Troy Travels to No. 8 Clemson

TROY, Ala. – Almost nine years to the date of pulling a near-stunning upset in Death Valley, Troy returns to the Palmetto state for a battle with No. 8 Clemson at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on ACC Network.

Clemson defeated Troy, 30-24, on Sept. 10, 2016, as the nation's No. 2 ranked team at the time and a 33.5-point favorite at kickoff. The Tigers, who went on to win the national title that season, were benefitted by two controversial calls on a drive that covered the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth quarter provided a 14-point swing in Clemson's favor.

Troy (1-0) makes its first return trip to Clemson (0-1) since that game in a similar situation. Just like in 2016, the Trojans are coming off a 4-8 season with a season-opening victory over an FCS school in the second season of a new head coach.

It took Gerad Parker's squad 45 minutes to find its footing last week against Nicholls, a squad that defeated No. 4 UIW in Week 0, but once Troy got the engine running, the Trojans hit their stride.

Redshirt-junior quarterback Goose Crowder led Troy on four scoring drives in the fourth quarter, three of which he had a direct impact on, with a rushing score and two TD passes. Troy is one of just four schools in the country (BYU, USC, Western Kentucky) with a 28-point quarter on its resume on the young season.

The breakout star was junior running back Tae Meadows, who finished with 186 yards and a touchdown after projected starter Trey Cooley was lost for the season earlier that week in practice. It was the third-best season opening performance in Troy history from the running back position and the best in the country this year.

Defensively, Troy limited the Colonels to just 249 yards and 11 first downs, but gave their opponent five additional first downs due to penalties and yielded 43 percent of the yards on just three plays. The Trojans found success behind the line of scrimmage, recording four sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Clemson opened the season in one of the nation's marquee matchups against LSU, with the Bengal Tigers coming out on top, 17-10. One of the most explosive offenses in the country, Clemson struggled to get anything going against LSU, mustering just 261 yards of total offense, including just 31 yards on the ground. All-American quarterback Cade Klubnik finished 19-of-38 for 230 yards through the air, and Clemson's potential game-tying drive ended on the LSU 15-yard line with 63 seconds remaining.

Notable
• Troy is celebrating its 25th season as an FBS member in 2025 ... during its run at the highest level of college football, Troy has won eight conference titles and six bowl games

• 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

• Troy's 2024 spring practice saw its No. 3s take just 95 snaps due to depth issues; that number rose to 327 snaps for the No. 3s 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

• Troy averaged 9.8 points per quarter and 39.1 points per game over the final 18 quarters of 2024; the Trojans were at 4.5 per quarter and 18.1 per game the first 30 quarters of the season

• 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)

• A Troy tight end has caught a touchdown pass in five of the Trojans' last six games

• 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 has allowed four or fewer rushing first downs in four straight games and six or fewer in six of the last seven games ... Troy's four games with four or fewer rushing first downs allowed last year were tied for the 12th most in the country

• Three plays accounted for 43.8 percent of Nicholls' yards in the opener ... a 31-yard run, a 20-yard run and a 58-yard pass. The Colonels' other 49 plays accounted for the other 56.2 percent of the yards

• Troy is one of just four schools in the Sun Belt to return its head coach (Gerad Parker), offensive coordinator (Sean Reagan), defensive coordinator (Dontae Wright) and strength coach Darl Bauer

• Troy finished second nationally in the red zone last season ... Troy was 3-for-3 in the red zone in the opener
• Evan Crenshaw had three punts of 50-plus yards in the opener; Troy had one 50-yard punt last season

• Troy was one of four teams to have a 28-point quarter during Week 0 & Week 1 ... Troy (28), WKU (28), USC (28) & BYU (35)

• Nine different Trojans recorded at least a half TFL in the opener ... Troy had four sacks and eight TFLs in the game

• Senior receiver Tray Taylor registered 23.6 miles-per-hour this summer ... he is one of three Trojans who topped the 20 MPH mark (Mojo Dortch, Jaquez White)

• Troy has 27 players in their final year of eligibility on its roster in 2025 (9th most in the country); the Trojans led the country with just 12 in 2024. Of those 27, six began their career at Troy compared to none last season

• Troy's 74 victories since 2016 are the 20th most in the country and fifth most among G5 schools

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Players Mentioned

Paul Bowling

Trey Cooley

Evan Crenshaw

Goose Crowder

Mojo Dortch

Tae Meadows

Tray Taylor

Jaquez White

Troy University Athletics