian, of course defeated Division 1 Wake Forest 20-16 last Thursday in Winston-Salem.

This week’s game should be a real battle between two of the best programs in Division 1-AA.

Take it from me, ride the bus and leave the driving to them.

I really had a great time going the TSU Alumni Affairs charter bus this past weekend. Mr. Ozzie Judah certainly knows how to put on a good trip. The accommodations were splendid and the tailgating and the game was a lot of fun.

Our bus departed Huntsville Sunday morning at 6:30 a.m. for the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for the Falcons-49ers game.

The Troy State "Sound of the South" Marching Band performed brilliantly at halftime. You could tell by the crowd’s response that the Atlanta people loved the band’s performance.

The next bus trip is planned for Sept. 30th when Troy State travels to Tampa, Fla. to play the University of South Florida.

The bus will leave Troy at 8 a.m. on that Saturday and will arrive at the Fairfield Sun in Tampa around 4 p.m. EST. Game time at Raymond James Stadium is set for 6 p.m. EST.

On Sunday Trojan fans on the trip will be given the opportunity to visit Busch Gardens. The bus will return to Troy around 9 p.m. Sunday night.

The cost of the bus trip is $125 per person which includes cost of your hotel room and tickets to the game. Those of you interested in making the trip to Tampa must send your deposit of $50 by Friday Sept. 15 in order to secure your seat on the bus. For more information contact TSU Alumni Affairs at 334-670-3318 or Ms. Ozzie Judah at Bay Limousine and Charter in Dothan at 793-1456.

The only bad thing that happened during this weekend was Alabama’s lackluster performance against UCLA. I think one of the worst things a team can do is score so easily at the first of the game. I think it causes a team to lose some of its intensity.

I know this Alabama football team has got long way to go this year before it can contend for another SEC title. They should be able to handle Vanderbilt this weekend, but how they’ll do against the likes of Southern Miss, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn is another story.

Right now if the Alabama team that I watched on Saturday does not improve a lot, a 6-5 season and a minor bowl bid could be all they can muster.

Call me crazy if you want to, but Alabama , right now, is not a very good football team.

Applause goes out to coach Wayne Grant and his Pike County Bulldogs for their great effort against 5A powerhouse Eufaula last Friday night. Grant’s brave 22 actually dominated the Tigers in the first half 21-6 and at the end missed a two point conversion attempt in their 34-33 loss. Grant’s ‘Dogs, if they can stay healthy, are going to be awfully tough to beat in 3A competition.

CHHS opens their 2000 season this Friday night at Memorial Stadium against their arch rival, the Opp Bobcats. It’s going to be fun to watch this Trojan team play with its wide open offense. Opp defeated St. James of Montgomery 14-7 last weekend and should be a tough customer come Friday night.

Look for Kevin Stephens and his bevy of receivers to throw the Bobcats dizzy.

Charles Henderson 35 Opp 14

How about Troy State 31 Appalachian State 17.