# 2018 Troy Trojans football team

The 2018 Troy Trojans football team represented Troy University in the 2018 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. They were led by fourth-year head coach Neal Brown. They finished the season 10–3, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for the East Division championship with Appalachian State. Due to their head-to-head loss to Appalachian State, they did not represent the East Division in the Sun Belt Championship Game. They were invited to the Dollar General Bowl where they defeated Buffalo.
Head coach Neal Brown left at the conclusion of the season to become the head coach at West Virginia. On January 10, 2019, the school hired Kansas coordinator Chip Lindsey as head coach.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Rimington Trophy | Deontae Crumitie | C | SR |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Blace Brown | CB | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Blace Brown | CB | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Hunter Reese | DE | SR |
| Outland Trophy | Deontae Crumitie | C | SR |
| Paul Hornung Award | Marcus Jones | CB/KR | SO |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Damion Willis | WR | SR |

### Sun Belt coaches poll

On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Trojans predicted to finish in second place in the East Division.
East Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Appalachian State | 46 (6) |
| 2 | Troy | 44 (4) |
| 3 | Georgia State | 26 |
| 4 | Georgia Southern | 22 |
| 5 | Coastal Carolina | 12 |

### Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams

The Trojans had ten players at eleven positions selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 22 Boise State* | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPNews | L 20–56 | 29,612 |
| September 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Florida A&M* | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 59–7 | 25,767 |
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. | at Nebraska* | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | BTN | W 24–19 | 89,360 |
| September 22 | 6:00 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | W 35–27 | 15,722 |
| September 29 | 2:30 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 45–21 | 23,810 |
| October 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Georgia State | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPNU | W 37–20 | 22,903 |
| October 13 | 1:00 p.m. | at Liberty* | Williams StadiumLynchburg, VA | ESPN3 | L 16–22 | 17,389 |
| October 23 | 7:00 p.m. | at South Alabama | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL (rivalry) | ESPN2 | W 38–17 | 25,878 |
| November 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Louisiana | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 26–16 | 24,631 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN+ | W 35–21 | 16,289 |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Texas State | Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, AL | ESPN+ | W 12–7 | 20,437 |
| November 24 | 1:30 p.m. | at Appalachian State | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | L 10–21 | 20,410 |
| December 22 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. Buffalo* | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL (Dollar General Bowl) | ESPN | W 42–32 | 31,818 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Boise State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Broncos | 14 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
| Trojans | 7 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 20 |

### Florida A&M

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rattlers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Trojans | 21 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 59 |

### At Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Cornhuskers | 0 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |

### At Louisiana–Monroe

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 35 |
| Warhawks | 7 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
at Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA
* Date: September 22
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 75° · Cloudy; light rain · ENE – 3 mph.
* Game attendance: 15,722
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First quarter
ULM - Derrick Gore 1-yard TD run, Craig Ford kick good, 8:32 (ULM 7-0)
TROY - Kaleb Barker 19-yard TD run, Tyler Sumpter kick good, 7:00 (TIE 7-7)
Second quarter
TROY - Barker 2-yard TD run, Sumpter kick good, 13:51 (TROY 14-7)
TROY - Damion Willis 26-yard TD pass from Sawyer Smith, Sumpter kick good, 10:23 (TROY 21-7)
TROY - Willis 4-yard TD pass from Barker, Sumpter kick good, 2:20 (TROY 28-7)
TROY - Sidney Davis 22-yard TD pass from Barker, Sumpter kick good, 0:42 (TROY 35-7)
Third quarter
ULM - Kayin White 2-yard TD run, Ford kick good, 5:17 (TROY 35-14)
Fourth quarter
ULM - Slaon Spiller 4-yard TD pass from Caleb Evans, Ford kick good, 14:22 (TROY 35-21)
ULM - Josh Pederson 23-yard TD pass from Evan, Ford kick no good, 6:18 (TROY 35-27)
Leading Passers
TROY - Kaleb Barker - 23/28, 273 yards, 2 TD
ULM - Caleb Evans - 29/48, 290 yards, 2 TD, INT
Leading Rushers
TROY - B. J. Smith - 16 carries, 63 yards
ULM - Caleb Evans - 15 carries, 101 yards
Leading Receivers
TROY - Sloan Davis - 6 receptions, 78 yards, TD
ULM - Xavier Brown - 2 receptions, 59 yards :

### Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chanticleers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Trojans | 21 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 45 |

### Georgia State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 20 |
| Trojans | 14 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 37 |

### At Liberty

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Flames | 0 | 14 | 0 | 8 | 22 |

### At South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 16 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 38 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### Louisiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 3 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 16 |
| Trojans | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 26 |

### At Georgia Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 3 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 35 |
| Eagles | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### Texas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Trojans | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 |

### At Appalachian State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Mountaineers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |

### Vs. Buffalo (Dollar General Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 32 |
| Trojans | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 42 |