Football makes stunning comeback against Buffalo

Troy’s offense came alive in the fourth quarter to score 21 points to beat the Buffalo Bulls 21-17 on Saturday at UB Stadium. 

The Trojans offense had been dormant all game, and for the last few weeks. After going nearly 11 quarters without an offensive touchdown -- dating back to the opening drive against Clemson in week two -- the Men of Troy assembled a 14 play, 75-yard drive capped off with a Tucker Kilcrease rushing score to end the drought. 

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Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Even Creshaw punts the ball away.

The defense was lights out when it mattered most, forcing the Bulls to three consecutive three-and-outs in the final quarter. Troy dominated the time of possession with 10 minutes and 12 seconds on offense in the fourth. 

Troy cut it to within a field goal after a RaRa Thomas snagged his first touchdown as a Trojan. He led the team in receiving with 78 yards on five catches. It also marked Tucker Kilcrease’s first passing touchdown this season.  

The Brantley, Ala., native finished 14-for-24 with both a passing and rushing score to go along with 213 combined yards. Eight of those completions and both scores came in the final quarter. 

Tae Meadows was unstoppable in the final scoring drive. He rushed four times on the drive, each for six yards or more, and punched in a 20-yard touchdown run to steal the win on the road. Meadows tallied 69 rushing yards over 14 carries. 

“To come back and win that football game on the road is unbelievable,” head coach Gerad Parker said. “When guys find a way to believe in one another and win one of these, it changes everything.  

“It changes the season. It puts belief in how people are thinking. Now, we have to ride that momentum.” 

The comeback from down 17-0 is the largest since Troy trailed Louisiana in 2022. With 13:05 remaining, ESPN’s Win Probability gave Buffalo a 98.6% chance to come out on top. 

A key part in slowing the bleeding of the first three quarters was once again punter Evan Crenshaw, who won Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. After a record-breaking performance the week prior, he punted five times with an average of 52.2 yards per punt. Three of those pinned the Bulls inside the 20. 

The first three quarters were not pretty for Troy at all. The Trojans fumbled the ball four times, but fortunately only lost one of those. They also had an interception on a trick play pass from RaRa Thomas. 

The offense accounted for 365 total yards, and 189 of those were in the last quarter. Defensively, Buffalo was held to just 278 yards. Troy has held its opponents to less than 300 yards in both of its wins so far this year. 

Devin Lafayette led the defense with nine tackles. That matches his season high from the Memphis game a week prior. 

Troy now moves to a 2-2 record after completing its non-conference schedule. The Trojans get a week off before they begin Sun Belt play against rival South Alabama in the Battle for the Belt on Oct. 4 at Veterans Memorial Stadium.