Trojans look to bully the Bulldogs for Homecoming
After a thrilling 24-21 overtime victory over the James Madison Dukes on Oct. 29, the Troy Trojans turn their attention to this weekend’s matchup against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
The win marked Troy’s first away win of the season and put the team at 4-4 for the season. Head coach Gerad Parker looks back on the win.
“[I’m] very happy for our players and the resilience to be able to grab our first road win on a five-day week,” Parker said. “It was a valiant effort by our defense and turnover margin being the key piece of it, and then how our offense began to find itself in many ways minus the penalty play, that we have to clean up.”
A key player for the Trojans in the victory against the Dukes was safety Justin Powe. Powe finished the game with three interceptions, including a pick-six, seven tackles and two pass deflections, with one coming on the final play of regulation to prevent James Madison from scoring on a Hail Mary.
For his efforts against James Madison, Powe was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week, Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week, Jim Thorpe National Defensive Back of the Week and the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week.
While proud of the plays made by Powe, Parker said it is important for Powe to build off this game and continue to improve.
“He [Powe] played at such a high level and attacked the ball really well,” Parker said. “I also showed him some run fits and mistakes that he made, along with everyone else, that we've got to continue to get better at.
“If we approach it that way, we don't get to a point where we just have relief, or we feel good about how we play, and we don't see the things we can keep getting better at. He played a great game and attacked the ball so well and showed poise.”
When it comes to the Bulldogs, they sit atop the West Division with a perfect conference record of 4-0 and a 6-2 record overall.
However, LA Tech’s biggest strength seems to be on the defensive side of the ball, as the Bulldogs lead the conference in forced turnovers. Parker said their defensive presence is the reason for their success.
“They lead our league in it [turnover margin],” Parker said. “It's the reason they're winning the West right now and are undefeated.
“They create turnovers on defense. They keep the ball inside and in front.”
The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Blake Baker who has over 1300 passing yards this season and 13 passing touchdowns.
“Their passing game is excellent; they get it to the right people,” Parker said. “They have two special players; the wideout and tight end are special, and they find ways to get them touches.
“They've done an excellent job to this point, and this is a tall task for our football team. We just faced the leader in the East going into that game, and now we face the leader of the West.”
The Trojans and Bulldogs square off this Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Vet, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
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