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Writer's pictureGavan Baxley

Football comeback bid falls short on the road



Troy football fell short at Arkansas State on Saturday after a late score followed by a turnover sealed the game.


To say it was a bad start for the Men of Troy would be an understatement. The Red Wolves quickly got on the board 3-0, and on the Trojans’ first offensive play, running back Damien Taylor’s fumble set up the Red Wolves for a 6-0 lead.


Arkansas State would manage to push that lead all the way to 23-3 at half, seemingly having the game in hand already. The Trojans would not go down without a fight though. Troy stormed back to take a 24-23 lead late in the third quarter.


A Red Wolves field goal put Troy back behind 26-24. It would not be until late in the game that Troy would take the lead back.


Gerald Green capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown to put the Trojans up 31-26 with 1:45 left to play.


Arkansas State quickly drove down the field and threw a counterpunch at the Trojans, including scoring a two-point conversion to make it a 34-31 game in favor of the Red Wolves.


With only 33 seconds remaining, Troy began a desperation drive that put the ball on the Arkansas State 30-yard line with just 10 seconds to go, a spot that was in-range for kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe, but certainly not a guarantee as a 47-yard kick.


The Trojans chose to take one more shot at a win before the kick, and it would be the team’s downfall. Quarterback Matthew Caldwell’s pass would be intercepted in the endzone to end the game in a 34-31 loss.


“I hurt so much for our players and our staff,” head coach Gerad Parker said. “We couldn’t get the ultimate prize, and I hurt for them so badly.”


The game marks four straight losses for Troy, the longest losing streak for the program since the 2015 season. Arkansas State’s win gives head coach Butch Jones his 100th career victory, 10th all-time among active FBS coaches.


The third quarter comeback for Troy was primarily thanks to major improvements in the running game. Gerald Green led the team in rushing with 113 yards and a touchdown. Damien Taylor’s 70 yards and a touchdown of his own were crucial in keeping the Trojans in it.


The offense earned 466 yards, the second most this season behind Troy’s sole win against FAMU earlier this year. The Trojans’ four turnovers skewed multiple opportunities from those yards.


The loss for Troy is the seventh of the year, eliminating the team from potential bowl eligibility. It will be the first time Troy has missed a bowl game since 2021.


“We’ve licked a lot of wounds this year, but it’s my job to find a way to breed strength, confidence, and empower this operation to pick up where we left off here and play even better in front of a great fan base that needs to see us play well at home,” Coach Parker said.


The Trojans will try to lick those wounds and prepare for their homecoming matchup against Coastal Carolina. Kickoff will be Saturday at 3 p.m. on ESPN+.

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