Monday Morning Recap: Last Words on the Lumberjacks
The first game is always weird. You don’t know what you’re going to get, but you have certain expectations.
For example, the reigning Sun Belt champion should beat an FCS opponent at home, and maybe do some damage on the stat sheet. That definitely happened.
This was always going to be a test run for Troy, and the Lumberjacks provided a good set of training wheels to figure things out.
There was a lot of good, as to be expected, but there were some less-than-stellar moments too. Let’s get into all of it.
MVP: Kimani Vidal
This is the good. The very, very, very good.
Eddie Brundidge is the only Troy running back with two 200-yard games. In the LAST FIVE games, Kimani has not only surpassed that total, he’s broken Eddie’s record for most yards in a game.
He almost did it twice, too.
This run game looks like the monster it is, and with the talent we’ve already seen, Kimani is going to irritate opposing defenses.
Breakout Player: Ethan Conner
Someone pointed out how many transfers Colorado and Texas State had, winning two of the biggest games of the year. That’s proven true in the Wiregrass too.
A JUCO product from Mississippi, Conner was used for goal line QB sneaks before converting to wideout. After crossing state lines, he’s moved position again to tight end, and proven himself as a target.
Troy doesn’t use tight ends often historically, so it’s good to see the versatility of the position used under Sumrall and Craddock. The well known wideouts caught touchdowns, but having another weapon for Gunnar that opponents have to prepare for makes this offense tougher to defend.
Play of the Game: Reddy Steward’s Pick Six
Honestly, what else was it going to be? With an NFL Hall of Famer on the sideline and the legacy of the NCAA’s greatest tackler on his chest, Reddy set the standard for this defense on its very first snap.
The Lumberjacks didn’t try any deep passes after that. Their longest was a 24-yard pass in the fourth that was caught short and broken open by the receiver.
Stats of the Game
4: Number of Touchdowns thrown by Gunnar Watson.
Much has been made about Gunnar’s offseason progress. He looked much more confident in this game, and apart from a garbage-time interception, he showed solid decision-making skills.
Unfortunately the talent level on the other side of the ball skyrockets this week. I believe this offense can keep Troy in the game, but there are some flaws to work out.
13: The number of points SFA scored off turnovers.
Case in point.
That’s a fumble return for touchdown, a field goal off a muffed punt, and another field goal on a Kimani fumble.
Last year Troy was No. 31 in the country in turnover margin, with 21 total turnovers lost. The Trojans committed four on Saturday.
Add five penalties for 43 yards, and you can see why SFA stayed in the game. Troy won’t win in Manhattan with those numbers.
3: The number of times Sumrall’s Trojans scored more than 40 points in a game AND the number of times Sumrall’s Trojans have given up 28 points or more in a game.
The other two 40-point games were ULM and Arkansas State, incidentally Kimani’s other 200-yard games.
The other two 28-point games were Ole Miss and App State. This was an FCS team.
Troy could’ve broken 50, and it also could’ve kept the Lumberjacks under 20. The truth of the matter is it didn’t.
Still, breaking a rushing record and hanging 40 on any team feels good. A win is a win is a win.
And Troy has plenty of those.
14: The most consecutive wins in program history (1987-88)
I don’t know if this record is broken, but the next three games are going to be challenges.
Moment of the Week
What else was it going to be? DeMarcus Ware’s No. 94 is officially retired. No other Troy football player will wear that number.
He joins Chase Riddle and Denise Monroe as the only retired numbers in Troy Athletics history.
All hail the GOAT.
So What, Now What?
Troy plays No. 16 Kansas State Saturday at 11 am on Fox Sports 1. The Wildcats beat SE Missouri State 45-0 Saturday.
I don’t know how comparable that is to the SFA game, but we’ll take a closer look at KSU later this week.