As the Trojans head towards the 2016 season opener on Saturday, head coach Neal Brown is the most confidant he’s been since coming to Troy.

“It has been a quick 21 months,” Brown said Monday. “I looked at the calendar this morning, and going into year two I’m probably the most confidant I have been. I’m proud of what we accomplished. We still have a lot of work to do to get this wall rebuilt, but it has been fun and we are ready to get this season started.”

The Trojans have just 15 seniors on the roster and come Saturday 27 players on the depth chart will get their first taste of Division I football.

“Overall, we are a very young football team,” Brown said. “We are talented, and the new guys can play. It is time to put them out there and see how they are going to react.”

For players like redshirt Junior Brandon Silvers, opening day brings along its fair share of nerves.

“I get nervous before every game,” Silvers said. “Not like bad nerves, but before kick off I get a little nervous, but I am always like that.”

The nerves usually go away after setting foot on the field.

“Definitely after the first hit, but after the first play, it usually goes away pretty easy. It’s not a freaking out nervous, I am just always nervous,” he said.

For players like Jordan Chunn and Kamryn Melton, Saturday’s opener presents an opportunity to get back on the field.

Chunn returns to the field after missing most of the 2015 season due to an upper-body injury.

“I have been out for a long time and I am ready to get back,” Chunn said. “I know the other guys are ready to get back on the field and play because we have been hitting heads for three weeks straight, and I know they are ready to hit someone else.”

Melton hasn’t seen the field in two years and the redshirt junior is ready for opening day.

“I know when I go out there I’ll be very emotional inside,” Melton said. “Once I hit somebody or (get) the first interception, the jitterbugs will go away, and I can fly around and have fun.”

The players aren’t the only ones getting excited for opening day.

“You know what’s amazing? Wake up this morning about an hour earlier than I did a couple of days ago,” said Troy defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. “You start thinking about all the things you have to do… I know our players are very ready to start doing something different. That 3 1/2 or whatever weeks that we were in camp, they are very ready to do something different. I know I am.”

And for Brown, who will experience his second opening day as a Trojan, Saturday brings excitement and anticipation.

“The biggest thing is I know what to expect,” Brown said. “Other than Jordan Lesley, we are all back from last year. We shifted some special teams duties around, so this will be the first game like scenario that we will have in that capacity. The kids and coaches know what to expect.”

Troy and Austin Peay will kick of the season at 5 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.