# 2021 Troy Trojans football team

The 2021 Troy Trojans football team represented Troy University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Trojans played their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama, and competed in the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference.
Prior to the season, Luke Meadows took over as the team's offensive coordinator after the departure of Ryan Pugh.

## Preseason
### Recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Lawson Chandler OL | Bainbridge, GA | Bainbridge HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 320 lb (150 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jamarcus Chatman DE | Rome, GA | Rome HS Florida State | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 271 lb (123 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ollie Finch WR | Attalla, AL | Etowah HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Cherokee Glasgow DT | Mount Vernon, NY | Mount Vernon HS Maryland | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | – | Feb 3, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Kyran Griffin-Isom WR | New Orleans, LA | West Creek HS Palomar College | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Quayde Hawkins QB | Bainbridge, GA | Bainbridge HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Peyton Higgins WR | Florience, AL | Mars Hill Bible | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Phillip Lee LB | Jacksonville, FL | First Coast HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Taiyon Palmer CB | Lawrenceville, GA | Archer HS NC State | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Julian Peterson DT | Pinson, AL | Pinson Valley HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Taylor Powell QB | Fayetteville, AR | Fayetteville HS Missouri | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Caleb Ransaw CB | Harvest, AL | Sparkman HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Scott Taylor Renfroe K | Troy, AL | Pike Liberal Arts | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Sterling Roberts S | Starke, FL | Bradford HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ivan Shultz OL | Mobile, AL | St. Paul's Episcopal | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Deshon Stoudemire WR | Stone Mountain, GA | Stephenson HS Iowa Western CC | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jordan Stringer LB | Augusta, GA | Laney HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Damien Taylor RB | Northport, AL | Tuscaloosa County HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jarris Williams RB | Mobile, AL | Blount HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | – | Dec 16, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
Source:

### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

#### Preseason

| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Carlton Martial | LB | JR |
| Doak Walker Award | Kimani Vidal | RB | FR |
| Rimington Trophy | Dylan Bradshaw | OL | SR |
| Butkus Award | Carlton Martial | LB | JR |
| Bronko Nagurski Award | Carlton Martial | LB | JR |
| Outland Trophy | Will Choloh | DT | JR |
Sources:

### Sun Belt coaches poll

The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 20, 2021. The Trojans were picked to finish fifth in the East Division.
East Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| T1 | Coastal Carolina | 44 (6) |
| T1 | Appalachian State | 44 (4) |
| 3 | Georgia State | 24 |
| 4 | Georgia Southern | 20 |
| 5 | Troy | 18 |
West Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Louisiana | 49 (9) |
| 2 | Arkansas State | 38 (1) |
| 3 | South Alabama | 27 |
| 4 | Texas State | 25 |
| 5 | Louisiana–Monroe | 11 |

### Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams
## Schedule

The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. The Trojans will travel to Sun Belt foes Louisiana–Monroe, Texas State, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State. Troy will play host to Sun Belt foes Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Louisiana, and Appalachian State.
Troy will host two of the four non-conference opponents at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Southern, from NCAA Division I FCS Southwestern Athletic Conference and Liberty, a FBS Independent, and will travel to Southern Miss of the Conference USA and South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern* | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN3 | W 55–3 | 22,399 |
| September 11 | 6:00 p.m. | Liberty* | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | L 13–21 | 24,714 |
| September 18 | 6:00 p.m. | at Southern Miss* | M. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MS | ESPN+ | W 21–9 | 24,242 |
| September 25 | 7:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | L 16–29 | 12,766 |
| October 2 | 2:30 p.m. | at South Carolina* | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | SECN | L 14–23 | 60,686 |
| October 9 | 6:00 p.m. | Georgia Southern | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 27–24 | 25,424 |
| October 16 | 2:00 p.m. | at Texas State | Bobcat StadiumSan Marcos, TX | ESPN+ | W 31–28 | 15,083 |
| October 28 | 6:30 p.m. | at No. 24 Coastal Carolina | Brooks StadiumConway, SC | ESPN2 | L 28–35 | 11,689 |
| November 6 | 2:30 p.m. | South Alabama | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL (rivalry) | ESPN+ | W 31–24 | 26,211 |
| November 13 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | L 21–35 | 24,738 |
| November 20 | 2:30 p.m. | Appalachian State | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | L 7–45 | 18,523 |
| November 27 | 1:00 p.m. | at Georgia State | Center Parc StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPN+ | L 10–37 | 13,875 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| • Trojans | 14 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 55 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –26.5 | 57 |
| Statistics | Southern | Troy |
| First downs | 11 | 27 |
| Total yards | 189 | 467 |
| Rushing yards | 81 | 164 |
| Passing yards | 108 | 303 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 27:29 | 32:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Southern | Passing | Ladarius Skelton | 7/11, 85 yards, 2 INTs |
| Southern | Rushing | Devon Benn | 11 carries, 50 yards |
| Southern | Receiving | Tyler Kirkwood | 4 receptions, 39 yards |
| Troy | Passing | Taylor Powell | 17/26, 234 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 15 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 5 receptions, 92 yards, 1 TD |

### Liberty

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • RV Flames | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Trojans | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LIB –3.0 | 63 |
| Statistics | Liberty | Troy |
| First downs | 22 | 13 |
| Total yards | 339 | 232 |
| Rushing yards | 185 | 21 |
| Passing yards | 154 | 211 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 38:59 | 21:01 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Liberty | Passing | Malik Willis | 13/18, 154 yards, 2 TDs |
| Liberty | Rushing | Malik Willis | 20 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| Liberty | Receiving | Demario Douglas | 3 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Passing | Taylor Powell | 18/25, 211 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 11 carries, 38 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Luke Whittemore | 3 receptions, 71 yards |

### At Southern Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Trojans | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Golden Eagles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –11.0 | 50 |
| Statistics | Troy | Southern Miss |
| First downs | 17 | 15 |
| Total yards | 306 | 156 |
| Rushing yards | 51 | -1 |
| Passing yards | 255 | 157 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:52 | 28:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Taylor Powell | 27/39, 255 yards, 2 TDs |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 17 carries, 47 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 10 receptions, 106 yards |
| Southern Miss | Passing | Ty Keyes | 16/27, 157 yards, 2 INTs |
| Southern Miss | Rushing | Frank Gore Jr. | 15 carries, 31 yards |
| Southern Miss | Receiving | Antoine Robinson | 3 receptions, 49 yards |

### At Louisiana–Monroe

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| • Warhawks | 7 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 29 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –23.5 | 50 |
| Statistics | Troy | Louisiana–Monroe |
| First downs | 18 | 15 |
| Total yards | 378 | 290 |
| Rushing yards | 67 | 122 |
| Passing yards | 311 | 168 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:32 | 28:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Taylor Powell | 35/49, 311 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 12 carries, 60 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Reggie Todd | 6 receptions, 83 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Rhett Rodriguez | 10/16, 131 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Andrew Henry | 19 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Zach Jackson | 4 receptions, 80 yards, 1 TD |

### At South Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Troy | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| South Carolina | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
at Williams-Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, October 2, 2021
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature - 84°F
* Game attendance: 60,866
* Referee: Alex Moore
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color analyst), and Alyssa Lang (sideline)
* Box Score
| Statistics | TROY | SC |
| First downs | 21 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 69–308 | 62–356 |
| Rushes–yards | 145 | 101 |
| Passing yards | 163 | 255 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–38–2 | 20–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:22 | 30:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| TROY | Passing | Taylor Powell | 22/38, 163 yards, 2 INT |
| TROY | Rushing | B. J. Smith | 19 carries, 102 yards, TD |
| TROY | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 6 receptions, 49 yards |
| SC | Passing | Luke Doty | 20/34, 255 yards, TD |
| SC | Rushing | Josh Vann | 2 carries, 52 yards |
| SC | Receiving | Kevin Harris | 2 receptions, 49 yards |

### Georgia Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 3 | 15 | 6 | 24 |
| • Trojans | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –5.5 | 51 |
| Statistics | Georgia Southern | Troy |
| First downs | 17 | 18 |
| Total yards | 301 | 409 |
| Rushing yards | 82 | 139 |
| Passing yards | 219 | 270 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 33:19 | 26:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Georgia Southern | Passing | Justin Tomlin | 15/22, 210 yards, 3 INTs |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing | Gerald Green | 5 carries, 33 yards |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving | Derwin Burgess Jr. | 2 receptions, 76 yards |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 24/36, 270 yards, 2 TDs |
| Troy | Rushing | Jamontez Woods | 9 carries, 98 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Reggie Todd | 4 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD |

### At Texas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Trojans | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Bobcats | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –7.5 | 49 |
| Statistics | Troy | Texas State |
| First downs | 23 | 21 |
| Total yards | 387 | 370 |
| Rushing yards | 205 | 91 |
| Passing yards | 182 | 279 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 31:09 | 28:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 22/29, 182 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 25 carries, 162 yards, 2 TDs |
| Troy | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 9 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD |
| Texas State | Passing | Brady McBride | 22/32, 279 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs |
| Texas State | Rushing | Brock Sturges | 11 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD |
| Texas State | Receiving | Javen Banks | 4 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD |

### Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| • No. 24 Chanticleers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| CCU –13.0 | 53 |
| Statistics | Troy | Coastal Carolina |
| First downs | 29 | 29 |
| Total yards | 514 | 443 |
| Rushing yards | 176 | 89 |
| Passing yards | 338 | 354 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 36:28 | 23:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Grayson McCall | 24/29, 338 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | C. J. Marable | 20 carries, 120 yards, 2 TDs |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Jaivon Heiligh | 11 receptions, 138 yards, 2 TDs |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 25/37, 260 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Jamontez Woods | 9 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Kaylon Geiger | 9 receptions, 103 yards |

### South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| • Trojans | 10 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –3.5 | 48 |
| Statistics | South Alabama | Troy |
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Total yards | 335 | 308 |
| Rushing yards | 148 | 107 |
| Passing yards | 187 | 201 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 36:25 | 23:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Alabama | Passing | Desmond Trotter | 20/32, 138 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| South Alabama | Rushing | Terrion Avery | 23 carries, 75 yards |
| South Alabama | Receiving | Jalen Tolbert | 4 receptions, 65 yards |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 11/14, 121 yards |
| Troy | Rushing | B. J. Smith | 12 carries, 49 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Luke Whittemore | 3 receptions, 59 yards |

### Louisiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Ragin' Cajuns | 14 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
| Trojans | 10 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 21 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LA –6.5 | 48.0 |
| Statistics | Louisiana | Troy |
| First downs | 19 | 22 |
| Total yards | 370 | 391 |
| Rushing yards | 204 | 41 |
| Passing yards | 166 | 350 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:56 | 28:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana | Passing | Levi Lewis | 14/22, 166 yards, 3 TDs |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Chris Smith | 15 carries, 102 yards |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Michael Jefferson | 2 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 29/55, 350 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 11 carries, 21 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 6 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD |

### Appalachian State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Mountaineers | 3 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 45 |
| Trojans | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| APP –10.0 | 51.5 |
| Statistics | Appalachian State | Troy |
| First downs | 26 | 6 |
| Total yards | 445 | 142 |
| Rushing yards | 233 | 33 |
| Passing yards | 212 | 109 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 43:17 | 16:43 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 17/24, 212 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Nate Noel | 15 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Thomas Hennigan | 7 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 11/21, 109 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 10 carries, 40 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 4 receptions, 44 yards |

### At Georgia State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| • Panthers | 7 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 37 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| GSU –6.5 | 49.5 |
| Statistics | Troy | Georgia State |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Total yards | 344 | 387 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 247 |
| Passing yards | 287 | 140 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:56 | 27:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 21/38, 287 yards, 2 INTs |
| Troy | Rushing | B. J. Smith | 13 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Deshon Stoudemire | 4 receptions, 80 yards |
| Georgia State | Passing | Darren Grainger | 11/22, 140 yards, 2 TDs |
| Georgia State | Rushing | Jaymest Williams | 15 carries, 108 yards, 1 TD |
| Georgia State | Receiving | Sam Pinckney | 3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD |