The Other Side of the Wall: The Alabama A&M Preview
The bad news is I couldn’t find an Alabama A&M beat reporter to answer my questions.
The good news is there is no line because it’s an FCS game, and I fully expect Troy to win big.
That’s fine though. This is a tune-up game for Troy, giving them an FCS dummy and a chance for the offense to figure itself out before diving back into the meat of the schedule.
Troy has hosted an FCS team in its home opener 11 times since it moved up to FBS in 2001. To no one’s surprise, the Trojans are undefeated.
- 2001 Appalachian State – cancelled
- 2001 Nicholls State W 26-0
- 2002 Southern Utah 40-15
- 2003 SE Louisiana W 28-0
- 2005 Cal Poly W 27-10
- 2006 Alabama State W 38-0
- 2008 Alcorn State W 66-0
- 2015 Charleston Southern W 44-16
- 2016 Austin Peay W 57-17
- 2017 Alabama State W 34-7
- 2019 Campbell W 43-14
- 2021 Southern W 55-3
Troy also only played A&M only once before: a 28-13 win in 2000, the Trojans’ last season in FCS. That game was in Normal, so this is the Bulldogs’ first time ever playing in Troy.
We do not know much about this Alabama A&M team, except that they were decimated by UAB 55-0 in week 0.
We do know three things about the matchup Saturday: the opponent’s soda preference, the uniform for Troy and the astronomical circumstances.
Coke vs. Pepsi
A&M is a Coke school. This is important. We should be 1-1 against Coke schools by Sunday.
Uniform tracking
We found out Thursday that Troy is revealing its new silver helmets with a Cardinal jersey and black pants.
Troy has never worn the silver helmet, but it has worn the Chrome helmet with the same jersey/pants combo. Here are those results:
- 2019 Georgia Southern W 49-28
- 2016 UMass W 52-31
Comparing those outcomes to the FCS home opener outcomes, it’s safe to say Troy is likely to win in a big way.
Moon Stats feat. Scott Watkins
Great idea Stanley!
Editor emeritus and Sun Herald reporter Scott Watkins graciously gave us his data for Troy games under a full moon, going all the way back to 2005.
Scott: Yeah, Troy has done a fantastic job avoiding full moons. They’ve only had two since 2016.
- 2018 vs. Buffalo (Dollar General Bowl) W 42-33
- 2019 vs. Southern Miss L 42-47
That’s it?
Scott: Yeah. I had to go back to 2005 to find one before 2016, and it was a day game so it doesn’t count.
Right. Troy kicks off at 7 pm Saturday, so it must be a night game.
Scott: Also, the 2016 Southern Miss game almost counted, but it was the day before a full moon.
So the 2019 shootout is all we can count.
Scott: Right.
Thanks Scott!
Scott: Anytime.
So there you have it. Troy should score a lot and keep A&M from scoring much at all. Go for the tailgating, the atmosphere, the bands and the Trojans’ offensive fireworks.
Prediction: Troy, 45-3