Column: Second Half Possibly Saves Season

If you missed today's contest between the Troy Trojans and the FIU Panthers, then you missed a riveting tale of two halves.

With Troy's 38-37 comeback victory over FIU, the Men of Troy kept their season alive with grit and a complete 180-degree turnaround to close out the game.

Down 24-14 at intermission, things didn't look good for the Trojans as they came out of the gate a bit rattled on defense. A team with a lesser sense of composure would probably have packed it in and lived to fight another day.

That was anything but the case for the team whose mantra for this season is “Unfinished Business”. Troy dug deep and thanks to a spectacular performance by quarterback Deon Anthony in his first start (360 total yards (115 rush) and five total touchdowns), two huge catches by senior running back Shawn Southward on the final Trojan charge and clutch stands by the defense in the final quarter, lived up to the two words that have been emblazoned across the Trojans' chests for months.

It wasn't easy and most certainly wasn't pretty, right down to the game-winning 42-yard kick by Will Scott, but without a complete team effort, Troy's season aspirations would most definitely have been finished.
“It wasn't a pretty kick but luckily it went through. It was an unbelievable feeling,” Scott said.

Unbelievable is a good word to describe Troy's 24-13 second half. It was a desperate victory by a desperate team against an opponent who had nothing to lose.

A win like this, where young talent steps to the forefront and experienced leadership carries the team to the finish line can be the final building block towards a strong close to the season and perhaps, a bowl berth. Anthony agreed that Troy's first home win this year would be huge for the team heading into next week's tilt versus Flordia Atlantic.

One thing to take from this game is that Troy, no matter what, fights. It fights bitterly to the end, always having a chance for triumph. Moreover, no team can say that they are handed anything when going up against the Cardinal and Black attack.

Make no mistake, this is not the first time Troy has had victory within the crosshairs.

The difference between today's game and past opportunities was simple really: Troy did not miss its shot after taking FIU's best one.

“We knew that they had played some tight games, but it feels good to get a tight win finally,” linebacker Brannon Bryan said.

Given the result of today's figurative trigger pull, Troy's mettle has undoubtedly been fortified and they have increased confidence that when the chips are down, they can get it when they need it most.

Rest assured, after what I saw today, I can say with a bit more confidence that the business at hand will be finished with a vengeance.

Troy University Athletics

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