Troy Andersen is as gifted of an athlete that you'll find in the FCS, and what he does on the football field puts him in a category by himself.
At 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds with blazing speed as a former track standout from Dillon, Montana, Andersen is utilized in multiple ways at Montana State. In 2017, he was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year after starting games at running back and linebacker. Last year, Andersen moved to a full-time quarterback role and earned First Team All-Conference honors. This season, the junior is going to be everywhere. We at HERO Sports simply called him a Preseason First Team All-American "athlete."
Andersen is spending most of his time back at linebacker. But after running for 1,412 yards and 21 touchdowns last year along with 1,195 yards passing, he's still a big part of the offense. That keeps him busy on Saturdays. And his week of prep for game days offers very little downtime.
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Practices involve the proper number of reps to make sure Andersen is prepared to execute at a high level in games. He's needed at a lot of different spots throughout practice, but Andersen credits his coaches for making it manageable.
"Our coaches do a great job with that," Andersen told HERO Sports. "(Offensive coordinator Matt) Miller comes over before practice and lets me know when they'll need me or when I'll be taking reps with the offense. Then we do some service periods where it's the No. 2 offense vs. the No. 1 defense, so I can play defense with that. And when we flip it, I'll go to the offense. But they do a good job of letting me know where I need to be."
Just as key as the practice reps is time spent in the film room to find advantages versus the upcoming opponent. Instead of only watching one side of the ball, now Andersen is analyzing the opposition's offense and defense. But he says his overall time watching film is about on par with what it was last year considering the amount of tape a quarterback studies.
"I meet with the linebackers and I'll watch the opposing offense quite a bit and for the most part of the week," Andersen said. "And I'll get with coach Miller a few times and try to get a feel for the looks I'll be up against or the plays I'll be running on offense."
So far, the preparation has led to a solid start to the season, especially in Montana State's huge 38-17 win against No. 12 Southeast Missouri State this last Saturday.
"He's a pretty unique talent. Anyone that hasn't seen Troy live, it's kind of hard to explain what this guy does," head coach Jeff Choate said on the HERO Sports FCS Coaches Corner Podcast. "(Sports information director) Bill Lamberty and I were speaking the other day saying how do we get this guy the recognition he deserves because in the FCS, you're going to have weeks where guys put up some ridiculous numbers and are very deserving for national honors. But this is a guy who had six carries for 102 yards. Had a reception. Averaged 17.2 yards per carry. Had two touchdowns on the ground. And then turned around and had a sack, a pass defended, a quarterback hurry and another tackle for a loss on defense. I think it's such a rare and unique thing, almost like he's in his own category."
Troy Andersen may be a starting linebacker now, but that doesn’t mean he’s done scoring touchdowns!
pic.twitter.com/EjMgB5Y3DF— HERO Sports FCS (@HEROSportsFCS) September 8, 2019
Throughout a game, Andersen is taking a majority of his reps on defense. After& a defensive series, he'll make sure to grab some water and go over any corrections or adjustments the defensive coaches have for him. But he also must stay in tune with what the offense is doing on the field and be ready for when his name is called. Most times, Choate or an offensive coach will tell Andersen if he'll be utilized in the series.
It's a lot on Andersen's weekly plate. Not to mention keeping up with his strength and conditioning on top of taking a loaded class schedule as a mechanical engineering major.
But he's the type of football player a coach wants on the field as much as possible. And he's the type of guy that wants the same thing.
"It's a blast," Andersen said. "You always want to be on the field. To have the opportunity to be on the field on both sides and hopefully make an impact on the team in a positive way, it's been a blast."
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