Troy University Athletics
Troy Hosts Sam Houston to Open 2026 Campaign
9/3/2026 8:44:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. – Coming off its third Sun Belt Championship Game appearance in four seasons, Troy opens its much-anticipated 2026 season on Saturday when it hosts Sam Houston at The Vet; kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Fans are encouraged to wear Cardinal for the game and can take advantage of the United in Cardinal ticket special for a $15 lower-level seat in sections 104, 106, 204 and 216 by visiting TroyTrojans.com/Promo and entering the code UNITEDCARD.
Head coach Gerad Parker led the Trojans to a four-win improvement last season, and his squad was picked to repeat as Sun Belt West Division champions.
Troy returns just a handful of starters on both sides of the football – one on defense – but is the lone school at the G6 level to return an All-American (punter Evan Crenshaw) and the first Sun Belt school since 2023 to return a pair of All-Sun Belt First Team picks (Crenshaw and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Donnie Smith).
Goose Crowder is back for his third season leading the Troy offense and will do so with a rebuilt offensive line featuring four new starters, a new offensive coordinator and deep skill position rooms.
Sam Houston is in year two under head coach Phil Longo, who took over the program following runs as the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, North Carolina and Ole Miss. The Bearkats struggled a season ago, finishing 2-10 with wins over Oregon State and Delaware.
Bearkats' quarterback Landyn Locke, running back Alton McCaskill, defensive linemen Dylan Frazier and Darien Jackson, plus kick returner Tim Burns were named to C-USA's Preseason Watch List (every team gets five selections).
Notable
• The Trojans are 13-12 in season openers since moving to the FBS in 2001 ... Troy is 56-43-6 all- time in season openers and 21-12 as an NCAA Division I (FCS & FBS) member (1993-present)
• Troy has won 13 of its last 14 games against teams from the state of Texas dating back to the 2012 season. Texas State (10-1), North Texas (2-0) & UTSA (1-0)
• Troy averaged 5.5 yards per play in seven of its eight victories last season
• Troy held opponents to a 46.67 percent touchdown rate in the red zone, the ninth best in the country, last season. Troy held opponents to a 77.78 success rate in the red zone overall, the 26th best mark in the country
• Troy quarterbacks rushed for seven touchdowns last season – Tucker Kilcrease (5) & Goose Crowder (2) – the most since 2017
• Donnie Smith led the Sun Belt with 11 sacks last season ... it was the second time in the last three seasons a Trojan has led the league in sacks (Javon Solomon, 2023, 16)
• Troy has won eight of its last nine games with rushing for 100 yards or more
• Troy has recorded multiple sacks in 35 games since the start of the 2022 season (26-9), the 18th most in the country. Troy has four or more sacks 18 times (16-2), the sixth most nationally, and five or more sacks 11 times (10-1), the sixth most in the country
• Troy has 19 defensive touchdowns since 2020, the fourth most in the country; the Trojans had five defensive TDs last season, the third most in the country
• New offensive coordinator Adam Austin's Tarleton State offense led the FCS, averaging 42.4 points per game, while ranking ninth in total offense (457.6), 16th in passing yards (263.6) and 18th in rushing (193.9). In his two seasons calling plays, Tarleton averaged 36.6 points and 436.7 yards per game. Tarleton finished the 2025 season as the top-scoring team at the FCS level and second-ranked scoring team across all Division I football, averaging 42.4 points per game. The Texans topped the 50-point mark five times during the season, including a stretch of four straight games
• Saturday marks 300 straight games for "Voice of the Trojans" Barry McKnight; he is in his 25th year calling Troy Football
• Troy has been outrushed in seven of its past eight straight games, winning four of the seven games. Troy is 43-110 since 2001, when being outrushed
• Troy has held 46 of its last 60 opponents to 375 yards of total offense or less; 16-of-26 in the Gerad Parker era
• Troy is 20-34 on the coin toss since 2022; the Trojans are 12-14 under Gerad Parker
• Troy is the only school to appear in multiple SBC Championship Games and have a winning record (2-1)
Fans are encouraged to wear Cardinal for the game and can take advantage of the United in Cardinal ticket special for a $15 lower-level seat in sections 104, 106, 204 and 216 by visiting TroyTrojans.com/Promo and entering the code UNITEDCARD.
Head coach Gerad Parker led the Trojans to a four-win improvement last season, and his squad was picked to repeat as Sun Belt West Division champions.
Troy returns just a handful of starters on both sides of the football – one on defense – but is the lone school at the G6 level to return an All-American (punter Evan Crenshaw) and the first Sun Belt school since 2023 to return a pair of All-Sun Belt First Team picks (Crenshaw and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Donnie Smith).
Goose Crowder is back for his third season leading the Troy offense and will do so with a rebuilt offensive line featuring four new starters, a new offensive coordinator and deep skill position rooms.
Sam Houston is in year two under head coach Phil Longo, who took over the program following runs as the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, North Carolina and Ole Miss. The Bearkats struggled a season ago, finishing 2-10 with wins over Oregon State and Delaware.
Bearkats' quarterback Landyn Locke, running back Alton McCaskill, defensive linemen Dylan Frazier and Darien Jackson, plus kick returner Tim Burns were named to C-USA's Preseason Watch List (every team gets five selections).
Notable
• The Trojans are 13-12 in season openers since moving to the FBS in 2001 ... Troy is 56-43-6 all- time in season openers and 21-12 as an NCAA Division I (FCS & FBS) member (1993-present)
• Troy has won 13 of its last 14 games against teams from the state of Texas dating back to the 2012 season. Texas State (10-1), North Texas (2-0) & UTSA (1-0)
• Troy averaged 5.5 yards per play in seven of its eight victories last season
• Troy held opponents to a 46.67 percent touchdown rate in the red zone, the ninth best in the country, last season. Troy held opponents to a 77.78 success rate in the red zone overall, the 26th best mark in the country
• Troy quarterbacks rushed for seven touchdowns last season – Tucker Kilcrease (5) & Goose Crowder (2) – the most since 2017
• Donnie Smith led the Sun Belt with 11 sacks last season ... it was the second time in the last three seasons a Trojan has led the league in sacks (Javon Solomon, 2023, 16)
• Troy has won eight of its last nine games with rushing for 100 yards or more
• Troy has recorded multiple sacks in 35 games since the start of the 2022 season (26-9), the 18th most in the country. Troy has four or more sacks 18 times (16-2), the sixth most nationally, and five or more sacks 11 times (10-1), the sixth most in the country
• Troy has 19 defensive touchdowns since 2020, the fourth most in the country; the Trojans had five defensive TDs last season, the third most in the country
• New offensive coordinator Adam Austin's Tarleton State offense led the FCS, averaging 42.4 points per game, while ranking ninth in total offense (457.6), 16th in passing yards (263.6) and 18th in rushing (193.9). In his two seasons calling plays, Tarleton averaged 36.6 points and 436.7 yards per game. Tarleton finished the 2025 season as the top-scoring team at the FCS level and second-ranked scoring team across all Division I football, averaging 42.4 points per game. The Texans topped the 50-point mark five times during the season, including a stretch of four straight games
• Saturday marks 300 straight games for "Voice of the Trojans" Barry McKnight; he is in his 25th year calling Troy Football
• Troy has been outrushed in seven of its past eight straight games, winning four of the seven games. Troy is 43-110 since 2001, when being outrushed
• Troy has held 46 of its last 60 opponents to 375 yards of total offense or less; 16-of-26 in the Gerad Parker era
• Troy is 20-34 on the coin toss since 2022; the Trojans are 12-14 under Gerad Parker
• Troy is the only school to appear in multiple SBC Championship Games and have a winning record (2-1)
Players Mentioned
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