Kennedy Roy
News Editor
Troy will face a tough test ahead of them this weekend as the Trojans head to Provo, Utah, to face the 18th ranked BYU Cougars. Kickoff is scheduled for 9:15 p.m. Central Time and will be broadcast on ESPN.
Troy is coming off of a spectacular performance in the team’s season opener against Middle Tennessee State where the Trojans crushed the Blue Raiders 47-14. Troy made a statement with this victory showing the rest of the Sun Belt how good the Trojans can be at full strength.
“We’re really excited to have gotten off to a great start last Saturday,” Head Coach Chip Lindsey said. “That might have been the most complete game we have played in all three phases since I got here.
“We played really good team football and played off each other, which is always important. We talked all week about being the most excited team to play and bringing the energy, and our guys did that. Our team was ready to go, and it showed.”
The Trojans scored 40 unanswered points after the Blue Raiders tied the contest at seven. Will Choloh scored a safety, and a 5-yard touchdown reception by Khalil McClain put the Trojans up 28-7 late in the first half.
In his first career start, sophomore quarterback Gunnar Watson completed 26-of-37 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. With the win, Watson makes history as the first Troy QB to earn a victory in his first career start since Corey Robinson against Bowling Green in 2010.
BJ Smith made his long-awaited return to action Saturday afternoon where he rushed for 81 yards on just 10 carries. Four different Trojans rushed for a touchdown on the day including freshman Kimani Vidal.
Troy will be facing a potent BYU offensive attack along with an equally powerful defensive front that held the Navy Midshipmen to scoring only a field goal in the team’s 55-3 dominating win to open the season.
BYU was supposed to play Army this past week, but the matchup was postponed due to COVID-19 issues with players.
Troy is thought of as the underdog in this game with the Cougars favored by 81.9%, but the Trojans have already have a history of toppling titans with wins over LSU and Nebraska.