Troy stings Alabama State in non-conference matchup.The Troy Trojans had an in-state game with nearby opponent Alabama State on Saturday. ASU came into the game 0-1 after a 14-6 loss to Tuskegee last weekend. Troy held their own the entire game and showed no signs of letting up. Senior quarterback Brandon Silvers was dominant, as he finished 32-of-40 for 345 yards. He threw a pick six that gave the Hornets their only score of the game.
Troy Stings Alabama State
Offensively, the Trojans looked to be much improved from last week’s disappointing performance against Boise State. The rushing attack for Troy was effective in this matchup. Both Jordan Chunn and Jamarius Henderson reached the end zone. Chunn scored three times, and Henderson ran for two scores himself. Coming into the game, Alabama State was a giant underdog. Troy made sure the underdogs never had hopes of an upset. They won in impressive fashion by 27 points.
This game marked the 16th meeting between the two teams. Troy leads the series 14-2. Alabama State hasn’t beaten Troy since 1991. Also, Head Coach Neal Brown has never been shut out as a head coach. A pretty impressive mark for such a young coach. The Trojans are definitely on the upside by picking up this win. They travel to New Mexico State next Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference matchup.
Offensive Improvement
The offense was rolling from start to finish. Silvers was making all the right throws, except for the pick six. This Trojans offense seemed to click from the beginning and played well. Backup Kaleb Barker saw action as well, as Silvers was taken out late in the fourth quarter. Barker made solid passes in the pocket, and also rushed a few times to gain yardage.
Chunn moved into fourth place all-time in Troy rushing history with 2,448 yards after rushing for 61 in Saturday’s contest. He passed former Trojan DuJuan Harris for fourth place. Silvers is now second all-time in Troy passing yards history. He eclipsed 7,878 yards with 345 of those coming on Saturday. With there being no touchdown passes, this marks the first time since 1998 that Troy has thrown for 300+ yards without a touchdown.
Henderson rushed for his first career touchdown as a Troy Trojan with his score in the second quarter.
Defensively, the Trojans made all the right calls. Alabama State struggled against the suffocating Trojan defense. The Hornets only accounted for 165 total yards of offense, while Troy had 605 yards of total offense.
Andre Flakes recorded his first sack and Sam Lebbie had multiple tackles in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
A Win is a Win
Following the game, head coach Neal Brown held his post-game press conference. He said the game was “a wake up call for the team.” Brown also said that Silvers had no choice but to improve this week and continue his improvement through the season. Overall, Brown said this “was a win”.
The Troy coaching staff has to be pleased with the way their team handled this game. All three phases were strong and dominant.
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