Troy University

TROY, Alabama – Troy returns to The Vet on Saturday to host Florida A&M in the Trojans' final nonconference game of the season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

More than 60 special guests will be in attendance as Troy celebrates his 40th birthday.^th Anniversary of the 1984 NCAA Division II national championship. Led by Hall of Fame coach Chan Gailey, the Trojans finished 12-1 and defeated North Dakota State in the national title game thanks to a 50-yard field goal by Ted Clem as time expired.

The 2024 Trojans (0-3) are looking to get on the winning list for the first time this season after a challenging schedule that included back-to-back road games at No. 23 Memphis and Iowa in the last two weeks.

Troy demanded everything Iowa could and more from Kinnick Stadium last weekend, thanks in large part to Devonte Ross and a defense that held the oversized Hawkeyes at bay for 45 minutes.

Ross scored three points, all from 62 yards or more, on two long touchdown receptions and a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown that put Troy ahead at halftime. Defensively, the Trojans held Iowa to just 17 points in the first three quarters of the game before two long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter extended Iowa's lead to 17 points.

Florida A&M (2-1) is coming off a week off after a 56-9 loss at Miami, Florida, on Sept. 7. The loss to the Hurricanes ended a 13-game winning streak for the Rattlers that stretched back to a Week 2 loss at South Florida in 2023. Florida A&M has won 23 consecutive games against non-FBS opponents.

The Rattlers enter the weekend ranked No. 20 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and are the defending HBCU national champions after defeating Howard 30-26 in the 2023 Celebration Bowl. The Rattlers are led by quarterback Daniel Richardson, who started at Florida Atlantic (2023) and Central Michigan (2020-22) before landing at FAMU.

Remarkable

• Devonte Ross was the first player in Troy DI history to record two catches of over 60 yards in the same game

• The Iowa game marked the first time Troy had two 60-yard catches in the same game since 2009 against UAB.

• Devonte Ross' 77-yard punt for a touchdown to end the first half in Iowa; it was the first punt return the Hawkeyes allowed since a 63-yard return by Christan McCaffrey in the 2016 Rose Bowl

• Troy has been successful this season at scoring points on sustained offenses; the Trojans have scored points on all seven offenses this season when they have gained three first downs. The numbers are also pretty good on two first downs, where Troy has a 90.1 percent success rate.

• Negative plays have been the key to Troy's success on defense … the Trojans have not allowed points on any offense this season in which they recorded a sack (0 of 2) or in which the first play ended in a loss (0 of 3).

• Twenty Trojans (offense/defensive) made their first FBS starts this season, second most in the country. The number rises to 24 if you count special teams and 27 if you count Troy's first-time starters.

• It was just the sixth time since 2022 that Troy completed a pass of 229 yards or more against Iowa.

• All of Troy's defensive coaches have served as defensive coordinators at the college level – Chris Boone, Nathan Burton, Justin Manning, Travis Pearson

• Although Troy has not officially played a ranked team in 2024, the Trojans have played one now-ranked team (Memphis) and one team that was ranked the week before the game (Iowa).

• Troy has forced 191 turnovers since the start of the 2016 season, the second-highest number in the country

• Due to injuries to QB (Crowder) and Center (Russ), Troy played as a walk-on at the quarterback position (Matthew Caldwell) and middle (Tyler Cappi) in Memphis; the duo started the game in Iowa

• Troy has allowed points on only one drive this season that included a big play (12-yard run, 15-yard pass) that resulted in points; in contrast, Troy has allowed points on 14 of 17 drives that included a big play.

• Troy has won the coin toss only eight times in the last 31 games (2022-pr.) … the Trojans are 0-3 this season

• Troy has won 20 of its last 23 games by rushing for over 100 yards