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Know the Foe: Troy

Know the Foe: Troy

Football Nov 17
By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

All signs point to a low-scoring slugfest when ULM visits Troy on Saturday. The Trojans (8-2, 5-1) are on a roll, thanks to a stingy defense that has held six of their last eight opponents to 100 rushing yards or less. Troy is allowing 13.4 points and 303.1 yards in its eight wins. The Trojans have allowed just 167 points (16.7 per game) and 20 touchdowns this season, the second-fewest points and touchdowns allowed through 10 games in Troy's Division I history. Averaging 21.3 ppg. overall offensively, Troy has four wins this season when scoring 17 or fewer points, which is tied with six other schools for the most since at least 2000. "Close ball games are the key," ULM coach Terry Bowden said. "They're winning close ball games, but defensively, they've dominated their opponents." With back-to-back wins over Texas State and Georgia State, ULM (4-6, 3-3) is still in contention for bowl eligibility with two games to go. The Warhawks ended a 19-game road losing streak last Saturday with their 31-28 win over the Panthers. They'll try to keep the good times rolling at Veterans Memorial Stadium, where kickoff is 2:30 p.m. "Don't let their record give you any indication," Troy coach Jon Sumrall said. "They're 4-6 by record but they lost by a score to Coastal Carolina, they lost by a score to South Alabama, and they played Alabama and Texas, two Power Five teams.

"They lost by one touchdown to two of the better teams in our league, so they're a really quality team." Riding a seven-game winning streak and seeking a spot in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game, Troy is trying to add to its own impressive conference resume. Troy's six Sun Belt Championships are tied with Arkansas State for the most in conference history. Troy and South Alabama enter the week both 5-1 in the Sun Belt West Division standings. "They're playing championship defense," Bowden said. "I'm talking Sun Belt Champion defense. Most coaches will tell you – I know I will – that if I can have one area and know that it's good, it would be championship defense." Linebacker Carlton Martial headlines the unit in spectacular fashion. Last week, the former walk-on recorded a career-high 22 stops in a 10-9 win over Army, helping him become the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision all-time leader with 548 tackles. "He's just a football player," Bowden said. "You know the old saying, 'If a duck can pull a truck, hitch him up.' He just makes play after play." The Burlsworth Trophy finalist for the second year in a row, Martial has 106 total tackles this season with 42 solos, three tackles for losses, one interception and one forced fumble. The trophy is presented annually to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on.
 
Troy sophomore defensive end T.J. Jackson is one of just five players nationally with at least 7.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and 13.5 tackles for loss. Jackson has 44 tackles with 14.5 for losses, including seven sacks. Free safety Craig Slocum ranks second on the squad with 82 tackles. The Trojans have recorded 29 sacks, eight interceptions and recovered eight fumbles. Troy is tasked with stopping players like ULM quarterback Chandler Rogers and receiver Tyrone Howell. Both caught Sumrall's attention this week. He called Rogers "dynamic" and offered even higher praise for Howell. "He is the best receiver we've played all year," Sumrall said. "If we're not really prepared for him, it's going to be a long Saturday for the Troy football team." As noted above, Troy manages just enough offense to win. The Trojans average 274.7 yards passing and 95.6 yards rushing per game. "Offensively, they play knowing what they do defensively," Bowden said. "If they're up by seven or 10 or just up, they know if they put the defense back on the field, they'll get the ball back." Quarterback Gunnar Watson has completed 162-of-263 passes for 2,165 yards and nine touchdowns with nine interceptions. Tez Johnson is the top receiver with 40 catches for 692 yards and four scores. Kimani Vidal is Troy's rushing leader with 556 yards and four touchdowns on 127 carries. "They could easily have the same record we've got," Sumrall said of ULM. "We have got to have a great week of preparation to have the outcome we want to have." Warhawk Connections: Former Troy defensive coordinator Vic Koenning now holds the same title at ULM. Koenning served two tours at Troy, from 2003-04 and 2015-18.
 
ULM wide receivers coach John Carr spent the three previous seasons as assistant head coach and inside receivers coach at Troy. Prior to the 2021 season, then-Trojan head coach Chip Lindsey added the title of passing game coordinator to Carr's responsibilities.  

Associate Director of Athletics Adam Prendergast joined the Troy staff in January 2012 following four and a half years as ULM's Director of Media Relations. Sweet Home: ULM's 2022 roster features four players from the state of Alabama: junior linebacker Quae Drake (Wadley), junior running back Malik Jackson (Opelika/Lufkin [Texas] HS), red-shirt freshman safety Jalen Vinson (Red Bay) and graduate linebacker Zack Woodard (Thomasville). Men of Troy: Saturday's game marks the 20th meeting between ULM and Troy. The Trojans lead the all-time series, 10-8-1. Since Troy joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2005, ULM leads the series, 7-5, including a 29-16 win at Malone Stadium in 2021. … Troy's current seven-game winning streak is tied for the longest among Group of Five Teams (UTSA) and the fifth longest nationally. An eighth-straight win would give Troy its longest winning streak at the FBS level. … Troy offensive line coach Cole Popovich spent six seasons with the New England Patriots and is the owner of two Super Bowl rings. … Due to conference scheduling quirks and the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to COVID-19 protocols, Saturday's game marks the first meeting between the two teams in Troy since Nov. 7, 2015, a 51-14 Trojan victory. ULM has won two of the last three meetings in Troy. … Troy plans to recognize 22 seniors on Senior Day.
 
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