Troy Hosts Middle Tennessee in the Battle for the Palladium; Part Two

TROY, Ala. – The 2020 college football season has been nowhere close to normal. Troy and Middle Tennessee add to the uniqueness of the year with an in-season rematch Saturday at The Vet in the second installment of the Battle for the Palladium this season. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Troy (4-3, 2-2 Sun Belt) and Middle Tennessee (2-6, 2-4 C-USA) met earlier this year in what was the first meeting between the two old Sun Belt rivals since 2012. The Trojans dispatched of their old foes, 47-13, behind a complete effort – the Troy offense totaled 496 yards of offense, the defense forced three turnovers and held Middle Tennessee to just 241 yards and the special teams unit made all seven of their kicks.

The regular season rematch is just the third at the NCAA Division I level since 1999. Liberty and New Mexico State played twice during both the 2018 and 2019 seasons; prior to that it was UConn and UMass in 1998 when both programs were at the FCS level.

Gates to The Vet will open at 12:30 p.m. and fans are encouraged to enter the stadium early to help alleviate congestion as kickoff draws nearer. Face coverings for fans are required inside The Vet and while tailgating. Additionally, fans are reminded to use their GAME 4 ticket for the game.

"It is unique in college football (playing the same team twice)," head coach Chip Lindsey said at his weekly press conference. I think it has only happened one other time in my time in college football. At the end of the day, teams are who they are. It is just going to come down to us executing. We can't all of the sudden reinvent the wheel and become something we're not."

Troy has played its last 11 quarters without starting quarterback Gunnar Watson after he suffered in injury against Georgia State. Lindsey and the Trojans are hopeful that Watson can return Saturday.

"He practiced Sunday and it looks more likely that he will have an opportunity to play if he has a good week," Lindsey said. "He hasn't recovered fully yet, but the extra week did help him. With his injury, it has been more about time in terms of getting him healthy. Hopefully, he will be ready to go on Saturday, but at the same time, we are getting other guys ready to go as well."

Troy's defense has scored a touchdown in three straight games – a Troy Division I record – and the Trojans lead the country with four defensive scores on the year. The Trojans have forced 11 overall turnovers and Troy has turned those turnovers into points 10 times.

Notable
• Austin Stidham ranks third nationally (min. 300 pass blocking opportunities) among all tackles with a 98.0 efficiency rating per Pro Football Focus (pressures allowed on a per-snap basic with weighting towards sacks allowed).

• Will Choloh is the highest rated pass rusher among interior defensive lineman nationally per PFF; ranks sixth among all defensive linemen.

• Troy's offensive line ranks second nationally behind only Clemson (min. 300 passing situations) as a unit with a 91.7 efficiency rating.

• Tray Eafford leads the Sun Belt with nine catches on third down that have resulted in a first down.

• Troy is 1-6 on coin tosses this season ... Troy had received the opening kickoff in 14-of-19 games under Chip Lindsey and has scored on nine of those possessions.

• In Troy's four wins, the Trojan defense is holding its opponents to just 17.5 points, 4.6 yards per play and 324.8 yards per game.

• Troy has scored 30-plus points in 14-of-19 games the last two seasons, which ranks 13th nationally.

Know Your Foe
Middle Tennessee is led by quarterback Asher O'Hara with his 515 rushing yards and 1,750 passing yards on the season. His favorite target through the air has been Jarrin Pierce; he has 55 catches for 541 yards and three touchdowns this season, all team highs, and he caught a career-high 11 balls in the first meeting with Troy. Defensively, Middle Tennessee has allowed 34 or more points in six of its eight games this season. The Blue Raiders have won two of their last four games with victories over FIU and Rice; both on the road.

Troy Hosts Middle Tennessee in the Battle for the Palladium; Part Two

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Players Mentioned

Will Choloh

Tray Eafford

Austin Stidham

Gunnar Watson

Troy University Athletics