Troy is out for its fifth straight victory when it hosts Sun Belt Conference rival Louisiana at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
The Trojans are 5-2 overall, 3-0 in Sun Belt play after beating Louisiana-Monroe 37-14 last Saturday. Troy is tied for first place in the Sun Belt West Division with Southern Miss, which is also 3-0.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are 2-5 overall, 1-2 in the Sun Belt. Louisiana lost 22-10 at home to Southern Miss a week ago.
Louisiana leads the all-time series 14-11, though the teams have split 10 meetings in Troy. The Ragin’ Cajuns beat the Trojans 51-30 last season in Lafayette, La.
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game, including the key matchup, storylines and a score prediction.
Key matchup
Troy offensive line vs. Louisiana defensive line
The Trojans have allowed a Sun Belt-high 22 sacks this season, and have been banged up on the offensive line. Starting running back Tae Meadows is also hurting, so protection for Troy’s backs and receivers will be at a premium.
Louisiana ranks in the middle of the pack in most Sun Belt defensive statistics, but have improved of late. The Ragin’ Cajuns have allowed James Madison and Southern Miss — both of whom are in first place or tied for first in their division — to score a total of 46 points the last two weeks.
“Their defense is one of the tops in the conference,” Troy coach Gerad Parker said. “They’ve given up very few points, especially the last couple weeks. They’re playing very physical, very hard on that side of the ball.”
Storylines
Troy can continue its amazing turnaround
The Trojans have already exceeded their win total from last year, when they finished 4-8 in Parker’s first season. With a win Saturday, they would also be bowl-eligible for the third time in four years.
However, the turnaround hasn’t just occurred since last year — it’s happened during this season. Troy was staring at a 1-3 start heading into the fourth quarter vs. Buffalo on Sept. 27, but rallied to win that game 21-17, and then has rattled off wins over South Alabama, Texas State and ULM — the first two in overtime — to surge into conference championship contention.
Trojans dealing with injuries, suspensions
Troy will play the first half on Saturday without two defensive starters — linebacker Steven Cattledge and safety David Daniel-Sisavanh — that were ejected for targeting in the second half last week vs. ULM. Backup Joe Lott shined in Daniel-Sisavanh’s absence, however, securing two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
In addition to Meadows (who is listed as doubtful), starting left guard Eli Russ and starting center Paul Bowling are questionable for Saturday. Starting left tackle Elijah Prather will miss his second straight game, while starting right tackle Garner Langlo will miss his third in a row.
Prediction
Troy 31, Louisiana 20
The Trojans are clearly on a roll, playing at an extremely high level on defense and seemingly becoming more and more explosive on offense with each passing week. Quarterback Tucker Kilcrease is playing at an all-conference level of late, and a different playmaker seems to emerge each week from the receiver corps.
The Ragin’ Cajuns, on the other hand, have struggled to pass the ball consistently despite the recent emergence of quarterback D’Wayne “Lunch” Winfield. Troy should be able to load up against the run and limit the Louisiana attack.
Game info
Who: Louisiana (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) at Troy (5-2, 3-0)
Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, Ala.
When: Saturday, Oct. 25 — 6 p.m.
Watch: ESPN+
On The Call: Will Kollmeyer, Ben Stanfield, Gavan Baxley (TV); Barry McKnight, Jerry Miller, Chris Blackshear (radio)
Listen: 107.5 FM/1210 AM The Ticket | Troy Radio Network (Troy)
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