Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Joey Meredith
Solomon & Jibunor a Nightmare for Opposing Offenses
9/19/2021 1:40:00 PM | Football
There are a number of ways to convey just how dominant Troy's defense was in Saturday night's 21-9 victory over Southern Mississippi.
The Trojans held the Golden Eagles to 156 yards of offense. That's the fewest against Troy by an FBS opponent since Arkansas totaled 125 yards against the Trojans in 2002. USM managed just 46 total yards in the second half.
Troy's nine sacks for a total of 70 yards in losses helped Southern Miss rush for minus-1 yard in the game.
Southern Miss had 66 offensive plays. Sixteen of those resulted in tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Even when USM had something good happen – scoring a defensive touchdown late in the game on a fumble return – Will Choloh blocked the ensuing extra point. That was Choloh's third blocked kick of his Troy career.
Troy's pass rush and disruptiveness up front was highlighted by the production of edge rushers Javon Solomon and Richard Jibunor. Jibunor, a sophomore from Nigeria who transferred from Auburn, recorded 2½ sacks, seven tackles and an interception. It was his first career pick.
Solomon, a redshirt freshman from Tallahassee, made nine tackles, 3½ sacks and five total tackles for lost yardage. That set a Troy school record for tackles for loss in a game and tied for second-most sacks in a game with 3½.
"Javon played great," Troy head coach Chip Lindsey said after the game. "I thought he and Richard, they got after the quarterback. They were in the backfield all night."
Solomon, whose tackles for loss and sack totals are second-most nationally in a game this season, credited the production with a great week of preparation.
"It all starts with practice, I kid you not," Solomon said. "We were dominating in practice and it correlates to the game. We had so much fun flying around out there. The intensity was just rising and rising. After last week they needed us to do better and that's what we went out there and did."
He said he and Jibunor started feeding off each other.
"That's my brother right there. We challenge each other every day," Solomon said. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't correct him and he don't correct me. We hold each other to a high standard.
"Seeing him out there balling, it's amazing. I love my brother and God blessed us with a great game."
Solomon is the fifth player nationally since 2017 to record at least nine tackles, five tackles for loss and 3½ sacks in a game. He is also the first player in Sun Belt history to do that in a game.
Troy's defense held Southern Miss to just three points in the game, which came on the Golden Eagles' opening drive. Troy has allowed just 27 defensive points this season, the program's fewest through three games since 1997.
Jibunor's pick was the first of two for the Troy defense. Carlton Martial added a clinching pick in the final minute. Those two increased Troy's interception total to 82 since the start of the 2016 season. The Trojans entered the weekend tied for fourth nationally in that time frame.
An obviously more aggressive Troy offense took the lead in the game on its first drive of the second half, erasing a 3-0 deficit. It marked Troy's first win (1-10) under Lindsey when trailing at halftime.
The Trojans also won the time of possession battle – 30:54 to 29:06 – and improved to 9-1 under Lindsey when they hold the long longer than their opponent.
The Trojans held the Golden Eagles to 156 yards of offense. That's the fewest against Troy by an FBS opponent since Arkansas totaled 125 yards against the Trojans in 2002. USM managed just 46 total yards in the second half.
Troy's nine sacks for a total of 70 yards in losses helped Southern Miss rush for minus-1 yard in the game.
Southern Miss had 66 offensive plays. Sixteen of those resulted in tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Even when USM had something good happen – scoring a defensive touchdown late in the game on a fumble return – Will Choloh blocked the ensuing extra point. That was Choloh's third blocked kick of his Troy career.
Troy's pass rush and disruptiveness up front was highlighted by the production of edge rushers Javon Solomon and Richard Jibunor. Jibunor, a sophomore from Nigeria who transferred from Auburn, recorded 2½ sacks, seven tackles and an interception. It was his first career pick.
Solomon, a redshirt freshman from Tallahassee, made nine tackles, 3½ sacks and five total tackles for lost yardage. That set a Troy school record for tackles for loss in a game and tied for second-most sacks in a game with 3½.
"Javon played great," Troy head coach Chip Lindsey said after the game. "I thought he and Richard, they got after the quarterback. They were in the backfield all night."
Solomon, whose tackles for loss and sack totals are second-most nationally in a game this season, credited the production with a great week of preparation.
"It all starts with practice, I kid you not," Solomon said. "We were dominating in practice and it correlates to the game. We had so much fun flying around out there. The intensity was just rising and rising. After last week they needed us to do better and that's what we went out there and did."
He said he and Jibunor started feeding off each other.
"That's my brother right there. We challenge each other every day," Solomon said. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't correct him and he don't correct me. We hold each other to a high standard.
"Seeing him out there balling, it's amazing. I love my brother and God blessed us with a great game."
Solomon is the fifth player nationally since 2017 to record at least nine tackles, five tackles for loss and 3½ sacks in a game. He is also the first player in Sun Belt history to do that in a game.
Troy's defense held Southern Miss to just three points in the game, which came on the Golden Eagles' opening drive. Troy has allowed just 27 defensive points this season, the program's fewest through three games since 1997.
Jibunor's pick was the first of two for the Troy defense. Carlton Martial added a clinching pick in the final minute. Those two increased Troy's interception total to 82 since the start of the 2016 season. The Trojans entered the weekend tied for fourth nationally in that time frame.
An obviously more aggressive Troy offense took the lead in the game on its first drive of the second half, erasing a 3-0 deficit. It marked Troy's first win (1-10) under Lindsey when trailing at halftime.
The Trojans also won the time of possession battle – 30:54 to 29:06 – and improved to 9-1 under Lindsey when they hold the long longer than their opponent.
Players Mentioned
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