1968: The Year of Champions (Part 2)
Four weeks into the 1968 season, and Troy is heating up on the gridiron. So far, the Red Wave has been shattering records and pummeling opponents. It’s landed them in the top ten for one poll, but the climb has just begun.
Week 5, Oct. 12 – Delta State, 35-23 W
For the matchup with the Statesmen, Troy returned to the confines of Memorial Stadium. DSU came into the game with a 2-1 record to battle the undefeated Red Wave. The game, however, went the way of the Red Wave very quickly.
Sim Byrd continued his prolific campaign, accounting for 5 touchdowns. He tossed three through the air, two to Doug Taylor and one to John Fowler, and ran in two one-yard scores, getting Troy to the 35-point mark.
Randy Hicks took over for Larry Groce at kicker and booted through all five extra points. He would continue kicking duties for the rest of the season. The final score was a deceptively close 35-23, but the Red Wave were largely in control of the scoreboard.
The Red Wave was now sitting at 5-0, the first time ever in program history. Troy’s only undefeated “season” was (and still is) a 3-0 record in 1912.
The national polls began to respect that bit of history for the Red Wave. The Dunkel Index saw Troy rise to #28 in the small college rankings. The UPI small college poll finally invited the Red Wave into their ranks at #17. Troy dropped one spot in the NAIA rankings to #9, while they continued receiving votes in the AP Small College Poll.
Week 6, Oct. 19 – Jacksonville State, 31-0 W
For many years during the rivalry between Troy and Jacksonville State, the battle cry of “Whup Troy!” or “Whup Jax State!” rang out for either side. On this October day, Troy made good on that promise.
This game would be at the time Troy’s third largest margin of victory over the Gamecocks in the series’ history (32-0 in 1934). The highest margin? The previous year, when Troy blanked Jax State 46-0. In two years, the Red Wave outscored their rivals 77-0.
Byrd went 34-for-49 for 345 yards and only 1 touchdown. J.A. Williams caught that 35-yard score. Bobby Enslen added to the total with a 70-yard punt return touchdown.
Cecil Barber picked up 73 yards on 18 carries, adding a rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion. Jeff Cotton added his own touchdown for 13 yards, adding to his 131 yards on 22 carries. Randy Hicks was perfect on the day, driving home all three extra point tries.
Player of the week Jim Gillespie also made a stellar special teams play, blocking a punt for a safety during the game. Overall, the Red Wave ravaged the Jacksonville defense with 565 yards of total offense.
Troy continued to climb in the polls, rising to #6 in the NAIA poll, #12 in the UPI Small College Poll, and #29 in the Dunkel Index. The Red Wave finally made their first appearance in the AP Small College Poll at #20. They were actually tied with future semifinal opponent Willamette.
Week 7, Oct. 26 – Florence State (North Alabama), 41-0 W
Week 7 brought Troy’s first accolade of the year, with the Red Wave’s second straight Alabama Collegiate Conference title. The only points Troy would allow in all three ACC games were the 23 against Livingston State.
Byrd again led the Red Wave with three touchdowns of 56, 35, and 46 yards. He also had a 1-yard rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion throw. Al Head added to his own touchdowns with a pass late in the game.
Enslen scored on Byrd’s 35 yard pass, Barber took home the 46-yarder and Vince Green brought in two touchdowns, the 56-yard TD from Byrd and a three-yarder from Head. Roger Hicks kicked his first field goals of the year, nailing 33 and 34-yard kicks.
The real star of the show on this Saturday, however, was the defense, who caught five interceptions. Ronnie Shelley snagged two, while George Little, David Cooper, and Don Fowler all snagged one each. The ball-hawking defense was the perfect complement to the high-powered offense, completing destruction of the Florence State Lions.
Florence was 1-4 going into the game. This annihilation inspired a rebound; the Lions won their last four to finish 5-5.
Troy’s stock kept rising in the polls, now ranked #5 in the NAIA poll and #10 in the UPI poll. They only rose one spot to #28 in the Dunkel Index and one spot in the AP poll to #19, this time tied with future Sun Belt opponent App State.
Troy was also ranked #5 in the Carr Ratings, but the only records we could find were attributed to this specific week.
Week 8, McNeese State, 52-0 W
The Red Wave continued their surge with the decisive victory over the Cowboys of McNeese State. Troy would become much more familiar with McNeese later on, when both teams would be part of the Southland Conference in the late 90s.
In the meantime, Troy’s all-out dominance kicked into high gear. The Red Wave outscored its last three opponents 124-0.
Byrd went 24-for-33 through the air with 310 yards. Records show he had 5 touchdown passes, but the game stories were murky. Danny Grant was stellar catching the ball, snagging 14 out of 16 passes for 205 yards and four of those touchdowns (27, 31, 27, 12). Vince Green added another 29-yard touchdown.
The rushing attack of Jeff Cotton and Cecil Barber added two more scores on the ground. Randy Hicks had a much better day kicking, driving home a 30-yard field goal and going 4 for 5 on extra points.
Defensively, Glynn Thompson had 12 total tackles, with 6 unassisted. This was good enough to see him named Co-Player of the Week, along with Danny Grant.
The tide continued to rise for the Red Wave in the polls. They had reached #3 in the NAIA poll, #8 in the UPI poll, and #16 in the AP poll. The Dunkel Index was the only poll to see them fall, dropping back to #29.
Troy was a force to be reckoned with, dominating opponents with ease. That was all about to change.