THURSDAY NIGHT GAME Troy ready for Smith, Tigers

The Trojans knocked off Marshall in their season opener.
TROY, Ala. (AP) -- Alfred Malone isn't just interested in letting people outside the state know Troy football exists or proving the Trojans can hang in there against a major conference team.
When No. 19 Missouri visits tonight, the defensive tackle wants to win.
"Second place in football is nothing," Malone said. "You can have individual success and say, 'Yeah, OK, we played good,' but there's nothing like a win. That's what we go out for every Saturday is a win. How can you celebrate just playing good?"
A win, Troy coach Larry Blakeney said, would be "monumental for this program, for this university and for this conference."
On national television
Actually, for the fledgling Division I-A program and new Sun Belt Conference member, just having a team from the Big 12 come to town is a coup. Playing on national television for the first time (ESPN2) is a huge bonus.
Facing fleet-footed, strong-armed Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, on the other hand, might not be so much fun.
Smith ran roughshod over Troy -- formerly Troy State -- as a freshman in a 44-7 victory in 2002. He showed in Missouri's opener why many consider him a Heisman Trophy candidate, passing for three touchdowns and running for a 34-yard score in a blowout of Arkansas State.
Weary of Smith
The Trojans racked up eight sacks in a road upset of Marshall in their season opener, but will have a much harder time catching up with Smith, the Chaney High graduate.
"He can do so many things," Blakeney said. "He can beat you with his speed and carrying the football. He's the total player."
But, Malone points out, "It's always better when you sack a big name."
The Trojans caught Smith's attention in holding Marshall, normally an offensive power, to 177 total yards and constantly hounding quarterback Stan Hill. He's wary of Troy's pass rushers, led by defensive end Demarcus Ware, who had three sacks and forced two fumbles in the opener.
"You definitely have to be aware of them and you've got to make quicker decisions," Smith said. "That's probably the big thing is to get the ball out and let the guys run with the ball."
Tigers roll early
The Tigers showed their firepower early against Arkansas State, scoring 21 points in a 5:17 stretch of the first quarter. However, the game also exposed a weak spot -- the Tigers allowed 350 passing yards to two Arkansas State quarterbacks.
Troy's only win over a major conference team was at Mississippi State three years ago. The 101/2-point underdogs would get an even bigger boost with an upset tonight.
"It's about respect. Troy's been playing good ball for awhile and deserved to move up to Division I-A," Malone said. "We're playing big schools now.
"Having big teams rolling in and getting victories over big teams out of other conferences, people have got to start respecting Troy. We can put us on the map. That's one thing we want to do."