Football set for rival of the Battle for the Palladium

Tanner Colvin Troy Football is back in action with the Trojans taking on Middle Tennessee State Saturday at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Starting quarterback Gunnar Watson is a pro-style quarterback who can throw with force and has terrific touch. The sophomore has the ability to scramble out of the pocket to pick up yards. Watson was named starter after the Trojans second scrimmage of the fall. Carlton Martial will be another pivotal player for the Trojans. The linebacker was named to his fifth preseason All-America team of the year with The Athletic naming him to their Preseason All-America Second Team. Martial was named the Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. The linebacker became the 12th player and first underclassman in the last 20 years at the FBS level to finish a season with at least 100 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and 3 interceptions. Martial enters the 2020 season as the nation’s leader in career forced fumbles per game (0.25) and fourth in tackles for loss per game (1.13). Wide reciever Kaylon Geiger was named to the Preseason First Team. Geiger finished second in the league in receptions, yards (during the regular season) and yards per game. His 77 receptions ranked as the third most in a season in Troy history while his 873 yards finished just shy of the top 10. Defensive tackle Will Choloh and safety Dell Pettus were both named to the Preseason First Team. Choloh finished fourth on the team with 54 tackles and four quarterback hurries; he added 28 pressures and 18 overall hurries. The junior recorded a career-best 10 tackles at Coastal Carolina and finished with five or more tackles in five games. Choloh was one of just two Trojans to start all 12 games on defense. Pettus averaged 5.9 tackles over 10 starts and ended the regular season ranked eighth nationally among all freshmen with his tackle total. Pettus finished with three or more tackles in the final 11 games of the season. The sophomore played the second most snaps on defense with 668 over 12 games and opponents completed 65.4% of passes targeted against him, the best on the team. The Trojans are favored to win 81.8% over Middle Tennessee. Kickoff is schedule for 3 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.