Troy University Athletics
Saturday, November 22
Troy, Ala.
3 p.m.
Troy University
vs
Georgia State
Troy Hosts Georgia State on Senior Day & Military Appreciation Day at The Vet
11/20/2025 2:29:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. – The Sun Belt West Division is a wide-open race to the finish line, with Troy in almost total control of its own road to clinch a spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game without any outside help. The Trojans begin their two-game sprint to their third title game appearance in the last four years this Saturday against Georgia State at The Vet.
Kickoff between Troy (6-4, 4-2 SBC) and Georgia State (1-9, 0-6) is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. All military personnel and their families will receive free admission to the game and be treated to a pregame tailgate party. Troy will also honor its 24 senior prior to the game.
Troy clinches its spot in the SBC Championship Game, which would be played at James Madison on Dec. 5, with wins over Georgia State this weekend and a subsequent win at Southern Miss next week. In this scenario, Southern Miss would also need to beat South Alabama this weekend, or Arkansas State lose either of its final two games against Louisiana (Thursday night) or at App State next weekend.
Coming off a five-game winning streak, the Trojans are looking to shake the rust off a mini two-game skid following their loss at Old Dominion last Thursday night.
Don't let Georgia State's record fool you; the Panthers gave James Madison its stiffest test of the year (14-7) and have played their last three league games within two possessions.
The Panthers have one of the nation's best receivers in Ted Hurst, who ranks seventh in the country with 92.8 receiving yards per game and 10th with 6.4 receptions per game. Troy counters with Tray Taylor, one of the nation's top big-play threats, as he ranks sixth nationally, averaging 20.1 yards per catch.
Troy will have to take advantage of a Georgia State defense that ranks in the bottom 10 nationally in rushing, pass efficiency, total yards and third-down conversions.
Goose Crowder made his first appearance at quarterback for the Trojans last week since an injury against Memphis back on Sept. 13. The Trojans must get the running game going against the Panthers; Troy has been outrushed in six straight games, but the Trojans are 4-0 this year when topping the 100-yard mark and have won seven of their last eight games.
Jaquez White, who ranks 21st nationally with 1.10 passes defended this season, will be a key part of Troy's game plan against Hurt, while the Sun Belt's sack leader Donnie Smith (7) will need to be a difference maker up front.
Notable
• Troy has held opponents to a 50 percent success rate scoring touchdowns in the red zone, the 16th-best mark in the country
• Troy has won seven of its last 10 Sun Belt Conference games and nine of its last 14 games overall
• Troy can clinch a spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game with wins over Georgia State
& Southern Miss plus either a Southern Miss win at South Alabama or an Arkansas State loss
• Troy's 5.50 penalties per game are the fewest committed by a Sun Belt team
• 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 is 5-0 this season and 8-1 in its last nine when reaching 20 first downs in a game
• Troy has forced nine turnovers in its last four games (six of the nine came over an 11-possession span) ... the Trojans had forced just four turnovers all season prior
• Donnie Smith leads the Sun Belt with seven sacks ... it would be the second time in the last three seasons a Trojan has led the league in sacks (Javon Solomon, 2023, 16).
• 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 has forced a three-and-out on 31.3 percent of its opponent's possessions (35-of-112)
• On Troy's fourth offensive snap against Arkansas State, Eli Russ hit the 2,000-snap mark for his career (Oklahoma State and Troy)
• Jaquez White is averaging 1.10 passes defended per game, the third most in the Sun Belt and 21st most in the country. His nine PBUs are tied for the 14th most in the country
• Troy has recorded multiple sacks in 32 games since the start of the 2022 season (25-7), the 23rd most in the country. Troy has four or more sacks 17 times (16-1), the fifth most nationally, and five or more sacks 10 times (10-0), the fifth most in the country
Kickoff between Troy (6-4, 4-2 SBC) and Georgia State (1-9, 0-6) is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. All military personnel and their families will receive free admission to the game and be treated to a pregame tailgate party. Troy will also honor its 24 senior prior to the game.
Troy clinches its spot in the SBC Championship Game, which would be played at James Madison on Dec. 5, with wins over Georgia State this weekend and a subsequent win at Southern Miss next week. In this scenario, Southern Miss would also need to beat South Alabama this weekend, or Arkansas State lose either of its final two games against Louisiana (Thursday night) or at App State next weekend.
Coming off a five-game winning streak, the Trojans are looking to shake the rust off a mini two-game skid following their loss at Old Dominion last Thursday night.
Don't let Georgia State's record fool you; the Panthers gave James Madison its stiffest test of the year (14-7) and have played their last three league games within two possessions.
The Panthers have one of the nation's best receivers in Ted Hurst, who ranks seventh in the country with 92.8 receiving yards per game and 10th with 6.4 receptions per game. Troy counters with Tray Taylor, one of the nation's top big-play threats, as he ranks sixth nationally, averaging 20.1 yards per catch.
Troy will have to take advantage of a Georgia State defense that ranks in the bottom 10 nationally in rushing, pass efficiency, total yards and third-down conversions.
Goose Crowder made his first appearance at quarterback for the Trojans last week since an injury against Memphis back on Sept. 13. The Trojans must get the running game going against the Panthers; Troy has been outrushed in six straight games, but the Trojans are 4-0 this year when topping the 100-yard mark and have won seven of their last eight games.
Jaquez White, who ranks 21st nationally with 1.10 passes defended this season, will be a key part of Troy's game plan against Hurt, while the Sun Belt's sack leader Donnie Smith (7) will need to be a difference maker up front.
Notable
• Troy has held opponents to a 50 percent success rate scoring touchdowns in the red zone, the 16th-best mark in the country
• Troy has won seven of its last 10 Sun Belt Conference games and nine of its last 14 games overall
• Troy can clinch a spot in the Sun Belt Championship Game with wins over Georgia State
& Southern Miss plus either a Southern Miss win at South Alabama or an Arkansas State loss
• Troy's 5.50 penalties per game are the fewest committed by a Sun Belt team
• 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 is 5-0 this season and 8-1 in its last nine when reaching 20 first downs in a game
• Troy has forced nine turnovers in its last four games (six of the nine came over an 11-possession span) ... the Trojans had forced just four turnovers all season prior
• Donnie Smith leads the Sun Belt with seven sacks ... it would be the second time in the last three seasons a Trojan has led the league in sacks (Javon Solomon, 2023, 16).
• 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 has forced a three-and-out on 31.3 percent of its opponent's possessions (35-of-112)
• On Troy's fourth offensive snap against Arkansas State, Eli Russ hit the 2,000-snap mark for his career (Oklahoma State and Troy)
• Jaquez White is averaging 1.10 passes defended per game, the third most in the Sun Belt and 21st most in the country. His nine PBUs are tied for the 14th most in the country
• Troy has recorded multiple sacks in 32 games since the start of the 2022 season (25-7), the 23rd most in the country. Troy has four or more sacks 17 times (16-1), the fifth most nationally, and five or more sacks 10 times (10-0), the fifth most in the country
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
BAN
/ Football
WR
/ Football
CB
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