Scott Shelton The Troy football team will head to Monroe, Louisiana, to take on the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks after beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers on the road last Saturday. Troy begins Sun Belt Play at Louisiana-Monroe, the team picked to finish second in the Sun Belt West and fourth overall. Troy notched its second win in consecutive years over a Power 5 opponent. Troy Head Coach Neal Brown said the players handled the trip well. “A lot of credit to our staff. They had our guys ready to go,” said Brown. The Trojans used a well-rounded effort to pick up the win. On special teams, Cedarius Rookard ran a Nebraska punt 58 yards for a touchdown. On Troy’s first possession, Tyler Sumpter kicked a 79-yard punt, which is good enough to be the longest in program history and the second-longest in FBS history. Sumpter also converted his lone field-goal attempt of the day, and the sophomore kicker earned Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week. On defense, linebacker Tron Folsom recorded 14 tackles and his first career sack. Folsom earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play last Saturday. Tyler Murray and Will Sunderland each picked up interceptions, including the one to seal the game in the fourth quarter. On offense, B.J. Smith scored two touchdowns, and quarterback Sawyer Smith helped set up a touchdown with a 57-yard run, which is the longest by a Troy quarterback since 2002. Now, the Trojans look to Louisiana-Monroe, who is coming off a 48-10 loss at the hands of Texas A&M. The Warhawks are led by quarterback Caleb Evans, who has thrown for 766 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Evans ranks 24th nationally in passing yards and leads the Sun Belt in passing yards, so the matchup against Troy’s secondary will be one to watch. Wide receivers Marcus Green and R.J. Turner, two of the top wide receivers in the Sun Belt, combine for 428 receiving yards and five touchdowns through three games this season. The Troy secondary suffered against Boise State, but held together against Nebraska, allowing just 177 yards passing from Nebraska’s Andrew Bunch and picking him off twice. Troy forced three turnovers last week against Nebraska and has eight turnovers total for the season. The Trojans will take on the Warhawks on Saturday at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
Staff Writer
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