Troy University Athletics
Saturday, November 11
Conway, S.C.
3:30 p.m.
Troy University
at
Coastal Carolina
Battle on the Beach; Troy Travels to Coastal Carolina
11/9/2017 3:25:00 PM | Football
Watch Live | Live Stats | Listen Live | Gameday Central
TROY, Alabama – Winners in 18 of its last 23 games, Troy hits the road following back-to-back home games for a Sun Belt Conference tilt at Coastal Carolina on Saturday at Brooks Stadium; kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CT).
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the Troy Sports Radio Network will have full coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Troy (7-2, 4-1 Sun Belt) has won three straight games after a four-game winning streak earlier in the season, and thanks to ULM's victory over Appalachian State are right back in the Sun Belt title race. Troy, App State and Georgia State are all 4-1 in the league and Arkansas State is 4-0; Troy closes the season at Arkansas State on Dec 2.
"It was a really good win (Idaho game)," Troy head coach Neal Brown said at his weekly press conference. "I think we have to continue getting better. I felt like we made a lot of strides in the Georgia State and Georgia Southern games. I don't feel like we played our best versus Idaho. But I think the sign of a good team is when you can win games when you don't play your best."
However, for the Trojans to be in the conversation at the end of the season they must go on the road and play a team that gave Arkansas all it could handle last weekend. The Chanticleers led the Razorbacks for the majority of the game until a late Arkansas touchdown allowed it to escape with a 39-38 victory over Coastal (1-8, 0-5).
Riding the Sun Belt's top defense, an improved special teams unit and an offense that is beginning to click, Troy has outscored its opponents 96-47 which includes a touchdown by the opponent on the final drive of each game.
Troy is one of just four teams in the country – Alabama, Wisconsin and Washington – to not allow over 24 points in a game this season, and the Trojans lead the country allowing just 1.67 points per game in the second quarter.
"Our defensive staff has done a nice job led by Vic (Koenning)," Brown said. "They've done a good job making recruiting decisions. Our guys play hard, I think when you play hard you have a chance. We made a point to focus on stopping the run and putting pressure on the passer. That's how we've gone from where we started to where we are right now."
The Trojan defense leads the league in rushing (106.8), scoring (17.7), total (324.1) and red zone (60.7 percent) defense. In fact, Troy's red zone defense is best in the nation, while its rushing defense ranks ninth. Troy has held six of its nine opponents under the 100-yard rushing mark, the third-best mark in the school's FBS history.
The stars are plenty on the defensive side of the football. Junior bandit Hunter Reese had a career-best 2.5 sacks to lead Troy's six-sack effort against Idaho, while sophomore linebacker Tron Folsom added 16 tackles – the most by a Trojan since 2011.
"Hunter has taken advantage of his opportunities the past couple of weeks," Brown said.
"He's playing a lot and making plays. He made some plays early, then didn't necessarily play poorly through the middle part of the season. Now he's playing extremely well. He got the quarterback down and made some nice plays. He played his responsibilities and he's a hard worker. I'm proud of him for all of the success he's had."
Cedarius Rookard, who will be returning to his home state this weekend, is tied with Folsom for the team lead with 51 tackles, while linebacker Sam Lebbie, defensive end Antione Barker and defensive tackle Jamal Stadom lead with 6.5 tackles for loss.
Running back Jordan Chunn returned with a flourish against Idaho with his ninth career 100-yard rushing game and two touchdowns after missing the previous two games. MegaChunn tied the Troy career touchdowns scored record and moved to within four of the Sun Belt career rushing touchdown mark with 45 in his career.
Freshman Tray Eafford's seven catches lead Troy over the past two games, while junior Damion Wills has combined for 112 yards on five catches in that same time period. Senior quarterback Brandon Silvers is fourth in the league with 239.2 yards per game through the air and second with 196 completions.
Know Your Foe
In addition to the heartbreaker at Arkansas, Coastal Carolina has suffered four other one-possessions losses – UAB, Appalachian State, ULM and Georgia State. The Chanticleers will be breaking in a new quarterback on Saturday as eight-game starter Tyler Keane went down in the second quarter at Arkansas; Kilton Anderson, a Fresno State transfer, will make his first start of the season against Troy.
Quotable – Troy Head Coach Neal Brown
"We have to play. What I mean by that is that we're getting late in the season and I want our guys to enjoy the process. I want them to make plays, not worry about consequences. Just go play. We're going to drive home "1-0 Play" this week.
"We don't handle success very well. Now we're in the midst of a three-game winning streak and we have to be locked in. What happens down the road, we have little control over. All we can control is our preparation of our body and our mind this week."
Notable
• Troy has won 12 straight games when totaling 400 yards or more of total offense and is 13-1 all-time under head coach Neal Brown in such games.
• Troy has converted 78.3 percent of its third and short (1 or 2 yards) chances this season … the Trojans have been successful on 16-of-18 opportunities.
• Troy has forced a negative play on 61.2 percent of opponent drives this season; as a result, opponents have been faced with third and at least four yards on 78.8 percent of its third-down opportunities.
TROY, Alabama – Winners in 18 of its last 23 games, Troy hits the road following back-to-back home games for a Sun Belt Conference tilt at Coastal Carolina on Saturday at Brooks Stadium; kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CT).
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the Troy Sports Radio Network will have full coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Troy (7-2, 4-1 Sun Belt) has won three straight games after a four-game winning streak earlier in the season, and thanks to ULM's victory over Appalachian State are right back in the Sun Belt title race. Troy, App State and Georgia State are all 4-1 in the league and Arkansas State is 4-0; Troy closes the season at Arkansas State on Dec 2.
"It was a really good win (Idaho game)," Troy head coach Neal Brown said at his weekly press conference. "I think we have to continue getting better. I felt like we made a lot of strides in the Georgia State and Georgia Southern games. I don't feel like we played our best versus Idaho. But I think the sign of a good team is when you can win games when you don't play your best."
However, for the Trojans to be in the conversation at the end of the season they must go on the road and play a team that gave Arkansas all it could handle last weekend. The Chanticleers led the Razorbacks for the majority of the game until a late Arkansas touchdown allowed it to escape with a 39-38 victory over Coastal (1-8, 0-5).
Riding the Sun Belt's top defense, an improved special teams unit and an offense that is beginning to click, Troy has outscored its opponents 96-47 which includes a touchdown by the opponent on the final drive of each game.
Troy is one of just four teams in the country – Alabama, Wisconsin and Washington – to not allow over 24 points in a game this season, and the Trojans lead the country allowing just 1.67 points per game in the second quarter.
"Our defensive staff has done a nice job led by Vic (Koenning)," Brown said. "They've done a good job making recruiting decisions. Our guys play hard, I think when you play hard you have a chance. We made a point to focus on stopping the run and putting pressure on the passer. That's how we've gone from where we started to where we are right now."
The Trojan defense leads the league in rushing (106.8), scoring (17.7), total (324.1) and red zone (60.7 percent) defense. In fact, Troy's red zone defense is best in the nation, while its rushing defense ranks ninth. Troy has held six of its nine opponents under the 100-yard rushing mark, the third-best mark in the school's FBS history.
The stars are plenty on the defensive side of the football. Junior bandit Hunter Reese had a career-best 2.5 sacks to lead Troy's six-sack effort against Idaho, while sophomore linebacker Tron Folsom added 16 tackles – the most by a Trojan since 2011.
"Hunter has taken advantage of his opportunities the past couple of weeks," Brown said.
"He's playing a lot and making plays. He made some plays early, then didn't necessarily play poorly through the middle part of the season. Now he's playing extremely well. He got the quarterback down and made some nice plays. He played his responsibilities and he's a hard worker. I'm proud of him for all of the success he's had."
Cedarius Rookard, who will be returning to his home state this weekend, is tied with Folsom for the team lead with 51 tackles, while linebacker Sam Lebbie, defensive end Antione Barker and defensive tackle Jamal Stadom lead with 6.5 tackles for loss.
Running back Jordan Chunn returned with a flourish against Idaho with his ninth career 100-yard rushing game and two touchdowns after missing the previous two games. MegaChunn tied the Troy career touchdowns scored record and moved to within four of the Sun Belt career rushing touchdown mark with 45 in his career.
Freshman Tray Eafford's seven catches lead Troy over the past two games, while junior Damion Wills has combined for 112 yards on five catches in that same time period. Senior quarterback Brandon Silvers is fourth in the league with 239.2 yards per game through the air and second with 196 completions.
Know Your Foe
In addition to the heartbreaker at Arkansas, Coastal Carolina has suffered four other one-possessions losses – UAB, Appalachian State, ULM and Georgia State. The Chanticleers will be breaking in a new quarterback on Saturday as eight-game starter Tyler Keane went down in the second quarter at Arkansas; Kilton Anderson, a Fresno State transfer, will make his first start of the season against Troy.
Quotable – Troy Head Coach Neal Brown
"We have to play. What I mean by that is that we're getting late in the season and I want our guys to enjoy the process. I want them to make plays, not worry about consequences. Just go play. We're going to drive home "1-0 Play" this week.
"We don't handle success very well. Now we're in the midst of a three-game winning streak and we have to be locked in. What happens down the road, we have little control over. All we can control is our preparation of our body and our mind this week."
Notable
• Troy has won 12 straight games when totaling 400 yards or more of total offense and is 13-1 all-time under head coach Neal Brown in such games.
• Troy has converted 78.3 percent of its third and short (1 or 2 yards) chances this season … the Trojans have been successful on 16-of-18 opportunities.
• Troy has forced a negative play on 61.2 percent of opponent drives this season; as a result, opponents have been faced with third and at least four yards on 78.8 percent of its third-down opportunities.
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
BAN
/ Football
S
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DT
/ FootballTroy vs Mercer (Full Highlights)
Thursday, September 11
Amiah Butler Postgame Press Conference - Mercer
Thursday, September 11
Josh Lauer Postgame Press Conference - Mercer
Thursday, September 11
𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗹 - 𝗦𝟭𝟬, 𝗘𝟮
Wednesday, September 10