By Ross Johnson

Sports Writer

Troup’s bye week arrives at a pivotal point.

Coming off a tough 27-5 loss to Carver last week, Troup is off this week in preparation for next week’s game against Shaw, which has defeated the Tigers 13 straight times - including an 8-7 overtime win last year.

According to Troup head coach Bubba Jeter, the team got some much-needed rest this week and has responded well to the Carver loss, which was a hard-fought battle for three quarters before Carver pulled away late in the game.

“We had real light practices Monday and Tuesday and had a physical practice Wednesday,” said Jeter, who gave the Tigers a break Thursday and today. “I thought they responded well to (the Carver loss) and are very focused on what’s coming up.”

Carver, which has won the past two Region 2-AAA titles and won a state championship in 2007, held a 6-5 lead early in the fourth quarter of last week’s game.

That’s when quarterback Devin Burns and running back Isiah Crowell took over, scoring three touchdowns to make the score look more lopsided than it really was.

The Tigers didn’t help themselves, either.

Following Crowell’s 70-yard scoring run to put the game at 13-5, Troup’s offense fumbled on the next possession, and Carver promptly put the ball in the end zone again.

“We held them at bay for 40 minutes,” Jeter said. “We had those turnovers, which killed us. We’ve had a good week though, and we’re still focused. We don’t like losing.”

In this week’s practices, the Tigers’ coaching staff emphasized fundamentals and began implementing plans for the Shaw game next week.

The team also watched plenty of film on the Raiders to ensure nothing will be a surprise next week in Columbus.

“The biggest thing is we need to take care of ourselves,” Jeter said. “We need to be sound on offense, defense and special teams.”

The injury bug has seemingly subsided at Troup, with only linebacker Neil Cowan being held out when he re-separated his shoulder last week.

With “nothing major” injury-wise, the Tigers should be ready to finish out the final stretch of the regular season.

“After a loss, you can either feel sorry for yourselves or go to work,” Jeter said. “After the (Carver) game I told them that we need to work hard every day. We’ve done that in practice this week.”