Troy Hosts Memphis in Marquee Non-Conference Matchup

TROY, Ala. – Progress is measured in results. Troy Football has a chance to measure its progress on Saturday when Memphis comes to town for a non-conference matchup in The Vet; kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU.

Troy and Memphis met last season at the Liberty Bowl in Week Two; the Tigers came away with a 38-18 victory over the visiting Trojans. Memphis finished the season 11-2, including a win over West Virginia in the Frisco Bowl.

For the Trojans (1-1), their last six games (dating back to last season) have played out much differently than their first eight games. Troy is 4-2 over that stretch, including last weekend's battle in Death Valley that saw the Trojans go up on No. 8 Clemson 16-3 at the break before eventually losing, 27-16.

Troy held Clemson to just 316 yards of total offense, the Tigers' fewest at home against a non-P4 team since 2001. The Trojans limited the Tigers to 17 rushing yards in the first half, and Clemson didn't cross the 100-yard threshold until the final drive of the game; the Tigers averaged 3.9 yards per carry.

Luke Hodge forced a pair of turnovers, a forced fumble and a deflection that led to a pick six, as the Trojans held their sixth opponent in the last eight games to 318 yards or fewer.

Memphis (2-0) took care of business against Chattanooga in its opener and scored 21 of the game's final 28 points last week in a road victory at Georgia State. The Tigers have put together back-to-back 10-win seasons under head coach Ryan Silverfield; Memphis is 29-6 at home but just 11-14 on the road under Silverfield.

Tae Meadows backed up his opening week performance, rushing for 76 yards on just 16 carries against Clemson; he enters the weekend sixth nationally, averaging 131.0 yards per game on the ground.

A point of emphasis for the Trojans all offseason was forcing turnovers. Troy forced just nine turnovers a season ago, the fewest in the program's FBS history and fourth fewest in the country in 2024. Troy is already a third of the way to last year's total, and the Trojans have capitalized on the turnovers, turning all three into points.

The Tigers are led by a familiar face to the Trojans as quarterback Brendon Lewis, who leads Memphis in rushing (74.5 ypg, 2 TD) and passing (197.5 ypg, 1 TD) played at Nevada last season. Memphis' offense is balanced with 219 yards per game coming on the ground, while 197.5 is coming through the air. Defensively, Memphis is allowing 83.5 yards per game on the ground and 227.0 via the passing game.

Notable

Troy has had a 1,000-yard rusher in three straight seasons; the Trojans are the only Sun Belt school with a current multi-year 1,000-yard rusher streak
Tae Meadows rushed for 186 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the opener ... it ranked as the 19th most yards in a game in program history and the third-most in a season opener in program history
T.J. Thompson's interception return for a touchdown at Clemson was Troy's first defensive score against a P4 team since 2011 at Arkansas
Eight plays (out of 107) or 7.5 percent have accounted for 45.5 percent of the yards allowed by the Trojans
Troy has scored 17 points off its three turnovers forced this season
Justin Powe's 53-yard fumble return at Clemson was the longest by a Trojan since 2011
Troy has forced 203 turnovers since the start of the 2016 season, the fifth most in the country
Troy's No. 3 units logged only 95 snaps in 2024 spring practice due to depth issues; that number rose to 327 in spring 2025
Troy is 25-0 since 2015 when rushing for 200-plus yards in a game ... the Trojans are 53-2 since joining the Sun Belt in 2004
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) ... Among centers with at least 65 pass blocking plays, Bowling ranks 16th nationally in pass blocking per PFF and is one of 13 centers nationally with a perfect 100 PFF efficiency rating (min. 65 pass blocking snaps)
A Troy tight end has caught a touchdown pass in five of the Trojans' last seven games
Tae Meadows ranks seventh nationally (min. 35 attempts), averaging 4.46 yards after contact. Per PFF, he is the third-highest rated running back in the country and best in the G5
Troy held Clemson to 196 passing yards, the fewest by a Clemson squad since Georgia held it to 142 yards in the 2024 season opener. It was the fewest allowed by a non-Power 4 team since Georgia State held the Tigers to 148 yards in 2014.
Troy limited Clemson to 3.9 yards per carry (120 yards on 31 carries) ... it's the lowest output against a non-Power 4 team since UConn held Clemson to 3.0 yards per carry (129 yards on 43 carries) in 2021.
Troy is one of just four teams in the country to hold multiple opponents to fewer than 250 yards in each of the last six seasons -- Troy, Alabama, Air Force, Georgia

Troy Hosts Memphis in Marquee Non-Conference Matchup

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Players Mentioned

Paul Bowling

Luke Hodge

Tae Meadows

Justin Powe

Troy University Athletics