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.

2022 Troy Trojans football
Sun Belt champion
Sun Belt West Division co-champion
Cure Bowl champion
Cure Bowl, W 18–12 vs. UTSA
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionWest Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 19
Record12–2 (7–1 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJoe Craddock (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorShiel Wood (1st season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumVeterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 2021
2023 →
2022 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
Coastal Carolina xy   6 2     9 4  
James Madison* x   6 2     8 3  
Marshall   5 3     9 4  
Georgia Southern   3 5     6 7  
Appalachian State   3 5     6 6  
Georgia State   3 5     4 8  
Old Dominion   2 6     3 9  
West Division
No. 19 Troy xy$   7 1     12 2  
South Alabama x   7 1     10 3  
Southern Miss   4 4     7 6  
Louisiana   4 4     6 7  
Louisiana–Monroe   3 5     4 8  
Texas State   2 6     4 8  
Arkansas State   1 7     3 9  
Championship: Troy 45, Coastal Carolina 26
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * – Ineligible for postseason play due to FCS-to-FBS transition rules
Rankings from AP Poll

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.[1][2] On November 12, 2022, he recorded his 546th tackle to break the prior record of 545 tackles set by Tim McGarigle of Northwestern.[3][4]

Preseason

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Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPNN/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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A

Sun Belt coaches poll

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The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 25, 2022. The Trojans were picked to finish third in the West Division.[5]

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

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Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 33:00 p.m.at No. 21 Ole Miss*SECNL 10–2860,533
September 106:00 p.m.Alabama A&M*ESPN3W 38–1726,189
September 172:30 p.m.at Appalachian StateESPN+L 28–3234,406
September 246:00 p.m.Marshall
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
NFLNW 16–727,514
October 16:00 p.m.at Western Kentucky*ESPN+W 34–2720,168
October 86:00 p.m.Southern Miss
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
ESPN+W 27–1026,017
October 152:30 p.m.Texas State 
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
ESPN3W 17–1423,480
October 206:30 p.m.at South AlabamaESPNUW 10–625,450
November 54:00 p.m.at LouisianaESPN+W 23–177,888
November 122:30 p.m.Army*
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
NFLNW 10–931,010
November 192:30 p.m.Louisiana–Monroe
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
ESPN+W 34–1623,864
November 262:30 p.m.at Arkansas StateESPNUW 48–199,376
December 32:30 p.m.Coastal Carolina
ESPNW 45–2621,554
December 162:00 p.m.vs. No. 25 UTSA*No. 24ESPNW 18–1211,911

[6][7]

Personnel

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Game summaries

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At No. 21 Ole Miss

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Game One: Troy Trojans (0–0) at No. 21 Ole Miss Rebels (0–0) - Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Trojans 0 3 0710
No. 21 Rebels 7 14 7028

at Vaught–Hemingway StadiumOxford, 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
Game information
First Quarter
  • (2:25) Ole Miss – Ulysses Bentley IV 2 yard run (Jonathan Cruz kick)
    Ole Miss 7–0; 9 plays, 82 yards, 2:13
Second Quarter
  • (11:51) Ole Miss – Jonathan Mingo 2 yard run (Jonathan Cruz kick)
    Ole Miss 14–0; 10 plays, 79 yards, 3:01
  • (6:38) Ole Miss – Quinshon Judkins 2 yard run (Jonathan Cruz kick)
    Ole Miss 21–0; 11 plays, 83 yards, 3:40
  • (0:00) Troy – Brooks Buce 31 yard field goal
    Ole Miss 21–3; 11 plays, 47 yards, 3:09
Third Quarter
  • (10:42) Ole Miss – Malik Heath 12 yard pass from Jaxson Dart (Jonathan Cruz kick)
    Ole Miss 28–3; 13 plays, 75 yards, 4:18
Fourth Quarter
  • (0:57) Troy – RaeJae’ Johnson 3 yard run from Gunnar Watson (Brooks Buce kick)
    Ole Miss 28–10; 11 plays, 39 yards, 5:07
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
Rushing Kimani Vidal 12 carries, 48 yards
Receiving Jabre Barber 5 receptions, 60 yards
Ole Miss Passing Jaxson Dart 18–27, 154 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing Zach Evans 20 carries, 130 yards
Receiving Michael Trigg 4 receptions, 33 yards

Alabama A&M

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

At Appalachian State

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Troy Trojans (1–1) at Appalachian State Mountaineers (1–1) – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Trojans 7 14 0728
Mountaineers 7 7 10832

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
Game information
First quarter
  • APP – Christian Wells 17-yard pass from Chase Brice (Michael Hughes kick), 13:48. Mountaineers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 38 yards, 5:57.
  • TROY – D. K. Billingsley 19-yard run (Brooks Bruce kick), 6:49. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:59.

Second quarter

  • TROY – Gunnar Watson 1-yard run (Brooks Bruce kick), 8:43. Trojans 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 3:51.
  • APP – Anderson Castle 18-yard pass from Chase Brice (Michael Hughes kick), 1:22. Tied 14–14. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 7:21.
  • TROY – Gunnar Watson 1-yard run (Brooks Bruce kick), 0:00. Trojans 21–14. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 1:22.

Third quarter

  • APP – Daetrich Harrington 19-yard run (Michael Hughes kick), 11:35. Tied 21–21. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:25.
  • APP – Michael Hughes 23-yard field goal, 0:29. Mountaineers 24–21. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 4:37.

Fourth quarter

  • TROY – Kimani Vidal 1-yard run (Brooks Bruce kick), 10:10. Trojans 28–24. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 5:14.
  • APP – Gunnar Watson safety, 0:20. Trojans 28–26.
  • APP – Christian Horn 53-yard pass from Chase Brice, 0:00. Mountaineers 32–28. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 0:15.

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
Rushing D. K. Billingsley 6 rushes, 38 yards, TD
Receiving Deshon Stoudemire 6 receptions, 70 yards
Appalachian State Passing Chase Brice 22/34, 287 yards, 2 TD
Rushing Camerun Peoples 17 rushes, 84 yards
Receiving Christian Horn 5 receptions, 98 yards, TD

Marshall

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Game Four – Marshall Thundering Herd (2–1) at Troy Trojans (1–2)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Thundering Herd 0 0 707
Trojans 10 0 0616

at Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, 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
Game information
First quarter
  • (10:51) TROY – Buddha Jones 23 yards fumble return, Brooks Buce kick (Troy 7–0)
  • (5:31) TROY – Brooks Buce 40 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:10; Troy 10–0)
Third quarter
  • (4:25) MRSH – Khalan Laborn 14 yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 2 plays, 16 yards, 0:37; Troy 10–7)
Fourth quarter
  • (7:43) TROY – Brooks Buce 25 yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:41; Troy 13–7)
  • (3:18) TROY – Brooks Buce 28 yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 3:11; Troy 16–7)
Statistics MRSH TROY
First downs 15 13
Plays–yards 69–174 56–421
Rushes–yards 48–96 31–100
Passing yards 78 321
Passing: compattint 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
Rushing Khalan Laborn 29 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD
Receiving Caleb McMillan 3 receptions, 37 yards
Troy Passing Gunnar Watson 15/25, 321 yards, 1 INT
Rushing DK Billingsley 14 carries, 85 yards
Receiving Tez Johnson 2 receptions, 121 yards

At Western Kentucky

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

Southern Miss

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

Texas State

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

At South Alabama

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

At Louisiana

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Troy at Louisiana
1 234Total
Trojans 0 0716 23
Ragin' Cajuns 0 1070 17
  • Date: November 5, 2022
  • Location: Cajun Field
    Lafayette, Louisiana
  • Game start: 4:02 p.m. CDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 18 minutes
  • Game attendance: 7,888
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 8 MPH
  • Referee: Javarro Edwards
  • TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan McDonald (play–by–play) and Eric Mouton (analyst)
    
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
Rushing Kimani Vidal 21 carries, 117 yards, 1 TD
Receiving RaJae' Johnson 5 receptions, 79 yards
Louisiana Passing Ben Wooldridge 13/29, 112 yards
Rushing Chris Smith 18 carries, 97 yards
Receiving Michael Jefferson 6 receptions, 50 yards

Army

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Army Black Knights at Troy Trojans
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Black Knights 0 9 009
Trojans 0 0 3710

at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, AL

Game information
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

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

At Arkansas State

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

Coastal Carolina (SBC Championship)

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2022 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (9–2, 6–2) vs. Troy Trojans (10–2, 7–2)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Coastal Carolina 0 7 61326
Troy 17 14 14045

at Veterans Memorial StadiumTroy, 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
Game information
First Quarter
  • (11:07) TROY – Brooks Bruce 35 yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 3:53; Troy 3–0)
  • (9:28) TROY – Deshon Stoudemire 65 yard pass from Gunnar Watson, Brooks Bruce kick (Drive: 1 play, 65 yards, 0:12; Troy 10–0)
  • (4:09) TROY – DK Billingsley 8 yard rush, Brooks Bruce kick (Drive: 4 plays, 62 yards, 1:43; Troy 17–0)
Second Quarter
  • (12:36) TROY – DK Billingsley 33 yard rush, Brooks Bruce kick (Drive: 2 plays, 48 yards, 0:45; Troy 24–0)
  • (9:47) TROY – RaJae' Johnson 67 yard pass from Gunnar Watson, Brooks Bruce kick (Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:46; Troy 31–0)
  • (0:29) CCU – Grayson McCall 8 yard rush, Kade Hensley kick (Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:35; Troy 31–7)
Third Quarter
  • (12:08) CCU – Jared Brown 30 yard pass from Grayson McCall, two-point pass conversion failed (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:52; Troy 31–13)
  • (8:42) TROY – RaJae' Johnson 36 yard pass from Gunnar Watson, Brooks Bruce kick (Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 3:26; Troy 38–13)
  • (4:49) TROY – DK Billingsley 3 yard rush, Brooks Bruce kick (Drive: 8 plays, 7 yards, 3:40; Troy 45–13)
Fourth Quarter
  • (14:55) CCU – Sam Pinckney 11 yard pass from Grayson McCall, two-point pass conversion failed (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:54; Troy 45–19)
  • (6:09) CCU – Tyson Mobley 21 yard pass from Grayson McCall, Kade Hensley kick (Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 4:03; Troy 45–26)
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
Rushing Reese White 8 carries, 44 yards
Receiving Tyson Mobley 7 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD
Troy Passing Gunnar Watson 12/17, 318 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing DK Billingsley 9 carries, 57 yards, 3 TDs
Receiving RaJae' Johnson 4 receptions, 134 yards, 2 TDs

Vs. No 25 UTSA (Cure Bowl)

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

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
APRVRVRVRVRV2319
CoachesRVRVRVRVRV2420
CFPNot released24Not released

Players drafted into the NFL

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

References

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  1. ^ "Carlton Martial". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "As Troy linebacker Carlton Martial approaches the tackles record in college football his legend shrinks". ESPN.com. November 9, 2022.
  3. ^ "Martial breaks tackles record; Troy rallies for victory". Dothan Eagle. November 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Troy LB Carlton Martial sets NCAA record for career tackles". ESPN.com. November 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Sun Belt Announces Football Preseason Awards & Poll". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "Troy Trojans Schedule 2022". ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Football Schedule". Troy University Athletics. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. ^ "Army at Troy – Game Summary – November 12, 2022". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "Scoring Summary (Final) Army West Point at Troy (Nov 12, 2022 at Troy, Alabama)". USMA Athletic Department. November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Army at Troy – Army Game Notes" (PDF). USMA Athletic Department. November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "Army at Troy – Troy Game Notes" (PDF). Troy Athletic Department. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Football Drops Nailbiter, 10–9 at Troy". USMA Athletic Department. November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.