NOTEBOOK - Troy's Defense Steals the Show - Troy University Athletics

TROY -- Troy's defense, which held four of its last six opponents to 20 points or fewer last season, was dominant in Saturday night's opener against Southern University.

Troy gave up 81 rushing yards and held the Jaguars to 189 total yards of offense. Just as impressive was the four interceptions the Trojans recorded.

Zion Williams provided a big play -- and points -- with a pick six for the Trojans early in the second quarter. It came two plays after Troy quarterback Taylor Powell threw an interception that ended Troy's third possession of the game at the Southern 6-yard line.

Williams read a pass by quarterback Ladarius Skelton near the left sideline, saw the receiver stumble, gathered in the football and raced 19 yards for the end zone.

"When I saw him fall, I honestly knew, yeah, this is mine. I gotta take it to the crib," Williams said. "It was pretty exciting, man, getting in the zone and getting comfortable. Like coach said, last year was a long ride. This year is getting back comfortable with everything."

The play and extra point put the Trojans up 21-0.

Williams wasn't done, either. He added a second interception in the second half.

"The second one was really like a broken play and being a ball hawk, making a play. Just good instincts, you know?" Williams said, adding the four picks wasn't all that shocking to him.

"I've been telling everybody all week just keep our hands on the ball and we're going to make good plays."

Troy added interceptions by T.J. Harris, who added a 36-yard return, and another pick by Jayden McDonald.

It marked the fifth straight season Troy has scored at least one defensive touchdown. Last year's defense scored four touchdowns.

First time: The Trojans' first four touchdowns were the first career TDs for each Trojan -- Taylor Powell, Tez Johnson, Williams and Deshon Stoudemire.
Troy is 20-9 (now 21-9) at home since the start of the 2016 season.

Familiar faces: Running back B.J. Smith, offensive lineman. Dylan Bradshaw and long snapper Cameron Kaye enter their sixth year in the Troy program. Smith will be a six-year letterwinner. Smith and Bradshaw were both in the 2016 signing class.

Southern also returned a lot of starters. The Jaguars played a spring schedule and went 5-1. They had 10 offensive starters back, including quarterback Ladarius Skelton and its entire starting offensive line.

Troy returned nine starters on offense, the biggest losses coming in the wide receiver corps. The Trojans return 10 of 11 starters on defense, losing only Terence Dunlap, who transferred, ironically enough, to Southern and who will sit out a transfer year this season.

In terms of production, Troy returned 100 percent of its offensive line starts and 100 percent of its defensive sacks from 2020.

Delayed debut: Troy punter Luke Magliozzi, a transfer from UConn and a resident of Westmeadows, Australia, had his debut delayed. The Troy offense didn't need to punt until 5:21 was left in the third quarter. His first and only attempt covered 46 yards and was fair caught at the Southern 28.

Late momentum: Troy scored on its final possession of the first half when Jamontez Woods crashed in from the 1. That continued momentum by the Trojans going into the locker room that started last season.  Troy scored points on its last drive of the first half in 10 of 11 games in 2020, including seven touchdowns.

Active early: Troy was 5-1 when running back Kimani Vidal carried the ball at least nine times last season. In Troy's wins he averaged 82.4 yards, in the three losses he averaged 26.0 yards. Trojans are 0-5 when Vidal doesn't get his nine carries.

It looked like the Trojans were aware of that. Vidal carried six times on their first possession and eight times in the first quarter alone. In all, Vidal had 15 carries for 81 yards and a 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Coin toss: Southern won the coin toss, which should come as no surprise. Troy was 3-8 on the coin toss last season. The Jaguars elected to defer and the Trojans started on offense.

Graduates: Troy has 15 players on its roster who have already earned their undergraduate degrees -- QB Taylor Powell, LB Carlton Martial, WR Luke Whittemore, LB Jordan Anthony, CB Devan Barrett, P Luke Magliozzi, OL Bubba Hudson, OL Austin Stidham, WR Reggie Todd, P Kyle Coale, DE John Hines, OL Dylan Bradshaw, LS Cameron Kate, DT Cherokee Glasgow, RB B.J. Smith.

Disciplined: Troy's offense averaged just 2.09 penalties per game last year, the sixth-fewest in the country. The Trojans' 1.95 offensive penalties per 100 plays ranked second nationally behind only Colorado (1.55).

What's next: Troy stays at The Vet for another nonconference opponent. Liberty, which opened its season with a 48-7 victory at home over Campbell on Saturday, visits Troy. The Flames, led by former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze, lead the series 2-1, including a 22-16 victory in the last meeting in 2018.

Troy University Athletics

NOTEBOOK - Troy's Defense Steals the Show

Players Mentioned

Jordan Anthony

Devan Barrett

Dylan Bradshaw

Kyle Coale

Terence Dunlap

Cherokee Glasgow

Bubba Hudson

Tez Johnson

Cameron Kaye

Luke Magliozzi

Carlton Martial

Jayden McDonald

Taylor Powell

B.J. Smith

Austin Stidham

Deshon Stoudemire

Reggie Todd

Kimani Vidal

Luke Whittemore

Zion Williams

Jamontez Woods

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