TROY, Ala. — Goose Crowder threw three touchdown passes and Troy’s rush defense came up huge as the Trojans defeated Sam Houston, 24-21, Saturday night at The Vet in the season opener for both clubs.

Troy built a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter when TJ Lott pulled down an 18-yard pass from Crowder in the back corner of the end zone to give Troy (1-0) some much-needed breathing room.

Sam Houston (0-1) pulled within the final 3-point margin on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Landyn Locke to Chris Reed with 63 seconds remaining; Locke threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

The Trojans recovered the onside kick and Crowder connected with Fabian Rogosch for a 16-yard pass on 3rd and 6, allowing Troy to take a knee and close out the game.

The catch was the second of the night for Rogosch, who began his career as a defensive end and had only played as a blocking tight end and on special teams for the Trojans before tonight. His first career target went for a 19-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, tying the game at 7-all.

On the following drive for the Trojans, Crowder connected with TK Keyes for a 28-yard touchdown on the opening play of the second quarter. Sam Houston answered with a touchdown of their own to tie the game going into the half.

The first play of the second half shifted the momentum in Troy’s favor. TJ Thompson intercepted Locke’s pass, setting up an Ethan Head 32-yard field goal to give Troy the lead for good.

The Trojans put together a balanced offensive attack in the season-opening win. Gavin Griffin led the rushing attack in his Troy debut, rushing for 81 yards on 16 carries and 5.2 yards per attempt.

Crowder tallied three passing touchdowns for the fifth time as the Trojans’ starting quarterback. The sixth-year passer completed 12-of-24 passes for 165 yards and no interceptions.

Preseason All-America honoree Evan Crenshaw provided a boost in the field position battle, averaging 46.9 yards on eight punts, including four of 50-plus yards. His longest punt traveled 55 yards, while five of his eight punts were downed inside the Bearkats’ 20-yard line.

Where the Trojans lacked in their pass protection, they made up for with their run defense. Troy allowed just 38 rushing yards, which marks the second-fewest yards allowed in a season opener since the 2000 season, when Troy held Alabama A&M to 34 yards on Sept. 2.

Doug Nelson had a game-high eight tackles, while Keno Jones finished with three tackles and Ty Clemons added a pair of stops behind the line. Troy finished with 13 tackles for loss as a team and four sacks; Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Donnie Smith added a sack and 1.5 stops behind the line.

Up Next
Troy will be back in The Vet next Saturday for a matchup against Alabama State at 3 p.m.

Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Adam Prendergast, Executive Associate Director of Athletics / Communications, Branding & Creative Content