Troy loses to Louisiana on homecoming

The Troy Trojans (5-5, 3-3) hung with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (9-1, 7-0) for much of their homecoming matchup on Nov. 13 but ultimately fell 35-21 in a tough homecoming game.

After taking an early lead and trailing just 14-13 at halftime, three costly turnovers in the second half spelled doom for any upset thoughts the Trojans had.

“It was a tough loss for us,” Troy coach Chip Lindsey said. “I feel like we were in a good spot there, just didn’t make enough plays to get it done.

“Hat’s off to Louisiana. They have a good football team, a veteran team. They did a good job of taking control of the game in the third quarter when we struggled coming out at halftime.”

Troy took an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Gunnar Watson – who returned to the field after suffering an injury last week – scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown with 12:25 left in the opening period.

That lead didn’t last for long, however, as Louisiana’s dynamic quarterback Levi Lewis threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Dontae Fleming with 7:52 left in the first quarter. Troy retook the lead 10-7 on a 30-yard field goal from Brooks Buce with 2:12 left in the first quarter.

With just 1:00 to go in the first quarter, Louisiana took its first lead of the game on a 52-yard pass from Lewis to Michael Jefferson to go up 14-10.

Both defenses began to settle in as the second quarter began but Troy cut the lead to 14-13 on a 47-yard field goal from Buce with just 4:20 remaining in the half. Louisiana would hang on to that lead going into halftime.

As the Troy offense struggled in the third quarter, Louisiana began to assert its will on the Trojans. First, Lewis threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Kyren Lacy and then scored on a 27-yard run to give Louisiana a 28-13 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Troy managed to cut the lead to 28-21 after Watson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tez Johnson with 14:13 left in the game. Watson then converted a two-point try.

Troy then turned the ball over on its final three drives and the Ragin’ Cajuns added a 6-yard touchdown run from Montrell Johnson with just over five minutes remaining to seal the 35-21 conference win.

After seemingly finding its footing on the ground in the past several weeks, Troy once again struggled to run the ball totaling just 41 yards. Meanwhile Louisiana rushed for 204 yards and netted 370 total yards, while Troy actually outgained the Ragin’ Cajuns with 391 yards of total offense. Troy turned the ball over three times, though, and Louisiana had zero turnovers.

Watson completed 29-of-55 passes for 350 yards and a touchdown along with a touchdown on the ground and an interception. Johnson caught six passes for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Dothan’s Jabre Barber hauled in four passes for 69 yards. Kimani Vidal led Troy on the ground with 21 yards on 11 carries.

Carlton Martial led the Troy defense with 10 tackles, while Dell Petus recorded seven tackles and a tackle-for-loss. Javon Solomon also chipped in with four tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Louisiana’s offense was led by Lewis as he completed 14-of-22 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns along with 44 yards and another touchdown rushing. Running back Chris Smith added 102 yards on 15 carries, while Johnson rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.

With just two games remaining in the regular season, Troy still needs one win to earn bowl eligibility with Appalachian State (8-2) coming to Troy on Nov. 20 and the Trojans traveling to Georgia State (5-5) on Nov. 27.