2018 Troy Trojans football team

American college football season

2018 Troy Trojans football

Sun Belt East Division co-champion Dollar General Bowl champion
Dollar General Bowl, W 42–32 vs. Buffalo
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Division	East Division
Record	10–3 (7–1 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Neal Brown (4th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Matt Moore (3rd season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Sean Reagan (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Vic Koenning (6th season)
Home stadium	Veterans Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 2017 2019 →

2018 Sun Belt Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
Appalachian State xy$	7	–	1	11	–	2
Troy x	7	–	1	10	–	3
Georgia Southern	6	–	2	10	–	3
Coastal Carolina	2	–	6	5	–	7
Georgia State	1	–	7	2	–	10
West Division
Louisiana xy	5	–	3	7	–	7
Arkansas State x	5	–	3	8	–	5
Louisiana–Monroe	4	–	4	6	–	6
South Alabama	2	–	6	3	–	9
Texas State	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Appalachian State 30, Louisiana 19
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant

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.^[1]^[2] On January 10, 2019, the school hired Kansas coordinator Chip Lindsey as head coach.^[3]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Rimington Trophy^[4]	Deontae Crumitie	C	SR
Jim Thorpe Award^[5]	Blace Brown	CB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[6]	Blace Brown	CB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy^[6]	Hunter Reese	DE	SR
Outland Trophy^[7]	Deontae Crumitie	C	SR
Paul Hornung Award^[8]	Marcus Jones	CB/KR	SO
Wuerffel Trophy^[9]	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.^[10]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
East Division
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.^[11]

Offense

1st team

Tristan Crowder – OL

Deontae Crumitie – OL

2nd team

Deondre Douglas – WR

Defense

1st team

Hunter Reese – DL

Trevon Sanders – DL

Tron Folsom – LB

Blace Brown – DB

2nd team

Marcus Webb – DL

Marcus Jones – DB

Cedarius Rookard – DB

Special teams

2nd team

Marcus Jones – KR

Schedule

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

^[12]^[13]

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

Week Four: Troy Trojans at Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks – Game summary

Period	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+
[1]

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

References

^ Stephenson, Creg (January 4, 2019). "Troy's Neal Brown leaving for West Virginia, reports say". al. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
^ "West Virginia football hires Troy coach Neal Brown to replace Dana Holgorsen". CBSSports.com. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
^ "Troy hires Kansas coordinator Chip Lindsey as head coach". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
^ "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
^ "Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Names 2018 Preseason Watchlist". July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
^ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ "22018 OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST UNVEILED". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
^ "43 PLAYERS NAMED TO 2018 PAUL HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Mountaineers, Red Wolves Selected as Division Favorites in 2018 Sun Belt Football Coaches' Preseason Poll".
^ "Sun Belt Announces 2018 Preseason All-Conference Football Teams".
^ "Troy Trojans Schedule 2018". ESPN. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
^ "2018 Football Schedule". Troy University Athletics. Retrieved November 14, 2022.

v t e Troy Trojans football
Venues	Pace Field (1930–1949) Veterans Memorial Stadium (1950–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Jacksonville State: Battle for the Ol' School Bell Middle Tennessee: Battle for the Palladium South Alabama
Culture & lore	Trojan "Trojans One & All" Sound of the South Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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National championship seasons in bold