Stat Notebook: Troy Turns Up the Heat against Frost

Troy took down Nebraska last Saturday in Lincoln, notching its second Power Five win in two years. From a stat perspective, it was a perplexing game. Take away the score and look at the team stats and you would guess Nebraska dominated.

That wasn’t the case, though.

The Trojans made plays when it mattered, flashing the timeliness they’ve displayed over a near 30-game span. These stats, from the offensive line to special teams, give a little insight into Troy’s win.

 

Melting frost’s offensive line

Troy recorded 10 tackles for loss against Nebraska, marking the second consecutive game the Trojans hit double digit tackles for loss. The Trojans are now up to 16 different players with a stop in the backfield and are averaging 9.3 tackles for loss as a team through three games. That puts Troy on pace to top last season’s school record of 112 tackles for loss.

 

Worried about a freshman at LT?

Troy came into the season with a talented, experienced offensive line with only one spot of concern, left tackle. Redshirt freshman Austin Stidham has taken over the all-important spot and had some worried about the transition from Steven Rowzee.

Through three games, Stidham has been one of the more consistent linemen. Stidham has graded out at 93, 92 and 93 so far. He had two pancakes and four quality blocks against Nebraska and is currently tied with All-Sun Belt veteran Tristan Crowder for highest average grade this season.

 

Dominating the punting game

Troy got its first return touchdown of the season and it came from the person we all expected it to come from, Cedarius Rookard. Seriously though, Rookard’s return against the Huskers was big, but nearly completely negated when he muffed one inside Troy’s own 20. Nonetheless, his efforts gave troy a +4 advantage in a five point game.

On the other side, Troy continued its punt coverage dominance. Troy has seen just five punts returned and those returns have amassed a grand total of two yards. Neal Brown largely attributes that to Terrance Dunlap, who Brown says is the first one down the field every time.

Punter Tyler Sumpter certainly didn’t hurt his unit’s performance, booting a 79 yard punt early in the game. The school’s FBS record punt was the game’s most critical play, according to Brown.

 

Third down woes

Third down has not been a point of strength for Troy this year. The Trojans have converted just 32 percent of its third down attempts so far, eighth in the conference. Part of the equation is Troy simply isn’t built to convert on third and long this year. Troy is a dismal 2/20 on third and 7+ so far.

On the other side, Troy was highly impressive against Nebraska’s third down offense. The Cornhuskers converted on just two of 10 attempts from 4+ yards. Nebraska was also just 0/5 from 7+ yards. From that distance, Troy opponents have converted just 16.7 percent of the time.