Troy Hosts Louisiana on Senior Day at The Vet

Saturday, November 18

Troy, Ala.

2:30 p.m.

Troy University

Louisiana

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Photo by: Joey Meredith

Troy Hosts Louisiana on Senior Day at The Vet

11/16/2023 11:51:00 AM | Football

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy has locked up a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game for a second straight season. However, there is still much more on the table for the Trojans as they prepare for the final two games of the regular season, beginning Saturday with a showdown against Louisiana at The Vet.

Kickoff between the Trojans (8-2, 5-1 SBC) and Cajuns (5-5, 2-4) is set for 2:30 p.m. in what will be the final regular season home game for 20 Troy seniors, in addition to being Troy's annual salute to the military and Sound of the South Alumni Band Day.

A win over Louisiana moves Troy one step closer to hosting the Sun Belt Championship Game on Dec. 2. The Trojans can't clinch homefield advantage this weekend, no matter their result or what happens in East Division play.

The Trojans enter the week on a seven-game winning streak, the 11^th longest active streak in the country, following their 45-14 victory at ULM last week. The win over the Warhawks was not the prettiest of the season for Troy, allowing its third-most yards (309) and totaling its third-fewest yards (346) despite winning by its second-biggest margin (31).

While the script is almost identical to Troy's run to a Sun Belt title last year, the results on the field have been vastly different. Over Troy's similar seven-game winning streak in 2022, the Trojans won those games by a combined 47 points … this year, the margin is 144 points.

Head coach Jon Sumrall is a perfect 10-0 against Sun Belt West Division opponents in his one-plus season leading the Trojans, while Troy's two league losses have come by a combined six points (one on a Hail Mary).

Speaking of the Hail Mary, Troy is 19-2 since that fateful day in Boone, N.C., last September, and the Trojans have played the fifth-most difficult Group of Five schedule the last two seasons, and the 10^th most this season, ahead of Tulane, SMU, James Madison, Liberty and Toledo.

Saturday will match up Troy's eighth-ranked defense, 15^th against the run, against the Cajuns' 24^th-ranked rushing attack. The Trojans are yielding just 100.5 yards per game on the ground and a measly 296.7 total yards; Troy has held 7-of-10 opponents under the 300-yard mark.

Troy racked up nine sacks in the victory over ULM, including a school record four from Javon Solomon and 3.5 from Richard Jibunor; the Trojans have 23 sacks in their last five games.

Offensively, quarterback Gunnar Watson has thrown 10 touchdown passes in the last three games and enters the weekend with a 21-4 touchdown to interception ratio. Kimani Vidal ranks fourth nationally rushing the football, while Jabre Barber, Chris Lewis, Deshon Stoudemire and Devonte Ross provide matchup nightmares on the edges.

Senior Day
Troy will honor 20 seniors before the game as they take the field for the last time in a regular season home game. The Trojans are 20-4 the past two seasons, earning back-to-back Sun Belt Championship Game appearances and a No. 19 ranking in the AP Top 25 last season.

The following players will be honored before the game:
Grant Betts, Don Callis, Jamarcus Chatman, Carloss Crawford, Irshaard Davis, O'shai Fletcher, Richard Jibunor, Buddha Jones, Asa Martin, Jayden McDonald, Clayton Ollendieck, Dell Pettus, AJ Pierce, Marcus Rogers, Quentin Skinner, Javon Solomon, Reddy Steward, Deshon Stoudemire, Kimani Vidal, Gunnar Watson

Notable
• Troy is 20-4 since the start of the 2022 season and has done so against the fifth-most difficult G5 schedule (SportsSource Analytics) ... Troy's schedule ranks 10th this year - James Madison 32; Tulane 35, Liberty 46, SMU 53, Toledo 60.

• Troy clinched the Sun Belt West Division title last week; the Trojans have won the West in both of their seasons in the division.

• Troy is 11-1 when Kimani Vidal rushes for 100-plus yards and 23-3 when he rushes for 50-plus yards. The Trojans are 7-11 when Vidal rushes for fewer than 50 yards.

• Troy's seven conference titles since 2006 are the sixth most in the country; an eighth would tie Boise State, Alabama and Clemson for the third-most.

• Four of Troy's six home games have been televised to a national audience, the most in program history.

• Troy has allowed just nine passing touchdowns this season, the eighth fewest in the country. The Trojans have not allowed a passing TD in five different games, the second most in the country.

• In Troy's last six games, the Trojans have allowed a combined 47 points and just five touchdowns. It is the fewest points allowed nationally this season, starting with a team's fifth game and second-fewest touchdowns (Iowa, 4).

• Troy has two of the nation's top three active leaders in career sacks -- Richard Jibunor (1st, 30.5.) and Javon Solomon (3rd, 27.0).

• O'shai Fletcher has played 62 career games, the sixth most among active FBS players and 10th most across all divisions.

• Troy has forced 15 turnovers the last six games; Troy forced just two turnovers in the first two games.

• Troy has allowed five touchdowns in its last six games, the second-fewest in the country, while Troy's 47 points allowed are the fewest in that span.

• Troy ranks seventh nationally, scoring on 94.87 percent of its red zone opportunities.

• Troy ranks 13^th nationally, averaging 9.7 points scored per game in the fourth quarter.

• Kimani Vidal is 170 yards shy of becoming Troy's single-season rushing leader.