The Trojans welcomed Texas State to Veteran’s Memorial Stadium for a primetime Thursday night matchup. The Bobcats were unaffected by the road trip and dominated the Trojans 38-17, andTroy drops to 1-5 on the season.
“I’m proud of the way our guys played in the second half but clearly we are not getting to where we need to be to play winning football,” said head coach Gerad Parker.“That falls directly on me.”
The high-powered Bobcat offense did not waste any time getting on the board. Fueled by the efforts of defending Sun Belt Player of the Year Jordan McCloud, Texas State found the endzone in seven plays, taking a 7-0 lead.
Troy on the other hand could not find any offensive momentum without starting quarterback Goose Crowder. Tucker Kilcrease performed well in Crowder’s absence with 249 yards and two touchdowns, but this effort was not enough for an upset bid.
“Tucker did mental preparations on Monday and some drills on Tuesday,” Parker said. “It was kind of a slow process throughout the week.
“Without seeing the tape, I can say there was plenty of good.”
Mistakes plagued both teams as there were three total turnovers in the first half. Jordan Stringer collected Troy’s second turnover of the season after McCloud’s pass deflected off an offensive lineman. The Trojans capitalized on this turnover, taking it down the field for a seven-yard score to Mojo Dortch. This was Dortch’s first career touchdown.
The Trojans had plenty of opportunity before halftime to get themselves back in the game, but turnover struggles plagued any momentum. Right before half, Kilcrease connected with Peyton Higgins on a deep crossing route. Higgins took the ball all the way to the goal line before fumbling it. This would have cut into the Bobcat lead, but instead Texas State took a 28-10 lead into the break.
“You simply have to make plays to put yourself up and not get down to a first half lead,” Parker said. “There were critical errors like turnovers and penalties that we just cannot do.”
The second half was never close. Straight out the gate, Texas State put 10 points on the board with a Mason Shipley 53-yard field goal and 42-yard run from McCloud. McCloud finished the night with 252 passing yards, 72 rushing yards, and four total touchdowns.
A bright spot for the Trojans was the defense forcing three turnovers this game. This was the first time all season the defense forced multiple turnovers in a single game. Trent Henry recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter and LJ Green picked off McCloud to end regulation.
“We had a good game plan going into this game,” said defensive tackle Cheick Kaba. “We need to eliminate explosive plays and mistakes, and we can get this thing figured out.
“We are a young team, please bear with us.”
Another bright spot was the wide receiver room branching out. Before this game, Devonte Ross was the only wideout that has really stood out. In this game Landon Parker, Peyton Higgins and Zeriah Beason found themselves with more opportunities.
“We have so many playmakers on this team,” said Parker. “Devonte is such a great player, but he did his job tonight allowing other players to get open through the double team.”
Parker finished with 83 receiving yards, Higgins with 76, and Beason with 54. Ross was able to find the endzone late in the game for a 19-yard touchdown bringing his stat line to 26 yards and one touchdown.
The Trojans get a bye week this week before heading to Mobile for the Battle for the Belt rivalry game. South Alabama will also enter the contest off a bye after losing to Arkansas State on the road in their last matchup.
The Battle for the Belt will be held on Tuesday, Oct.15 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on national TV on ESPN2.
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