Cure Bowl Craziness: The 10 Most Insane Moments
Now that the buzz of the 12-win season has subsided, let’s go back and look at how weird that bowl game was.
I mean come on? A bad snap into a safety? A fake punt? An interception-turned-fumble-recovery?
It was ugly, dumb, stupid football. And I loved nearly every moment of it.
An ugly, dumb, stupid game like that deserves the content to match: a Buzzfeed-like listicle.
The moments I didn’t love were just as insane as the moments that really blew my mind. Knowing that, not all of these moments are positive for Troy.
They’re just… insane.
Honorable Mention: The Field
Never before in the 113-year history of Troy University Football have the Trojans or Red Wave or Teachers ever played in a stadium specifically built for soccer.
High school stadiums, naval bases, and even the Kibbie Dome have all hosted Troy, but not a soccer club, much less a Major League Soccer club.
Of course it was destined to be an odd game.
10. The Two-Point Conversion
Jon Sumrall has proven to be a gutsy coach this season. It’s paid off, and sometimes it’s failed.
After the Trojans’ second touchdown, he played his cards in an attempt to go up by three.
Troy made it work, just barely.
Now if you want to watch all those highlights before finishing the article, be my guest.
But I suggest finishing the article, then coming back and watching them all in order.
I can’t stop you.
9. Unsportsmanship
UTSA committed two penalties in the fourth quarter. They were both unsportsmanlike conduct.
But it’s not *what was called. It’s when.
The game got seriously chippy toward the end, as many low-scoring defensive games get. UTSA seriously hurt its chances all night with penalties, too.
But this is something else.
Committing a penalty before a play AND during a timeout?
That’s not shooting yourself in the foot, that’s self-amputation.
8. The Targeting that Wasn’t
Dell Pettus killed a man at least twice. Figuratively, of course.
We’ll get to the second one in a moment, but let’s start with this hit so hard it drew a targeting flag.
I can’t remember the last time a player was called for targeting, the officials reviewed it, the ref picked up the flag… AND the player got off without a penalty.
It was a hell of a hit.
7. Highway Robbery Part I
UTSA took a knee and a 12-7 lead into halftime, knowing it would get the kickoff to start the second half.
The Roadrunners made their adjustments. They wiped the interception out of their heads and focused on the next play.
The clear goal was to extend the lead.
Richard Jibunor had different ideas.
Dude literally knocked the ball out of his hands. It doesn’t get better than that.
6. The Moment it was Over
No this isn’t Reddy Steward’s incredible deflection at the end of the game. It’s more impressive.
The Roadrunners were at the goal line. They could smell the endzone, the lead and the victory.
Then they went four and out.
Honestly it’s heartbreaking from their perspective. This one play may be the most painful, because the wideout dropped an open pass.
But the fourth down
5. Highway Robbery Part II
Five minutes into the second half, UTSA was struggling to get back on the board.
The Troy defense kept them from scoring, but the important part is how.
One of those answers is Keyshawn Swanson literally stole the ball from another guy.
It was the second-straight drive to end in a fumble for UTSA, and it was the third of five turnovers in the game.
UTSA had two drives end in scores, four ended in punts, two turnovers on downs and four takeaways.
Troy shut the Roadrunners down.
4. The Fake Punt
What else is there to say? Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, up by three, Troy pulls out its first fake punt of the season.
A gutsy play call in a game literally fueled by momentum and sheer bravado. Coach Sumrall bottled that energy and released it at just the right moment.
Later on in the drive, UTSA was charged with unsportsmanlike conduct on fourth down, giving Troy another “conversion.”
Both plays led to Troy’s late field goal, which put the game away, but the fake punt is just so much more fun to watch.
3. Troy Strikes First
Being in a soccer stadium, it’s what you would call an “own goal.”
A really bad snap rolls out of the end zone and puts two points on the board for UTSA.
I mean, this was just 11 minutes into the game. Troy’s first six drives started between the goal line and Troy’s 23 yard line.
The Trojans literally had their back against the wall, dropping the first 12 points to UTSA and only getting off the ground halfway through the second quarter.
More about that in a minute.
2. Defense becomes Offense
With about five minutes left in the third quarter, KJ Robertson picked off the C-USA MVP and returned it 61 yards.
Along the way, a group of defenders transformed into a rolling convoy.
TJ Jackson and Dell Pettus laid the lumber, pancaking two UTSA players and helping KJ flip the field.
It honestly looked like a well-designed run play or screen. KJ just followed his blockers.
Robertson ended the game as the No. 2 Trojan in all-purpose yards, behind only Kimani Vidal.
This play also flipped the momentum that UTSA had been building, and it led to the Trojans’ first lead of the game.
1. The Interception that Wasn’t
I mean, come on. The absolute most insane moment in this game was a 20-yard interception originally ruled an incompletion… then reviewed and overturned to a fumble.
Let’s watch this over and over again.
Gunnar underthrows the pass, but Deyunkrea Lewis makes a heads-up play to strip the ball away, and RaJae Johnson brilliantly falls on it.
It was the pinnacle of an insane drive.
This one play accounted for 23 yards. Add in three penalties giving Troy 34 yards and six rushes picking up 36 yards and you have the definition of a balanced offense.
It was honestly a condensed version of Troy’s struggle to get the offense off the ground. Eventually it worked, and Troy got on the board.
This one moment of insanity was the end of UTSA’s dominance and the beginning of the final Trojan comeback.
This game was insane. I’m glad Troy was on the winning side, but for a long time that was in doubt.
Then again, this team hadn’t given up all season.
So of course the last hurrah was an ugly, ugly battle.
Okay now you can go back to those highlights.
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