The Troy Trojans kicked off their 2025 season with a victory over the Nicholls State Colonels 38-20.
In a game that started very slow for the Trojans, where they trailed 10-7 at halftime, Troy was able to make proper adjustments and cruise to victory in the second half.
Quarterback Goose Crowder made his presence known. He had seven carries for 43 yards, including a 16-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter that tied the game at 17. The following drive Nicholls was able to regain the lead, 20-17. After that it was the Goose Crowder and Tae Meadows show.
Tae Meadows came into the night with four carries for 46 yards and a touchdown in his two previous seasons with Troy.
Tonight?
The junior running back had 23 carries for 186 yards and a touchdown. The play before the touchdown, junior cornerback Jaquez White landed a crucial interception that put Troy on the Nicholls 47-yard line. The touchdown by Meadows came on the next play and was the final nail in the coffin that essentially sealed the game for the Trojans with 6:17 left on the clock in the 4th quarter. Meadows also had one reception for 12 yards on the evening.
The defense was fired up, led by senior linebacker Jordan Stringer. On the night, Stringer had nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. As mentioned previously, White had a crucial interception and finished the night with eight tackles and the interception that set up the big touchdown by Meadows.
While the game started slow, and the Trojans were finding their comfort zone, it is safe to say that they discovered their identity on offense. After a rough 2024 season, what was witnessed on the field tonight should give Trojan fans a lot of confidence moving forward.
The biggest takeaway of the evening was the fact that Troy did a really good job protecting the football and had zero turnovers. The only “turnover” was a turnover on downs was in the second quarter when Tae Meadows was stuffed at the Nicholls 35-yard line.
Now the Trojans will travel to Clemson, South Carolina to take on the Clemson Tigers on Saturday Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m.
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