Troy University Athletics
Thursday, November 13
Norfolk, Va.
6:30 p.m.
Troy University
at
Old Dominion
Photo by: Mia Bell
Troy Heads to Old Dominion for Primetime Showdown
11/11/2025 2:51:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. – There is exactly one college football game on Thursday night – Troy at Old Dominion at 6:30 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.
The national spotlight is the perfect venue for the Trojans (6-3, 4-1 SBC) to get back on track after seeing their five-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt two Saturdays ago in a 23-10 loss to Arkansas State.
For the Trojans, everything is still on the table and within their grasp when it comes to postseason aspirations. The easiest scenario without having to get tiebreakers and formulas involved for Gerad Parker's bunch to play in the Sun Belt Championship Game for a third time in the last four seasons is to simply win their three remaining games, starting with Thursday night.
Troy has had success on the road this season, winning three of its four games away from The Vet, with the only loss coming in Week 2 at Clemson in a game that the Trojans led 16-0 at halftime. In fact, Troy's three-game road winning streak is tied for the 10th-longest active streak in the country.
Thursday marks the expected return of quarterback Goose Crowder to the lineup for the Trojans. Parker has said all week that the redshirt-junior will play for the first time since an injury against Memphis on Sept. 13 sidelined him.
Old Dominion (6-3, 3-2) will test Troy's defense, which is ranked among the best in the Sun Belt for a fifth straight season. The Monarchs are second in the Sun Belt, averaging 451.8 yards per game while ranking fifth in the league in scoring (31.9), but actually rank behind the Trojans in scoring in league games, 32.2-30.6.
ODU quarterback Colton Joseph has separated himself from the league, leading all players, averaging 316.8 yards of total offense per game in addition to a league-best 19 touchdown passes. The bugaboo for the Monarchs has been protecting the football, as they rank 133rd out of 136 teams with 20 turnovers (8 fumbles, 12 interceptions).
The Monarchs have won two straight (App State, ULM) after allowing 101 points in losses to Marshall and James Madison in mid-October. Additionally, ODU battled No. 2 Indiana to a 13-point loss (27-14) in the opening weekend of the season.
Troy, on the flip side, has forced nine turnovers in its last three games and ranks third this season (second since 2020) in defensive turnovers.
Notable
• Troy has won seven of its last nine Sun Belt Conference games and nine of its last 13 games overall
• Troy controls its own destiny to appear in the Sun Belt Championship Game for the third time in the last four seasons ... if the Trojans win their remaining three games, it will earn the West Division spot in the game
• Troy is bowl eligible for the third time in the last four years and for the 13th time in the program's 25-year FBS history; it's the sixth time over the 10 seasons that Troy has become bowl eligible (2016, 17, 18, 22, 23, 25)
• Troy has forced nine turnovers in its last three games (six of the nine came over an 11-possession span) ... the Trojans had forced just four turnovers all season prior • 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 leads the Sun Belt and ranks 16th nationally, averaging 2.67 sacks per game
• Troy has forced a three-and-out on 31.3 percent of its opponent's possessions (31-of-99) • On Troy's fourth offensive snap against Arkansas State, Eli Russ hit the 2,000-snap mark for his career (Oklahoma State and Troy)
• Troy leads the Sun Belt, averaging just 5.67 penalties per game
• Troy is currently second in the SBC in yards per game allowed and third in points per game allowed ... the Trojans have ranked in the top four in scoring defense in four of the last five seasons and in the top four in total defense in each of the last five seasons (including 2025) • Troy has held opponents to a 51.7 percent touchdown rate in the red zone, the 23rd best in the country
• Troy has held seven of its nine opponents to 375 yards or fewer this season, the 12th most games nationally
• Troy's 53 plays of 10-plus yards in the month of October tied for the 28th most in the country, while the 20 plays of 20-plus yards tied for 12th
• Tray Taylor is fifth nationally, averaging 20.1 yards per catch
• Following Thursday's game, Troy will have played against 70 of the other 135 FBS schools
The national spotlight is the perfect venue for the Trojans (6-3, 4-1 SBC) to get back on track after seeing their five-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt two Saturdays ago in a 23-10 loss to Arkansas State.
For the Trojans, everything is still on the table and within their grasp when it comes to postseason aspirations. The easiest scenario without having to get tiebreakers and formulas involved for Gerad Parker's bunch to play in the Sun Belt Championship Game for a third time in the last four seasons is to simply win their three remaining games, starting with Thursday night.
Troy has had success on the road this season, winning three of its four games away from The Vet, with the only loss coming in Week 2 at Clemson in a game that the Trojans led 16-0 at halftime. In fact, Troy's three-game road winning streak is tied for the 10th-longest active streak in the country.
Thursday marks the expected return of quarterback Goose Crowder to the lineup for the Trojans. Parker has said all week that the redshirt-junior will play for the first time since an injury against Memphis on Sept. 13 sidelined him.
Old Dominion (6-3, 3-2) will test Troy's defense, which is ranked among the best in the Sun Belt for a fifth straight season. The Monarchs are second in the Sun Belt, averaging 451.8 yards per game while ranking fifth in the league in scoring (31.9), but actually rank behind the Trojans in scoring in league games, 32.2-30.6.
ODU quarterback Colton Joseph has separated himself from the league, leading all players, averaging 316.8 yards of total offense per game in addition to a league-best 19 touchdown passes. The bugaboo for the Monarchs has been protecting the football, as they rank 133rd out of 136 teams with 20 turnovers (8 fumbles, 12 interceptions).
The Monarchs have won two straight (App State, ULM) after allowing 101 points in losses to Marshall and James Madison in mid-October. Additionally, ODU battled No. 2 Indiana to a 13-point loss (27-14) in the opening weekend of the season.
Troy, on the flip side, has forced nine turnovers in its last three games and ranks third this season (second since 2020) in defensive turnovers.
Notable
• Troy has won seven of its last nine Sun Belt Conference games and nine of its last 13 games overall
• Troy controls its own destiny to appear in the Sun Belt Championship Game for the third time in the last four seasons ... if the Trojans win their remaining three games, it will earn the West Division spot in the game
• Troy is bowl eligible for the third time in the last four years and for the 13th time in the program's 25-year FBS history; it's the sixth time over the 10 seasons that Troy has become bowl eligible (2016, 17, 18, 22, 23, 25)
• Troy has forced nine turnovers in its last three games (six of the nine came over an 11-possession span) ... the Trojans had forced just four turnovers all season prior • 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 leads the Sun Belt and ranks 16th nationally, averaging 2.67 sacks per game
• Troy has forced a three-and-out on 31.3 percent of its opponent's possessions (31-of-99) • On Troy's fourth offensive snap against Arkansas State, Eli Russ hit the 2,000-snap mark for his career (Oklahoma State and Troy)
• Troy leads the Sun Belt, averaging just 5.67 penalties per game
• Troy is currently second in the SBC in yards per game allowed and third in points per game allowed ... the Trojans have ranked in the top four in scoring defense in four of the last five seasons and in the top four in total defense in each of the last five seasons (including 2025) • Troy has held opponents to a 51.7 percent touchdown rate in the red zone, the 23rd best in the country
• Troy has held seven of its nine opponents to 375 yards or fewer this season, the 12th most games nationally
• Troy's 53 plays of 10-plus yards in the month of October tied for the 28th most in the country, while the 20 plays of 20-plus yards tied for 12th
• Tray Taylor is fifth nationally, averaging 20.1 yards per catch
• Following Thursday's game, Troy will have played against 70 of the other 135 FBS schools
Players Mentioned
Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - No. 24 Alabama
Sunday, December 21
Troy vs. No. 24 Alabama
Sunday, December 21
Troy vs. Marshall (Full Highlights)
Sunday, December 21
Players Postgame Press Conference (Marshall)
Saturday, December 20