Sun Belt East Title on The Line Saturday when Troy Travels to App State

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TROY, Ala. – Troy head coach Neal Brown called November a heavyweight title fight at the start of the month. The Trojans have won the first three rounds, but in order to secure the Sun Belt East title Troy will have to deliver the knockout blow on Saturday at Appalachian State.

Kickoff between the two reigning Sun Belt Champions is set for 1:30 p.m. (CT) from Kidd-Brewer Stadium and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

While the intricacies of what will take place between the lines on Saturday are far from simple, the fate of both teams following the game couldn't be clearer. The winner moves on to host the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game on Dec. 1 while the loser turns its attention to bowl season.

"We have a chance to make it a special season if we are able to go on the road and beat App then host the conference championship game, I think it makes this year special," Brown said. "We are playing a really good football team and we are going on the road to play that game."

Troy (9-2, 7-0 Sun Belt) is on the verge of several monumental milestones both nationally and at the school level. A win would give the Trojans 10 wins or more in three consecutive seasons for the first time in the 98-season history of the program and would tie the most wins over a three-year period in school history. Additionally, Troy would become just the eighth Group of Five program since 2002 with three consecutive 10-win seasons.

The Trojans won their 13^thstraight Sun Belt Conference game last week with a 12-7 victory over Texas State in an unusual game at The Vet. Troy forced six turnovers – five interceptions – but was only able to muster four Tyler Sumpter field goals; it was the Trojans first victory without the benefit of a touchdown since 2000.

"The game wasn't pretty, but we found a way to win and at the end of the day that is all that matters. We are in survive and advance mode and we survived and advanced," Brown said. "Defensively I thought it was a big-time performance that was needed with the struggles on offense."

Cedarius Rookard intercepted two of the passes and forced a fumble all while recording seven tackles to pace the Trojans. Hunter Reese got in on the interception action and extended his streak with a tackle for loss to 19 straight games.

Troy will need to continue to force turnovers in order to slow down the App State (8-2, 6-1) offense that is averaging 38.9 points per game this season. The Trojans have forced 82 turnovers and intercepted 56 passes since the start of the 2016 season, both of which lead the country; Troy ranks third this season in both categories.

Know Your Foe
Appalachian State put the nation on notice right off the bat taking Penn State to overtime in its opening game before becoming just the second Sun Belt team to crack the AP Top 25 (Troy was the first in 2016). The Mountaineers dropped their second game of the season the week after earning the ranking at Georgia Southern. App State leads the Sun Belt in scoring offense (38.9 ppg) and scoring defense (15.9 ppg).

Notable
• B.J. Smith became the 10^thplayer in school history to rush for 1,000-yards in a season and the third in four years under head coach Neal Brown (Brandon Burks and Jordan Chunn).

• Tyler Sumpter has made 10 field goals over Troy's last three games which is a school Division I record; Sumpter is three field goals shy of tying the single-season record of 20 field goals.

• Troy is averaging 3.71 sacks per game against Sun Belt Conference foes which ranks sixth nationally. Offensively, Troy is allowing just one sack per game against conference opponents which is also sixth nationally.

Sun Belt East Title on The Line Saturday when Troy Travels to App State

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Players Mentioned

Brandon Burks

Jordan Chunn

Hunter Reese

Cedarius Rookard

B.J. Smith

Tyler Sumpter

Troy University Athletics