Goose Crowder received the play call with the game on the line. The ball was snapped, and Crowder rolled out only to be sacked by Nevada. Troy fell short on a failed two-point conversion to lose a tight 28-26 contest to Nevada.
“Certainly not the way we wanted to come in here and greet you all,” said head coach Gerad Parker. “Losing is not acceptable here and we know that, and we will do everything in our power to get back to winning.”
The first game of the Parker era began slow as kickoff was delayed ten minutes due to lightning in the area. The team seemed unprepared and rattled by the delay.
The first quarter started off in favor of Troy. The Trojans were the first on the board after Damien Taylor bowled over three Wolfpack defenders en route to 25-yard touchdown run. Taylor would finish the game with a team-high 103 rushing yards on 11 attempts.
“We had a good run game in the first half and a good run game in the second half,” Taylor said. “The lineman did their jobs, and we just kept moving the sticks.
“Plays happen when everybody comes together.”
The game looked to be in Troy’s hands after new transfer Gerald Green ran past three Nevada defenders to score his first touchdown as a Trojan, but Nevada clawed back.
Nevada quarterback Brendan Lewis delivered a dime to wideout Jace Henry to bring the Wolfpack within one score with 25 seconds remaining in the first half. This momentum carried over into the third quarter, where Nevada outscored Troy 15-3.
“Tip of the hat to Nevada,” Coach Parker said. “They came across the country ready to play and outperformed our guys.”
The Wolfpack came out on fire, scoring in just three plays after a long run by Savion Red set up their offense at the Troy 6-yard line. Nevada fully took control of the game from this point forward as Troy’s defense could not get a stop.
“To be honest with you, Nevada did nothing different,” said linebacker Jordan Stringer. “It was all of us.
“Our discipline got lazy, our assignment got lazy, and it came down to them playing harder.”
Nevada opened the fourth quarter with a seven-yard strike from Lewis to Marcus Bellon to take a 28-17 lead over the Trojans. Troy needed to score, and they needed to score fast.
Taylor took the drive into his own hands and ran the ball 30 yards through the middle of Nevada’s defense to spark life in the Troy offense.
The drive seemed promising, as Crowder was delivering pass after pass to the receiving core, but two illegal substitution penalties in a row moved Troy backwards. The drive stalled on the 1-yard line, and Coach Parker sent out Scott Taylor Renfroe for a chip shot field goal, a call that the fans did not like.
“I would have loved to have gone for the touchdown,” Coach Parker said. “But the risk of not getting anything and still being down two possessions was not worth it in my mind.”
The game was now on the line down eight points with six minutes remaining. The Trojans defense needed a stop to give the offense one more chance at tying the ball game. Lewis dropped back on a third-and-six from midfield, delivered the ball over the middle, but senior linebacker Brendan Jackson had other plans.
Jackson swatted the ball down into the turf, forcing a Wolfpack punt. The Trojans offense had been gifted a final opportunity to tie the game with two minutes remaining.
Crowder took control of the offense and led the drive all the way down to Nevada’s 48-yard line with 53 seconds remaining. Crowder dropped back and delivered a 23-yard strike to a wide-open Landon Parker to set Troy up in the red zone.
Troy was down to one last gasp with 20 seconds remaining. Devonte Ross caught a spectacular toe-tap touchdown in the corner of the endzone, but the game was not over.
“Devonte did a great job getting separation in the back of the endzone,” Crowder said. “Great catch by him and great concentration, but obviously we came up short.”
The score was 28-26, so Troy needed to convert a two-point try to send it into overtime. Crowder stepped back, but Nevada’s pressure was too relentless for Troy to handle.
“At the end of the day there were some throws I wish I could have had back,” Crowder said. “I knew at the end of the game I could not take a sack and end it my hands.
“I have to be better in situations like that at getting the ball out.”
Troy attempted an onside kick, but Nevada recovered the ball. The game was sealed.
Troy loses their home opener for the first time since 2018, a game against another Mountain West opponent, Boise State. Troy finished the 2018 season 10-3.
The Trojans fall to 0-1 with the next matchup being on the road at College Football Playoff hopeful Memphis. The game is slated for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4 on ESPNU.
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