Trojans swat the Hornets
Troy defeated the Alabama State Hornets, 34-17, in Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This marks Troy’s first 2-0 start since the 2013 season.
In the win, the Trojans put up over 400 yards of offense and held Alabama State to just 105 yards passing and 116 yards rushing. Despite the win, head coach Gerad Parker was frustrated with his team’s play, especially the 12 penalties the Trojans committed.
“We played poorly,” Parker said. “I thought we were very undisciplined.
“We had way too many penalties that we have approached and went over from January until now, and it's not showing up. It's got to get fixed, and we've got to change what we're doing to get it fixed and play winning football as the competition continues to climb for us as we go into the bulk of our season.”
One area the Trojans excelled in was the rushing attack, as the team finished with 226 rushing yards. Leading the way for the Trojans in the backfield was junior running back Jaheim Merriweather.
He finished with 127 yards on 13 carries and three rushing touchdowns. Merriweather’s longest rush was a 69-yard sideline run halfway through the first quarter to reclaim the lead for the Trojans after the Hornets had broken off a long run of their own.
“I think [Jaheim] can be a special player and a special human being, and I think he's now given himself the grace to maybe think of himself in such a way,” Parker said. “I want him tied to a standard of ‘this is who I can be as a player and a person.’
“I think what an inspiring effort by him and some of the ways he ran the football today could really impact a lot of people besides this team. I want to see him become the best version of himself.”
The Trojans brought a balanced offensive attack to the game as the team finished with 201 passing yards and a touchdown through the air. The passing touchdown came in the first minute and a half of the game, as wide receiver TK Keyes scored on a 73-yard touchdown.
Keyes finished with 119 receiving yards, with his receiving touchdown marking back-to-back weeks with a touchdown for the junior wideout.
“It's like whatever we want to do out there is just based on our choices,” Keyes said. “It's just to see leverage and get open.”
Meanwhile, for the Hornets, quarterback Andrew Body was held to his fewest passing yards of the season, throwing for only 105 yards. The dual-threat quarterback also found difficulty finding lanes on the ground, only having 13 rushing yards.
“He is good on his feet, and all week we were homing in on keeping the pocket contained, having good rush lanes and tackling the legs,” said linebacker Bryce Steele. “I think we, for the most part, did a pretty good job, but we can always improve on that.”
The win over the Hornets finished the opening homestand for the Trojans as they now prepare for two consecutive weeks on the road. The first game will see Troy travel to Columbia, Missouri, to take on an SEC opponent in the No. 20 Missouri Tigers field.
The Trojans and Tigers will battle Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Tigers’ Memorial Stadium, as both teams look to go 3-0 to start the season.
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