Troy Continues SBC Slate at ULM

TROY, Ala. – On the heels of three straight thrillers, Troy hits the road once again for another Sun Belt West Division matchup against a team that beat them last year as the Trojans travel to Monroe, La., for a showdown at ULM on Saturday at Malone Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Troy (4-2, 2-0 SBC) sits atop the Sun Belt West standings along with Southern Miss following overtime wins over Texas State and South Alabama, teams picked to finish second and fourth in the division, respectively. It marks the first time in program history and just the 16^th time since 2000 at the FBS level that a team has won in overtime in consecutive games.

Tucker Kilcrease has settled into the role of Troy's starting quarterback, earning both the Davey O'Brien and Manning Award National Quarterback of the Week honors after throwing for 415 yards and five touchdowns to rally the Trojans from down 28-7 in the first quarter to a 48-41 victory.

Despite just five starts under his belt, Kilcrease is tied for third nationally among active quarterbacks with three game-winning drives (scored in the final minute or overtime).

The story of Troy's success runs much deeper, as players up and down the roster have filled unexpected roles from the beginning of the season.

The Trojans finished Saturday's game at Texas State with just one offensive lineman on the field for overtime who started the game. Troy's leading rusher (Tae Meadows) and receiver (DJ Epps) were walk-ons before spring practice, as was the leading candidate for the Ray Guy Award (nation's top punter), Evan Crenshaw.

Defensively, Troy's senior leaders have lived up to their roles, with Devin Lafayette and Jordan Stringer combining for 117 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. The pair has recorded 19 and 15 tackles, respectively, the last two weeks.

ULM (3-3, 1-1) is trying to find its footing after racing out to a 3-1 start, including victories over UTEP and Arkansas State, before dropping back-to-back games at Northwestern and Coastal Carolina; the Warhawks are 2-0 at home this season.

The Warhawks have struggled to move the ball, averaging just 325.5 yards per game, and are middle of the pack defensively, allowing 391.0 yards per game.

ULM holds the upper hand in the series in Monroe, winning six of the 11 matchups (one tie), including five of the last seven games in Malone Stadium.

Notable
• Troy became just the 40th team since 1995 and ninth since the start of the 2019 season to win (Texas State) when allowing 40 points, 300 rushing yards and 550 total yards ... the Trojans were just the 19th team to do so on the road

• Troy is one of just 16 teams since 2000 to win overtime games in consecutive weeks -- Virginia did so earlier this year (Florida State & Louisville) and Georgia did so last year (Ga Tech & Texas)

• Tucker Kilcrease rushed for 102 yards on 19 carries against South Alabama, becoming the first Troy QB to top 100 yards since Kaleb Barker rushed for 111 yards against Georgia State in 2018

• Troy had not held an opponent on third-and-1 all season entering the Texas State game (0-for-6) but did so twice against the Bobcats, including in overtime

• Since the start of the fourth quarter at Buffalo (last nine quarters), Tucker Kilcrease has completed 52-of-76 passes for 709 yards and eight touchdowns, while rushing for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

• Troy has three of the top 25 ranked offensive linemen in the Sun Belt (min. 350 snaps) per Pro Football Focus -- Matt Henry (11), Elijah Prather (21) and Eli Russ (22)

• Tucker Kilcrease became just the second Troy quarterback since 1995 to pass for more than 200 yards and throw for more than 100 yards in a game when he rushed for 102 yards and passed for 203 yards against South Alabama. He joined Deon Anthony (245 passing yards, 115 rushing yards), who did so against FIU on Oct. 20, 2012

• Texas State finished with 574 yards of total offense; it was the fourth most allowed in a Troy victory at the FBS level and most since allowing 606 yards in a 32-25 win at Arkansas State in 2017

• Tucker Kilcrease's five touchdown passes at Texas State rank as the second most in a game in program history

• Troy's seven passing touchdowns are the second most in the country in October, while Troy's 187.12 passer rating for the month ranks fourth best

• Evan Crenshaw has 14 punts of 50-plus yards this season; Troy had one 50-yard punt last season

• Troy is 4-0 this season and has won seven of its last eight games when reaching 20 first downs

• Paddy McAteer's 53-yard field goal at the end of the first half against Texas State was tied for the longest in program history; he added an onside kick later in the game and earned SBC Player of the Week honors

• Eli Russ needs 67 snaps to reach 2,000 career snaps played

• Troy has scored 80 points in the 4th quarter (66) and overtime (14) ... Troy has a combined 81 points in the first three quarters

• DJ Epps's 148 receiving yards in the victory over Texas State are the 10th most in a game in the program's FBS history ... he also had an octopus (TD and 2-point conversion on same sequence)

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Players Mentioned

Evan Crenshaw

DJ Epps

Matt Henry

Tucker Kilcrease

Devin Lafayette

Paddy McAteer

Tae Meadows

Elijah Prather

Eli Russ

Jordan Stringer

Troy University Athletics