Troy Football Heads to ULM For Divisional Matchup

Saturday, November 11

Monroe, La.

1 p.m.

Troy University

ULM

Troy Football Heads to ULM For Divisional Matchup

11/9/2023 11:44:00 AM | Football

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Winners of six straight games, Troy hits the road for a Sun Belt West Division matchup against ULM at Malone Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Troy (7-2, 4-1 SBC) has a path to locking up a berth in the Sun Belt Championship Game this weekend with a victory over ULM in addition to losses by Arkansas State (South Alabama), Louisiana (Southern Miss) and Texas State (Coastal Carolina).

To lock up their seventh straight victory for a second consecutive season (Troy won 11 straight games in 2022), the Trojans will have to win in a place where they haven't had much success. ULM (2-7, 0-6) has won five of the last six meetings with Troy at Malone Stadium dating back to 2005.

The Trojans dominated the final three quarters last time out as they outscored South Alabama 28-3 in the final 45 minutes en route to their sixth straight victory over their in-state rival.

Chris Lewis caught three touchdown passes, he leads the Sun Belt with seven on the season, Kimani Vidal topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and became Troy's all-time leading rusher, and the Troy defense stymied the Jags, holding them to just 252 yards of total offense.

Troy's defense enters the weekend as one of the best in the country, allowing just three touchdowns and 33 points in the last five games – both the best marks in the country. The Trojans have completely locked opponents down in the second half and third quarter, ranking eighth nationally, allowing 6.7 points in the second half and ranking third, allowing 2.2 points in the third quarter.

Offensively, Troy enters the weekend with the nation's 10^th-best passing attack, according to PFF, and one of the best big-play offenses. The Trojans are fifth in the country with six rushes of 40-plus yards and fourth with 74.1 percent of their touchdowns coming from 10-plus yards.

Since Jon Sumrall's arrival as head coach, Troy has not lost a game to a Sun Belt West Division foe as the Trojans head to Monroe 9-0 against their side of the conference. The Trojans have won 18 of their last 20 games overall, and their two Sun Belt losses in Sumrall's tenure have come by a combined six points.

The Warhawks opened the season with victories over Army and Lamar and have since lost seven straight games, including a pair of heartbreakers to App State and Texas State. The Mountaineers booted a 54-yard field goal as time expired to win by one point, while the Bobcats scored with 41 seconds remaining to escape with a one-point victory.

Notable
• Troy is 18-2 since losing on a Hail Mary at App State on Sept. 17, 2022.

• Troy is 11-1 when Kimani Vidal rushes for 100-plus yards and 22-3 when he rushes for 50-plus yards. The Trojans are 7-11 when Vidal rushes for fewer than 50 yards.

• Troy finished 6-0 in close games at the half last season (score differential is five points or less) ... the Trojans are 3-1 this season.

• From 2005-21, Troy was 11-73 when trailing at the half and 5-52 when scoring less than 21 points ... under Jon Sumrall, Troy is 7-3 when trailing at the half and 5-3 when scoring less than 21 points.

• Senior safety Dell Pettus has started 56 straight games, the longest active streak in the country.

• Since week three, Troy ranks 13th nationally, allowing 1,769 yards of total offense and second, allowing 63 points.

• Troy has two of the nation's top six active leaders in career sacks -- Richard Jibunor (2nd, 27.) and Javon Solomon (4th, 23.0).

• O'shai Fletcher has played 61 career games, the sixth most among active FBS players and 10th most across all divisions.

• Troy has forced 14 turnovers the last five games; Troy forced just two turnovers in the first two games.

• Since 2016, Troy has forced multiple turnovers in 51 games, the fourth most in the country. The Trojans have forced three or more turnovers in 32 games and four-plus turnovers in 16 games, both lead the country.

• Troy has turned the ball over just four times in the last five games after turning it over 10 times in the first four games.

• Since the start of the 2022 season, Troy is fifth nationally, allowing 7.57 points in the second half and fourth, allowing 3.96 points in the fourth quarter.

• Gunnar Watson is the top-ranked G5 quarterback in the country and 13^th overall, according to Pro Football Focus.

• Chris Lewis leads the country (min. 40 targets), averaging 24.1 yards per catch.