Sun Belt conference play began as Troy welcomed Louisiana Monroe for a nighttime tilt.
This game would turn into one that many Trojan fans want to forget.
The Warhawks were victorious 13-9 despite Troy outgaining and outplaying ULM throughout the game. The Trojans lost their starting quarterback, Goose Crowder, to injury in the first quarter and would later lose back-up Tucker Kilcrease in the fourth quarter.
Riddled with injuries, the Trojans offense could not find the endzone.
“Clearly just a devastating loss in front of the home crowd,” said head coach Gerad Parker.
“Not a result anybody wanted and not one anyone will accept.”
The game overall was not an exciting one. Both teams traded field goals but neither could deliver the knockout punch.
However, Troy running back Gerald Green had his best game of the season against a weak ULM front seven. “I felt really good tonight,” said Green. “The difference was knowing my teammates.
“They motivate me every day of the week to get better, and I did.”
Green rushed for 102 yards on 13 attempts, gifting the Trojans many opportunities to punch the ball in the endzone.
However, those opportunities would not come. On the first drive of the game, the Trojans were able to drive all the way to the ULM 11-yard line before the drive stalled at the seven.
Scott Taylor Renfroe connected on a 37-yard field goal to give the Trojans the early lead.
The Warhawks quickly responded thanks to some undisciplined actions from the Trojans’ defense. Penalties on the following drive gifted ULM a chance to score. Kicker Max Larson drilled a 47-yarder to tie the game at three.
The game looked promising and in reach for the offense to take control. That was until a hard hit from ULM’s Tristian Shorter knocked Crowder out of the game. Troy’s offense sputtered after losing their starting quarterback and could not find any production through the air, only throwing for 71 yards in the game.
“This team is playing without its starting quarterback again,” Parker said. “We could not find any explosive plays through the passing game.”
A bright spot in this game was the Trojans’ ability to force their first turnover of the season.
ULM quarterback General Booty dropped back and threw into double coverage, allowing Troy’s Justin Powe to record his first career interception.
“We got momentum off that,” said safety Justin Powe. “It felt good on my end to get my first career interception, but at the end of the day, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted.”
Following the interception, momentum shifted. The offense found life and took the ball all the way down the field to ULM’s 26-yard line. The Trojans faced a third-and-six with an opportunity to put the game’s first touchdown on the board, but a false start penalty drove the Trojans backwards, halting the drive. Renfroe stepped onto the field for what was a 49-yard field goal, the longest of his career.
“Going out there, I had no idea how long the kick was,” said kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe “It was a good feeling to have a new career long.”
Neither team could deliver the knockout blow until a Troy miscue handed ULM the game. Troy had the Warhawks backed up into a third-and-14, a prime opportunity to get the ball back in plus territory with the lead.
New ULM quarterback Aidan Armenta hit wideout Jake Godfrey on a screen that exploded for a 57-yard gain due to missed tackles from several Trojans. This screen play set up the game-winning touchdown, a one-yard run from Ahmad Hardy.
The injury-riddled Trojans will have to look away from the results of this game quickly as the next game is this Thursday, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m.
“The first challenge after a loss like this is to behave like winners,” Parker said. “We have a team in five days that was picked to win our conference that’s going to come in here and be ready to play us.
“We have to get it figured out and be very resilient to start getting better.”
The Trojans welcome conference opponent Texas State on Thursday night. The Bobcats have never beaten the Trojans in a Sun Belt game, something they will be looking to change.
The game will be broadcast on ESPNU in front of a national audience.
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