Troy Hosts Marshall in First Meeting in Nearly Two Decades

TROY, Ala. – Just seven days after suffering a heartbreaking loss at App State that would have sent shockwaves through the country, Troy returns home for another tough battle as Marshall invades The Vet. Kickoff Saturday is slated for 6 p.m., and the contest marks Troy's debut on NFL Network.

Troy (1-2, 0-1 Sun Belt) led App State, which was hosting ESPN's College GameDay, 28-24, with just three seconds remaining when Chase Brice's Hail Mary attempt wobbled in the air and was tipped to Christian Horn for a 53-yard touchdown. The Mountaineers were coming off a win at No. 6 Texas A&M, a win that came just minutes before Marshall knocked off No. 8 Notre Dame in South Bend.

"They (Marshall) are not going to feel sorry for us because they lost a tough game too," head coach Jon Sumrall said. "The term around here is 'So what, now what.' I can't change last Saturday and today I can't change this Saturday yet, all I can do is help our team get better (today), and I'm going to work all day to help our team improve. If you don't have excitement, passion and enthusiasm about each and every opportunity, you should probably do something else."

This is the first meeting between the two schools since 2004 and the last time Marshall played in Troy (2003), fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts.

Troy's offense scored four times on the ground against a gritty Mountaineer defense; the Trojans entered the weekend with six passing touchdowns and none on the ground. Quarterback Gunnar Watson scored twice, DK Billingsley found the end zone for the first time since Sept. 2020 and Kimani Vidal scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Watson has been one of the nation's top passers this season, and Troy enters the game ranked eighth nationally with more than 350 yards per game through the air. The Trojans' 1,052 passing yards are the third most through three games in their DI history, and Watson is just 184 yards shy of joining the 5,000-yard club.

Sumrall hopes to get star linebacker Carlton Martial back this week after his 42-game start streak was snapped last weekend. Martial needs just three tackles to become the Sun Belt's all-time leader in the category and is 89 tackles shy of the FBS mark.

Troy will face an athletic bunch on the other side of the field, and turnovers will play a key role. The Trojans are second in the country since 2016, forcing 1.90 turnovers per game but failed to force a single turnover for just the 15^th time in the last 82 games in last weekend's loss.

Marshall (2-1, 0-0), which will be making its Sun Belt Conference debut in the game, ranks sixth nationally, averaging 263.3 yards per game on the ground and 15^th with 507.7 yards of total offense. Granted, the Thundering Herd racked up 380 rushing yards and 612 total yards in their season-opening victory over Norfolk State.

There is uncertainty whether star running back Rasheen Ali will make his 2022 debut after leading the country last season, as a freshman, with 23 touchdowns in addition to averaging 107.8 yards per game. However, the Herd have found a suitable replacement in Ali's sted, with Khalan Labron averaging 140.7 yards per game, good for fourth nationally.

Notable
• Troy has improved its second half adjustments from a season ago; the Trojans were -4.33 in the second half per game last year and -3.42 in the third quarter. Through three games this year, Troy is +1.33 in the third quarter and +2.0 in the second half

• Troy's four rushing touchdowns at App State were its most against an FBS opponent since 2015, when it also rushed for four TDs at App State

• Troy enters the weekend sixth nationally, attempting a pass on 59.9 percent of its offensive snaps

• Troy has scored on all three of its possessions heading into the half, with two coming on the final play of the half.

• Gunnar Watson leads the country averaging 178.7 passing yards in the second half of games this season, while his four second half touchdowns are tied for 11th and his 39 completions are the seventh most in the country. In addition, he has completed 80.0 percent of his passes on third down, which also leads the country.

Troy University Athletics

Troy Hosts Marshall in First Meeting in Nearly Two Decades

Players Mentioned

DK Billingsley

Carlton Martial

Kimani Vidal

Gunnar Watson

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