It’s the biggest win in Troy football history.
The Trojans stunned the 25th-ranked LSU Tigers in Death Valley, winning 24-21.
It was the Tigers’ first non-conference home loss since 2000, and Troy’s first win against an AP-ranked opponent since 2004 against Missouri. Meanwhile, the Trojans were paid $985,000 to beat a ranked SEC opponent on national television.
The Trojans (4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) raced out to a 17-0 lead early in the second half, and held off a late comeback from LSU by forcing three
turnovers.
Running back Jordan Chunn racked up 191 yards rushing on 30 carries for Troy, as well as two receptions for six yards. His biggest play of the game came from a 74-yard scamper to the LSU one yard line that set up his own touchdown run.
The Trojans recovered a fumble on LSU’s very first play from scrimmage, setting up a score on the ground from quarterback Brandon Silvers. It was Silvers’ only touchdown in the game, but he did complete 16 of 28 passes for 157 yards and no interceptions.
Troy jumped out to an early 7-0 lead following that turnover, which was the first LSU fumble since November of last season. The remainder of the first half was a defensive battle following a missed field goal from the Trojans.
As the first half was ticking away, Troy found itself in the red zone as the officials ruled that the first half had concluded. However, after review, officials ruled that there was two seconds remaining on the clock.
After triumphantly trotting back onto the field, Evan Legassey kicked a 37-yard field goal that bounced on and across the crossbar to extend the lead. The teams went to the locker rooms with a 10-0 Trojan advantage.
The teams opened the third quarter with an LSU fumble inside the red zone. Troy recovered and started a promising drive, but the Trojans coughed the ball back up, resulting in a touchdown for the Tigers.
Troy answered with a 64-yard drive and seven more points to cushion the lead, making the score 24-7. Troy’s largest lead and final score of the game came from running back Josh Anderson.
LSU wouldn’t go away easily, as it scored twice more in the fourth quarter, trailing only 24-20. Troy recovered LSU’s onside kick, but were unable to move the chains, allowing LSU one more shot with under 20 seconds remaining.
The Trojan defense had the biggest stop of the night, sealing the win with an interception. In the game, the Trojans won the turnover battle, four to 2. On top of that, the defense held LSU to 0-8 on third down attempts.
Following one of Troy’s biggest wins in program history, it will enjoy a bye week before playing South Alabama in a Wednesday night matchup. That game is scheduled for Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., and will be televised on ESPN2.
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