# 2022 Troy Trojans football team

The 2022 Troy Trojans football team represented Troy University as a member of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by first-year head coach Jon Sumrall, the Trojans played home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama.
Linebacker Carlton Martial began the 2022 season needing 104 tackles to break the all-time NCAA Division I FBS record for most tackles in a career. On November 12, 2022, he recorded his 546th tackle to break the prior record of 545 tackles set by Tim McGarigle of Northwestern.

## 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: N/A 247Sports: N/A |||||||

### Sun Belt coaches poll

The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 25, 2022. The Trojans were picked to finish third in the West Division.
West Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Louisiana | 95 (12) |
| 2 | South Alabama | 79 (2) |
| 3 | Troy | 76 |
| 4 | Texas State | 41 |
| 5 | Southern Miss | 40 |
| 6 | Arkansas State | 37 |
| 7 | Louisiana–Monroe | 24 |
East Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Appalachian State | 94 (10) |
| 2 | Coastal Carolina | 77 (2) |
| 3 | Georgia State | 68 |
| 4 | Marshall | 62 |
| 5 | Georgia Southern | 35 (1) |
| 6 | James Madison | 31 |
| 7 | Old Dominion | 25 |

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

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 3:00 p.m. | at No. 21 Ole Miss* | | Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | SECN | L 10–28 | 60,533 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | Alabama A&M* | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN3 | W 38–17 | 26,189 |
| September 17 | 2:30 p.m. | at Appalachian State | | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC (College GameDay) | ESPN+ | L 28–32 | 34,406 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Marshall | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | NFLN | W 16–7 | 27,514 |
| October 1 | 6:00 p.m. | at Western Kentucky* | | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | ESPN+ | W 34–27 | 20,168 |
| October 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Southern Miss | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 27–10 | 26,017 |
| October 15 | 2:30 p.m. | Texas State | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN3 | W 17–14 | 23,480 |
| October 20 | 6:30 p.m. | at South Alabama | | Hancock Whitney StadiumMobile, AL (rivalry) | ESPNU | W 10–6 | 25,450 |
| November 5 | 4:00 p.m. | at Louisiana | | Cajun FieldLafayette, LA | ESPN+ | W 23–17 | 7,888 |
| November 12 | 2:30 p.m. | Army* | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | NFLN | W 10–9 | 31,010 |
| November 19 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 34–16 | 23,864 |
| November 26 | 2:30 p.m. | at Arkansas State | | Centennial Bank StadiumJonesboro, AR | ESPNU | W 48–19 | 9,376 |
| December 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL (Sun Belt Championship Game) | ESPN | W 45–26 | 21,554 |
| December 16 | 2:00 p.m. | vs. No. 25 UTSA* | No. 24 | Exploria StadiumOrlando, FL (Cure Bowl) | ESPN | W 18–12 | 11,911 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At No. 21 Ole Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 21 Rebels | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS
* Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 86 °F (30 °C)
* Game attendance: 60,533
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play) Matt Stinchcomb (color) Alyssa Lang (sideline)
* Pregame line: Ole Miss –21.5 • O/U: 56.5
| Statistics | Troy | Ole Miss |
| First downs | 20 | 24 |
| Total yards | 346 | 433 |
| Rushes/yards | 33/60 | 44/266 |
| Passing yards | 286 | 167 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 35–48–1 | 19–29–1 |
| Time of possession | 36:58 | 23:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 34–47, 275 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 12 carries, 48 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Jabre Barber | 5 receptions, 60 yards |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 18–27, 154 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Zach Evans | 20 carries, 130 yards |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Michael Trigg | 4 receptions, 33 yards |

### Alabama A&M

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| A&M Bulldogs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| Trojans | 0 | 7 | 21 | 10 | 38 |

### At Appalachian State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Mountaineers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 32 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 34,406
* Referee: Jeremy Parker
* TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson and Avery Hall
Statistics
| Statistics | TROY | APP |
| First downs | 25 | 23 |
| Total yards | 359 | 456 |
| Rushing yards | 57 | 161 |
| Passing yards | 302 | 295 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 27:52 | 32:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 23/37, 302 yards, INT |
| Troy | Rushing | D. K. Billingsley | 6 rushes, 38 yards, TD |
| Troy | Receiving | Deshon Stoudemire | 6 receptions, 70 yards |
| Appalachian State | Passing | Chase Brice | 22/34, 287 yards, 2 TD |
| Appalachian State | Rushing | Camerun Peoples | 17 rushes, 84 yards |
| Appalachian State | Receiving | Christian Horn | 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD |

### Marshall

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Thundering Herd | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Trojans | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, Alabama
* Date: Saturday, September 24, 2022
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: W 4 mph
* Game attendance: 27,514
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (NFLN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
* Pregame line: Marshall –3.0
| Statistics | MRSH | TROY |
| First downs | 15 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 69–174 | 56–421 |
| Rushes–yards | 48–96 | 31–100 |
| Passing yards | 78 | 321 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 11–21–0 | 15–25–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:56 | 29:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Marshall | Passing | Henry Colombi | 8/13, 49 yards |
| Marshall | Rushing | Khalan Laborn | 29 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD |
| Marshall | Receiving | Caleb McMillan | 3 receptions, 37 yards |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 15/25, 321 yards, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | DK Billingsley | 14 carries, 85 yards |
| Troy | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 2 receptions, 121 yards |

### At Western Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 10 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 34 |
| Hilltoppers | 7 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 27 |

### Southern Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Trojans | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |

### Texas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Trojans | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### At South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |

### At Louisiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Trojans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 23 |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Pregame line | Over/under |
| TROY –5.5 | 43 |
| Statistics | Troy | Louisiana |
| First downs | 21 | 21 |
| Total yards | 377 | 315 |
| Rushing yards | 154 | 203 |
| Passing yards | 223 | 112 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 30:08 | 29:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 21/35, 223 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Troy | Rushing | Kimani Vidal | 21 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Receiving | RaJae' Johnson | 5 receptions, 79 yards |
| Louisiana | Passing | Ben Wooldridge | 13/29, 112 yards |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Chris Smith | 18 carries, 97 yards |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Michael Jefferson | 6 receptions, 50 yards |

### Army

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Black Knights | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Trojans | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, AL
* Date: November 12, 2022
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: S 11 mph • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 31,010
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (NFLN): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) & Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
* ESPN – Troy's Martial sets NCAA tackles record in win over Army /// Box Score, Army at Troy /// Army Pregame Notes /// Troy Pregame Notes /// Postgame Notes
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
(14:57) ARMY TD – Tyhier Tyler 3-yard rush, Quinn Maretzki kick missed Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 5:14; Army 6–0
(00:06) ARMY FG – Quinn Maretzki 26-yard field goal Drive: 16 plays, 66 yards, 6:34; Army 9–0
Third quarter
(10:06) TROY FG – Brooks Buce 21-yard field goal Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 4:54; Army 9–3
Fourth quarter
(08:04) TROY TD – Tez Johnson 3-yard pass from Gunnar Watson, Brooks Buce kick Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:19; Troy 10–9
Passing
ARMY – Jemel Jones: 3/7, 42 yards
TROY – Gunnar Watson: 15/31, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
ARMY – Tyhier Tyler: 27 carries, 100 yards, 1 TD
TROY – Kimani Vidal: 13 carries, 72 yards
Receiving
ARMY – Joshua Lingenfelter: 1 reception, 36 yards
TROY – Tez Johnson: 6 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD
Defense
ARMY – Camden O'Gara: 8 total tackles (2 solo, 6 assisted), 0.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, 1 pass break-up
TROY – Carlton Martial: 22 total tackles (6 solo, 16 assisted) :
| Statistics | ARMY | TROY |
| First downs | 20 | 15 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 5–14 | 1–9 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Plays–yards | 71–357 | 53–264 |
| Rushes–yards | 62–279 | 22–72 |
| Passing yards | 78 | 192 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 4–9–0 | 15–31–1 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–20 | 3–35 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 37:07 | 22:53 |

### Louisiana-Monroe

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| Trojans | 3 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 34 |

### At Arkansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 0 | 7 | 34 | 48 |
| Red Wolves | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 19 |

### Coastal Carolina (SBC Championship)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Coastal Carolina | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 26 |
| Troy | 17 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 45 |
at Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, Alabama
* Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
* Game time: 2:40 p.m CDT
* Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Overcast • Wind 4 mph (6.4 km/h) WSW
* Game attendance: 21,554
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore and Tiffany Blackmon
* Pregame line: TROY –6.5
| Statistics | Coastal Carolina | Troy |
| First downs | 27 | 16 |
| plays–yards | 72–432 | 53–411 |
| Rushes/yards | 31–113 | 36–93 |
| Passing yards | 319 | 318 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 29–41–1 | 12–17–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:22 | 27:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Coastal Carolina | Passing | Grayson McCall | 29/41, 319 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| Coastal Carolina | Rushing | Reese White | 8 carries, 44 yards |
| Coastal Carolina | Receiving | Tyson Mobley | 7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD |
| Troy | Passing | Gunnar Watson | 12/17, 318 yards, 3 TDs |
| Troy | Rushing | DK Billingsley | 9 carries, 57 yards, 3 TDs |
| Troy | Receiving | RaJae' Johnson | 4 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TDs |

### Vs. No 25 UTSA (Cure Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24 Trojans | 0 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 18 |
| No. 25 Roadrunners | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 12 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 19 |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 20 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | Not released |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 4 | 107 | Jake Andrews | C | New England Patriots |