Appalachian State will be rewarded for its upset win over then-No. 6 Texas A&M when it hosts Troy in a nationally televised showdown on Saturday afternoon. ESPN’s College GameDay show will be on site in Boone, North Carolina, leading up to the game between the Mountaineers and Trojans. Troy is coming off a 38-17 win over Alabama A&M, while Appalachian State sprung a huge upset with its 17-14 win over the Aggies.
Troy has already had one tough road game this season, losing in a 28-10 final at then-No. 21 Ole Miss on Sept. 3. The Trojans were able to bounce back from that setback with their 38-17 win over Alabama A&M last week but were not even close to covering the 37.5-point spread. They took a 31-3 lead early in the fourth quarter before allowing Alabama A&M to score a pair of touchdowns down the stretch. Troy has struggled to compete with Appalachian State in recent years, losing 47-10 in 2020 and 45-7 last year. The Trojans are double-digit underdogs for the fifth consecutive meeting between these teams.
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Peeling back the curtain on win number one of the season.#RiseToBuild | #OneTROY ???? pic.twitter.com/JJdjPLv7uz
— Troy Trojans Football (@TroyTrojansFB) September 13, 2022
Their offense is led by junior quarterback Gunnar Watson, who has completed 70.4% of his passes for 626 yards and five touchdowns, but he has also thrown three interceptions. Sophomore wide receiver Jabre Barber has caught 10 passes for a team-high 165 yards and one touchdown, while wideout Rajae Johnson has added seven receptions for 112 yards and two scores. Their rushing attack has not had much success during the first two games of the year, though. Running back Kimani Vidal has carried the ball 22 times for just 86 yards, averaging 3.9 yards per touch. He is facing an Appalachian State defense that allowed one offensive touchdown, nine first downs and 186 total yards against Texas A&M last week. Jalen McLeod had a career-high two sacks, while Nick Ross notched a career-high seven tackles—McLeod was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week. Nick Hampton and Dexter Lawson Jr. both recovered fumbles in the upset.