Scott’s thoughts: Stay off the panic button

Troy and Chip Lindsey have fallen into the loss column for the first time in 2019 in a fourth quarter track meet against the visiting Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

The contest left some with reasonable concern about the secondary and others with an optimistic outlook on the offense. Others were left hovering their hand over the panic button while some pressed it before the season even started.

Troy opened the 2018 season by getting plowed over at home by Brett Rypien (305 passing yards, four touchdowns), Sean Modster (167 receiving yards) and the Boise State Broncos in a 56-20 loss.

The difference between last year’s first loss and this year’s? Troy was adaptive and competitive this time around.

The Trojans quickly fell behind in the first quarter, 14-0. The initial play script produced two three-and-outs for Troy in the first two drives. Troy picked up at least one first down or touchdown in every drive after that for the rest of the game.

The defense held in big spots in the first half, allowing Kaleb Barker and company to pull back into the game before halftime. After giving up two Southern Miss touchdowns in two possessions, Troy held up in a pair of bend-but-don’t-break drives where it allowed 101 yards and zero points.

From their, it was a race.

Lindsey got to fully flex his play-calling abilities for the first time in his collegiate coaching career and the result was the greatest display of passing ever seen from a Troy quarterback.

Barker threw for a school record 504 yards to four different 100-yard receivers, also a school record.

All that without a semblance of a run game. Running back BJ Smith went down with an injury on a first quarter double-reverse pass and Jabir Frye left the game, as well.

In the first half, Troy had mustered up -4 rushing yards. DK Billingsley was the leading rusher with six yards on three carries.

Yet, Barker was able to continue to carve up the Southern Miss defense behind Lindsey’s sharp play-calling.

Defensively, the team just couldn’t get off the field on third down. Southern Miss converted 11 of 17 third down attempts on Saturday.

The uber-talented combo of Jaylond Adams and Quez Watkins was bound to be a problem for a secondary that returned zero starters from a 2018 team that finished seventh in the Sun Belt in pass defense.

It’s a long season and Troy is still two weeks out from its first conference game. The world may be ending for some, but the Trojan football team is still undefeated in Sun Belt play and focused on what lies ahead.