Big plays fuel Troy football win over Alabama State

The fireworks started early.

Troy won the opening coin toss and, in somewhat of a rarity, elected to receive the ball to begin the game.

It proved to be a good decision.

Although a holding penalty on the kickoff pushed the Trojans back to the 10, just three plays later the first points were put on the scoreboard on a 73-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Goose Crowder to wide receiver TK Keyes. The extra point kick by Ethan Head completed the three-play, 90-yard drive.

Keyes led the receivers in the game with five catches for 119 yards.

"It is something we practice the whole week," Keyes said of the touchdown catch. "I knew the leverage that he (defender) was going to give and then he's just got to tackle me, and he couldn't. See leverage and get open, basically."

Jaheim Merriweather broke loose on a 69-yard touchdown run to put Troy up 14-7 following the PAT.

Merriweather sprinted to the outside on the carry and tight-roped down the sideline in front of the Alabama State bench all the way into the end zone.

"It was supposed to be an inside run," Merriweather said. "But I ended up seeing everybody was squeezing in too fast, so I played patiently and let them come all the way in and I just took it out."

It was his first TD and longest run as a Trojan and matched the longest touchdown run for Troy since Kimani Vidal, now with the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL, carried for a 69-yard scoring run in 2023 against Arkansas State.

It was also the first time since that Arkansas State game that Troy has had a 60-plus-yard TD run and pass in the same game, the scoring reception against Arkansas State being a 64-yard pass from Gunnar Watson to Chris Lewis.

In addition to Merriweather's 69-yard run, he also scored on a direct snap from 6 yards out with 3:42 left in the first half and on a 1-yard run with 15 ticks remaining before halftime.

It was the first time Troy has had a running back rush for three or more touchdowns in a game since Dec. 2, 2023, when Vidal rushed for five touchdowns during a 49-23 win over Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.

Merriweather led all rushers with 127 yards on 13 carries.

Defense clamps down

Alabama State dual-threat star quarterback Andrew Body had a tough time of it against the Trojans, being held to 13 net yards rushing on 12 attempts and was 13-of-23 passing for 105 yards with a 19-yard touchdown pass.

Linebacker Bryce Steele, a transfer from Boston College who had five tackles in the game, said the Trojans were well prepared.

"All week we were preaching, 'Cut the head off the snake,'" Steele said. "Obviously he's a dual-threat quarterback who is really good on his feet, so all week we were honing in on keeping the pocket contained … not letting him get outside of the pocket and tackling the legs. I think for the most part we did a pretty good job."

Alabama State was held to 221 yards of total offense — 116 yards rushing and 105 yards passing.

"Certainly I'm proud of their efforts," Troy head football coach Gerad Parker said of the defense. "I think there were many things that were good, but we didn't tackle well enough.

"We certainly had him trapped back there for some sacks that we missed that allowed him to get out. There was still so much that was unclean, but there were also some very good things that our defense showed."

Linebackers Keno Jones and TJ Thompson led the Trojans in tackles with six each.

Hometown proud

Former Charles Henderson High School standout Jywon Boyd made his first catch as a Troy Trojan for a 6-yard gain early in the first quarter.

In the final minute of the first half, Boyd caught a 19-yard pass down to the 1 of Alabama State. A play later, Merriweather took it in for a touchdown in pushing Troy's lead to 31-7 at halftime.

Boyd came up with a big 12-yard catch in the third quarter when Troy went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Alabama State 41. The drive ended with Troy points on a 47-yard field goal by Ethan Head for a 34-17 lead with five minutes left in the period.

Boyd is in his third year at Troy after an outstanding prep career at CHHS of Troy in which he was an all-state selection his junior and senior seasons. As a senior for CHHS, Boyd caught 62 passes for 1,025 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Penalty woes

The Trojans were flagged for 12 penalties for 120 yards, and Parker was not happy about it.

"I thought we were very undisciplined — way too many penalties," Parker said. "It's got to get fixed and we've got to change what we're doing. We're not getting done doing it the way I thought we could."

Head to toe

Ethan Head, a transfer from West Virginia, made field goals of 24 and 47 yards against ASU. Head did miss a 49-yard try that hit off an upright early in the fourth quarter. It was his first miss this season in four attempts.

Gamble does not pay off

Troy tried a fake punt on a fourth-and-4 play at the Trojans' 30-yard line early in the fourth quarter, but a pass from punter Evan Crenshaw intended for a wide open Joe Lott was not held onto.

Alabama State took advantage of the opportunity, getting a 37-yard field goal by Andrew Abu-Akel to pull the Hornets within 31-17 with 8:41 left in the period.

Up next

Troy has its first road game of the season next Saturday when it travels to Missouri of the SEC. The game can be viewed on SEC+ with a 6 p.m. kickoff.