Troy Football Returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium for Homecoming

TROY, Alabama – The Troy football team returns to Veterans Memorial Stadium for homecoming this Saturday after a bye week and two straight road games. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., for the match up against Sun Belt newcomer New Mexico State.

Homecoming festivities continue on Friday with a pep rally from 6 to 7 p.m. at Trojan Arena. Saturday morning, the annual parade will begin at 10 a.m. in downtown Troy.

The Trojans (0-5, 0-1) are taking the field for the first time since head coach Larry Blakeney announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. Blakeney told the team after practice on Sunday night. Blakeney has been the head coach at Troy for the past 24 years and has been a football coach in the state of Alabama for the last 45 years. Blakeney has 175 career wins, which is one shy of tying legendary Auburn head coach Shug Jordan for the third-most wins by a coach in the history of the state.

Troy welcomed back starting quarterback Brandon Silvers against ULM after Silvers sat out with a concussion in the previous game. Silvers had three touchdown passes on the night and finished 23-of-34 for a career-high 270 yards.

Femi Odaibo intercepted a pass at ULM and currently leads the conference with three interceptions this season. He also ranks 13^th nationally, averaging 0.6 interceptions per contest. The Trojans' defense had quite a showing and held the Warhawks to a mere 29 yards rushing while tallying four sacks. Jamal Stadom sparked the defense picking up seven tackles and a pair of sacks.

The Aggies (2-4, 1-1) head to Larry Blakeney Field after four straight losses. New Mexico State started off the season 2-0 with a 28-10 win over Cal Poly at home. The Aggies then traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for their first Sun Belt matchup where they narrowly defeated the Panthers, 34-31.

New Mexico State is led by quarterback Tyler Rodgers, who has thrown for 1,471 yards on 145 completions. Linebacker Rodney Butler leads the Aggies on defense with 68 tackles. The Aggies have allowed zero sacks on the season, which currently leads the nation.

The two schools are playing each other for the second time in school history. In their first meeting New Mexico State defeated Troy, 22-18, on September 17, 2004, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, during the Aggies first stint as a Sun Belt member.

The game will be televised on ESPN 3, with kick off set for 2 p.m (CT). The game can also be heard on the Troy Sports Radio Network with play-by-play coverage from Barry McKnight, color commentary from Jerry Miller and sideline reports from Chris Blackshear.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Femi Odaibo

Brandon Silvers

Jamal Stadom