Troy University Athletics
Saturday, October 9
Troy, Ala.
6 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Georgia Southern
Back in The Vet - Troy Hosts Georgia Southern Saturday
10/8/2021 9:34:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. – Following three straight weeks on the road, Troy returns to The Vet on Saturday to take on Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt home opener for the Trojans. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m., and ESPN+ will carry the broadcast of the game.
Troy (2-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) will match up its stringent defense against the high-powered rushing attack of Georgia Southern (2-3, 1-1). The Trojans are a week removed from holding South Carolina to just 102 rushing yards – the fewest by a Power 5 team against the Trojans since 2006 – while the Eagles rushed for 503 yards on 51 carries in a victory over Arkansas State a week ago.
The Trojans enter the week 20th nationally against the run allowing just 97.8 yards per game, and Troy is fifth in total defense (266.2), first in tackles for loss (9.4) and second in sacks (4.2). Troy has allowed just 1,330 yards of offense this season, the fewest in school history since at least 2000 and the second fewest in Sun Belt history.
Offensively, super senior B.J. Smith provided a spark for the Trojans at South Carolina with his first 100-yard game since the 2019 season opener. Smith topped the century mark for the seventh time in his career and found the end zone for the 22nd time.
Troy will look to exploit a Georgia Southern defense that ranks 128th nationally, allowing 502.6 yards per game and 124th in passing efficiency by allowing 353.2 yards per game. Freshman Tez Johnson enters the matchup 33rd in the country, averaging six catches per game and is 10th with receptions on 79.4 percent of his targets.
Know Your Foe
Georgia Southern is under the direction of interim head coach Kevin Whitley, who took over the reins of the program prior to the Eagles' contest against Arkansas State. Logan Wright ran 10 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and Georgia Southern rushed for 503 yards and seven touchdowns in the win last week. It was the most points Georgia Southern had scored since a 69-31 win at Georgia State in 2014. The Eagles rank fourth nationally in rushing yards per game.
Notable
• Troy's defense has held nine of its last 11 opponents to 21 points or fewer, dating back to last season; in those games, the Trojan defense has allowed an average of just 12.6 points.
• Javon Solomon is the only FBS player to have at least six sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; he has 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
• Troy leads the country, forcing a negative play on 18.54 percent of the opposing teams' snaps; the next closest team is Houston at 15.9 percent.
• B.J. Smith became the 12th member of the 2,000-yard club in Troy history after his 103-yard performance at South Carolina last week.
• Troy is throwing the ball 56.13 percent of the time the last three seasons, which is the eighth-highest percentage nationally and the fourth highest in the G5.
• Troy ranks fourth since the start of the 2017 season with 398 tackles for loss … only Clemson, Miami and Ohio State have more.
Troy (2-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) will match up its stringent defense against the high-powered rushing attack of Georgia Southern (2-3, 1-1). The Trojans are a week removed from holding South Carolina to just 102 rushing yards – the fewest by a Power 5 team against the Trojans since 2006 – while the Eagles rushed for 503 yards on 51 carries in a victory over Arkansas State a week ago.
The Trojans enter the week 20th nationally against the run allowing just 97.8 yards per game, and Troy is fifth in total defense (266.2), first in tackles for loss (9.4) and second in sacks (4.2). Troy has allowed just 1,330 yards of offense this season, the fewest in school history since at least 2000 and the second fewest in Sun Belt history.
Offensively, super senior B.J. Smith provided a spark for the Trojans at South Carolina with his first 100-yard game since the 2019 season opener. Smith topped the century mark for the seventh time in his career and found the end zone for the 22nd time.
Troy will look to exploit a Georgia Southern defense that ranks 128th nationally, allowing 502.6 yards per game and 124th in passing efficiency by allowing 353.2 yards per game. Freshman Tez Johnson enters the matchup 33rd in the country, averaging six catches per game and is 10th with receptions on 79.4 percent of his targets.
Know Your Foe
Georgia Southern is under the direction of interim head coach Kevin Whitley, who took over the reins of the program prior to the Eagles' contest against Arkansas State. Logan Wright ran 10 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and Georgia Southern rushed for 503 yards and seven touchdowns in the win last week. It was the most points Georgia Southern had scored since a 69-31 win at Georgia State in 2014. The Eagles rank fourth nationally in rushing yards per game.
Notable
• Troy's defense has held nine of its last 11 opponents to 21 points or fewer, dating back to last season; in those games, the Trojan defense has allowed an average of just 12.6 points.
• Javon Solomon is the only FBS player to have at least six sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; he has 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss.
• Troy leads the country, forcing a negative play on 18.54 percent of the opposing teams' snaps; the next closest team is Houston at 15.9 percent.
• B.J. Smith became the 12th member of the 2,000-yard club in Troy history after his 103-yard performance at South Carolina last week.
• Troy is throwing the ball 56.13 percent of the time the last three seasons, which is the eighth-highest percentage nationally and the fourth highest in the G5.
• Troy ranks fourth since the start of the 2017 season with 398 tackles for loss … only Clemson, Miami and Ohio State have more.
Players Mentioned
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