Troy Edges Sam Houston 24-21 After a Late Scare
Troy was up 24-14 with 10:42 left, and then it had to hold its breath for the rest of the game. Sam Houston scored with 1:03 to go and the Trojans survived 24-21 in the opener for both teams.
Sam Houston started it. Landyn Locke hit Grady O'Neill for 14 yards at 7:47 of the first quarter, and Troy had to climb out of a 7-0 hole, which was the biggest the Trojans faced all game. Will Crowder tied it with a 19-yard pass to Fabian Rogosch, then threw 28 yards to TK Keyes early in the second quarter for the lead. Locke tied it back at 14-14 with a 14-yard pass to Darrick Bledsoe III. Ethan Head's 32-yard field goal early in the third put Troy up 17-14, and Crowder found TJ Lott from 18 yards at 10:42 of the fourth to make it 24-14. That was enough, barely. Locke's 31-yard pass to Chris Reed closed it to three with 1:03 left.
The two teams could hardly have played it differently. Sam Houston threw for 335 yards and ran for 38. Troy threw for 165 and ran for 178 on 41 carries. Locke was 30 of 46 for 335 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception, and finished at minus 36 rushing yards. Crowder was 12 of 24 for 165 yards and three touchdowns, no picks.
Troy is 1-0 and Sam Houston is 0-1. In fantasy terms it was a quarterback game: Crowder 29.5 and Locke 27.8, with O'Neill (21.6) catching seven passes and a score for the losing side.