Troy Opens Home Slate vs. Alabama A&M on Saturday

TROY, Ala. – The anticipation for Saturday's home opener has been at an all-time high as Troy hosts Alabama A&M at The Vet to open the Trojans' 2022 home slate. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., gates open at 4:30 p.m., Trojan Walk is at 3:45 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

"We're excited about getting to play in front of our fans and in our stadium against a good football team," head coach Jon Sumrall said. "They won seven games last year and their last four of the season. Their roster is scattered with players who have been at Power Five programs."

Both teams are looking for their first victories of the season but are coming off different types of performances in week one. Troy (0-1) battled No. 21 Ole Miss to a 28-10 defeat, while Alabama A&M (0-1) fell 59-0 at UAB.

The Trojans forced three second half turnovers, all within four drives of each other, and held Ole Miss to just seven points and 165 yards in the second half, but a 21-3 halftime deficit proved to be too much to overcome in Sumrall's debut.

Gunnar Watson led the Trojan offense completing 34-of-47 passes for 275 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown strike to RaJae' Johnson in the fourth quarter. Kimani Vidal rushed for 48 yards, Deshon Stoudemire had six receptions and Jabre Barber finished with 60 receiving yards.

Troy's defense held the Rebels to just 167 yards through the air, the seventh fewest allowed by a Trojan defense against a Power Five opponent in school history. Carlton Martial moved closer to history with a team-best 11 tackles; he is now eight shy of setting the Sun Belt record and 93 short of the NCAA record for career tackles.

Craig Slocum added a career-best 10 tackles, while Keyshawn Swanson was Troy's highest-rated player per Pro Football Focus in the game with an 86.5 overall defensive grade. His performance ranked 29th nationally among players with at least 33 snaps after recording five tackles, a pass break up and a forced fumble.

The Trojans held the Rebels to the second-lowest output by an SEC team so far this season (LSU 23 points vs. Florida State), and the three forced turnovers are the most by an SEC opponent to date.

Notable
• Gunnar Watson became the ninth quarterback in Troy history to pass the 4,000-yard mark for his career after throwing for 275 yards at Ole Miss in the opener.

• Mike Rivers ranks second nationally (min. five punts) after averaging 49.6 yards on his five attempts at Ole Miss; it was his first game at Troy after transferring in from North Carolina A&T.

• Troy ranks second nationally since the start of the 2016 season with 144 turnovers forced.

• Brooks Buce is fifth nationally among players who have attempted a field goal in the 2021 and 2022 seasons, with his 90 percent success rate.

• Troy has lost the coin toss in 22 of its last 35 games.

Troy Opens Home Slate vs. Alabama A&M on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jabre Barber

Brooks Buce

RaJae' Johnson

Carlton Martial

Mike Rivers

Deshon Stoudemire

Keyshawn Swanson

Kimani Vidal

Gunnar Watson

Troy University Athletics