The ushering in of the Chip Lindsey era at Troy will take place on a new carpet as the turf at The Vet is being replaced with Matrix Helix Realfill for the 2019 season. Installation is currently underway, and the project is expected to be completed by Aug. 1.

Matrix turf incorporates life-like individual blades of grass, tufted into the strongest and most dimensionally stable backing system available. The turf is filled with pea gravel and cuboidal rubber infill to give it its Realfill cushioning.

The new turf is being manufactured and installed by Hellas Construction (Austin, Texas), the same company responsible for turf projects for the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texas, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders.

The previous turf was installed prior to the 2012 season.

The state-of-the-art turf features helix shape memory technology which makes the fibers twist into a helix shape to improve traction during practice and game play. Additionally, the shape of the grass is designed to cover and trap the rubber granules to prevent the system from expelling the infill upon impact.

“This is an important project on numerous levels,” Director of Athletics Brent Jones said. “First and most importantly the new turf is a commitment to the safety of our student-athletes, and the dynamic design of the turf will enhance our already strong brand recognition with every one of our home games broadcast live via an ESPN medium. The design also returns some traditional elements which our fans will enjoy while watching games in The Vet.”

The design features the Power T logo at midfield with alternating shades of green every five yards. Cardinal end zones return with “TROY” in the north end zone and “TROJANS” in the south end zone. The cross swords emoji which Troy uses prominently on social media will be placed at each 35-yard line to mark the kickoff location while a white boarder with Cardinal team boxes will go around the outside of the field. “Larry Blakeney Field” will remain on the 25-yard line on each side of the field.