Troy University Athletics
Troy University
ULM
10/24/2026 7:55:00 PM | Football
TROY, Ala. - Troy held a 14-3 lead with just over six minutes remaining, but stumbled down the stretch, falling to ULM 21-14 at The Vet on Saturday in Sun Belt Conference action.
Troy (3-4, 1-2 SBC) struggled to establish offensive rhythm in the loss, finishing with just 200 yards of total offense and 47 passing yards. The Trojans were 3-for-16 on third down.
Gavin Griffin and Jordan Lovett led Troy on the ground; Griffin scored both of Troy's touchdowns – one through the air and the other on the ground – while Lovett rushed for 70 yards.
Aidan Armenta threw for 119 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, leading ULM (1-6, 1-2 SBC) to the comeback win.
After the Troy defense forced a ULM three-and-out to open the game, the Trojans put together a 17-play, nine-minute drive on their first possession, capped by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Kilcrease to Griffin.
ULM answered with a field goal, but the offenses stalled with three consecutive punts. On the third, Keyshawn Campbell delivered a perfectly timed hit that forced a fumble, which Lovett recovered for Troy.
However, the Trojans could not capitalize on the field position, as ULM intercepted Goose Crowder in the end zone on the first play of the ensuing drive.
Neither team threatened the rest of the first half, as Troy's defense, led by Keno Jones' eight first-half tackles, limited ULM to just 62 yards before the break. Jones finished the game with a team-high 12 tackles.
Yards continued to be hard to come by in the third quarter, with neither team scoring. ULM had the better opportunities, starting all three of its drives in the period in favorable field position.
The Trojans found the end zone with 6:16 to go in the game, as Griffin punched in a 1-yard touchdown run for the third year's second score of the afternoon to make the score 14-3.
The Warhawks' offense came to life in the final five minutes, scoring touchdowns on each of its final two possessions. Armenta connected with Bryce Anderson and Darrion Gilliam, but ULM failed on both two-point conversion attempts. The second touchdown gave the Warhawks a 15-14 lead with just 15 seconds remaining.
The Trojan offense could not capitalize in the final moments, as ULM recovered a fumble in the end zone after Troy's last-ditch lateral sequence, completing the fourth-quarter comeback and securing a 21-14 victory.
Quotable – Troy Head Coach Gerad Parker
It's a tough night, and many things go into tough nights like this. You either play winning football, or you don't, and we didn't play winning football. Great effort by our defense early, but a breakdown in passing defense caught up to us at the end. Our offense is truly inept; we can't score.
On lack of pushing the ball downfield
There's a complete lack of trust in being able to push the ball down the field. Either it's because of the defensive look, or not being able to get the ball lifted. There are many things that go into it.
Notable
• Troy won the coin toss (6-1) and elected to defer to the second half; it marked the second straight week that Troy did not receive the opening kickoff after taking the ball the first five games. The Trojans are now 26-35 in the last five seasons on the coin toss.
• Troy's opening drive of the game was 17 plays and covered 77 yards before a 5-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Kilcrease to Gavin Griffin. Troy rushed the ball 15 times for 60 yards.
• Troy has scored on its opening drive of the game four times this season, all touchdowns. The Trojans fell to 2-2 this season when scoring on their opening drive.
• Tucker Kilcrease's touchdown pass on the opening drive was his first of the season and 13th of his career, moving him into a tie for 20th place all-time in Troy history.
• Gavin Griffin's touchdown reception was just his fifth reception of the season and his first career touchdown reception.
• Troy's offense finished the game with 47 passing yards; its fewest since passing for 40 yards against North Texas on Oct. 5, 2005. It tied Troy's third-fewest passing yards since at least 1995.
• Gavin Griffin recorded his second career rushing touchdown with a 1-yard touchdown rush in the fourth quarter.
• Gavin Griffin became the second Troy player this year with a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game; Jordan Lovett did so against Southern Miss.
• Troy held ULM to a three-and-out on its opening drive; Troy opponents have not scored on 6-of-7 game-opening drives this season.
• Keyshawn Campbell forced a fumble on a ULM punt return in the second quarter; it was his first career forced fumble.
• The Troy defense finished the game with 8.0 tackles for loss, marking the third game this season with 8.0 or more tackles for loss.
• Troy forced one turnover in the game; the Trojans entered the week ranked fifth in the country with 235 turnovers forced since 2016.
• Troy held ULM to 243 yards of total offense; the 46th opponent held under 250 yards since moving to the FBS ranks in 2001, and second this season (Missouri).
• Donnie Smith recorded his sixth sack of the season, moving into a tie for 18th place in Troy history with 17 career sacks. He now has a sack in 15 games dating back to the 2025 season, the most in the country.
