Troy Runs Past Nicholls in Fourth Quarter

Saturday, August 30

Troy, Ala.

6 p.m.

Troy University

1-0 , 0-0

Nicholls

1-1 , 1-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Nicholls

Troy

8/30/2025 11:14:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Game Notes (PDF)Troy Quotes Players Press Conference Gerad Parker Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2 Photo Gallery 3 Photo Gallery 4 Photo Gallery 5 Photo Gallery 6

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy overcame an early 10-point deficit with a 28-point fourth quarter outburst to defeat Nicholls 38-20 in its season opener Saturday night at The Vet.

Quarterback Goose Crowder threw three touchdown passes and added a rushing score as the Trojans extended their winning streak over the Colonels to five games. Troy has now won 21 of 22 games against FCS opponents since joining the FBS ranks in 2001.

Troy (1-0) trailed 10-0 late in the first quarter before rallying behind running back Tae Meadows, who rushed for 186 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. His 47-yard score in the fourth quarter gave the Trojans breathing room after a tight battle most of the way. The performance ranks as the third-most rushing yards in a season opener in program history.

Crowder completed 14-of-24 passes for 144 yards without an interception. He found Roman Mothershed for a 27-yard touchdown just before halftime, then connected with Tray Taylor on a 28-yard strike in the fourth quarter to put Troy ahead. Crowder later capped the surge with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ethan Conner, his first since 2023.

Nicholls (1-1) held a 10-0 lead after the first quarter and trailed only 17-13 heading into the final frame, but the Trojans' depth and pace wore them down. The Colonels managed just 249 total yards, including 65 on the ground, as Troy's defense recorded four sacks and an interception.

Linebacker Jordan Stringer and nose tackle Luis Medina led a defense that has now held opponents under 100 rushing yards in four straight games. Transfers Donnie Smith and Jaquez White each delivered key plays, with Smith registering his first Troy sack and White notching his first interception at the FBS level.

Special teams added another boost. New punter Evan Crenshaw averaged 54.0 yards on three punts, including two over 50 yards, while kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe drilled a 24-yard field goal and moved into a tie for sixth place on Troy's all-time career list with 31 field goals.

The Trojans finished with 272 rushing yards and 23 first downs, extending a streak of six straight games with at least 23 first downs. The 28-point fourth quarter was Troy's highest-scoring frame since the 2023 Sun Belt Championship Game against Appalachian State.

Troy improved to 13-12 in season openers since moving to the FBS and 56-43-6 all-time.

Up Next
Troy travels to Death Valley to take on Clemson next Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

Quotable – Troy Head Coach Gerad Parker
I'm very happy for our football team, our program, our staff and our players. I said it already in one interview, but I think a huge testament goes to the training and the shape of our football team to play that much of a game early in the year. It was a huge testament to our depth and stamina, and I'm really excited for our fan base to open up an event and get a much-needed win in front of a great crowd tonight.

Notable
• Troy trailed 10-0 in the first quarter and came back to win 38-20. It was the Trojans' largest comeback since overcoming a 12-0 deficit to win 18-12 in the 2022 Cure Bowl against UTSA.

• Paul Bowling became the first true freshman to start at center in a season opener at Troy since at least 1982 (records prior are incomplete).

• Tae Meadows rushed for 186 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, which ranks as the 19th most in a game in program history and the third-most in a season opener in program history -- Kimani Vidal 248 yards (Stephen F. Austin, 2023), Shawn Southward (UAB, 2012).

• Troy rushed for 272 yards as a team to improve 25-0 since 2015 when rushing for more than 200 yards and 29-0 since joining the Sun Belt in 2004 when rushing for 250 yards.

• Troy finished with 23 first downs in the game, marking the sixth straight game that the Trojans have topped 23 first downs dating back to last season.

• RaRa Thomas caught one pass for seven yards in his Troy debut to extend his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 29 games.

• Troy's 144 passing yards were its fewest in a win since the 2022 Cure Bowl win over UTSA, when the Trojans passed for 113 yards.

• Troy's 28-point fourth quarter was its highest scoring quarter since scoring 28 in the fourth quarter of the 2023 Sun Belt Championship Game victory over App State.

• Thanks to its 28-point fourth quarter, the Trojans have scored 14 points in a quarter in five straight games.

• Troy went 3-for-3 in the red zone ... the Trojans finished second in the country in 2024, scoring on 35-of-37 red zone opportunities.

• Troy held Nicholls to 249 yards of total offense; the Trojans entered the season as one of just four teams to hold multiple teams to fewer than 250 yards in a game in six straight seasons.

• Troy held Nicholls to just four rushing first downs; the Trojans have held four straight opponents to four or fewer first downs and six of their last seven opponents.

• Troy recorded four sacks as a team in the opener ... the Trojans now have 17 sacks in their last seven games.

• Troy has recorded multiple sacks in 27 games since the start of the 2022 season, going 21-6 in those games ... it also marked the 14th game in that time period with four or more sacks in a game.

• Troy has held five of its last seven opponents to 318 yards or fewer after limiting Nicholls to 249 yards of offense.

• Troy held Nicholls to just 65 yards on the ground. Troy has held four straight opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground.

• Troy has held 18 opponents to less than 300 yards since the start of the 2022 season, improving to 16-2 in such games.

• Troy has held 30 of its last 36 opponents to less than 400 yards of total offense.

• Evan Crenshaw boomed his first punt of the season 57 yards, the second longest of his career. He had a 67-yard punt in 2023 against Georgia Southern while playing for Coastal Carolina.

• Evan Crenshaw averaged 54.0 yards per punt on his three attempts; it is the fourth-best average by a Troy punter since at least 1995 with at least three attempts in a game.

• Scott Taylor Renfroe scored eight points in the game to move into 14th place all-time in Troy history with 182 career points.