Southern Miss survived a late rally from Arkansas State to remain unbeaten in conference play in last week’s Sun Belt Game of the Week.
The Golden Eagles caused six turnovers, including three interceptions from defensive back Josh Moten, in the 27-21 victory to improve to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the Sun Belt.
This week’s nationally-televised matchup will be the first-ever meeting between these two programs. It’s the only game in the conference this week between teams with winning records.
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How To Watch Troy-Old Dominion
The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday and will air on ESPN.
Troy-Old Dominion Betting Odds
Old Dominion is a 10.5-point college football betting odds favorite over Troy, as of this writing. The Over/Under is at 52.5.
Troy-Old Dominion Coaches & Records
TROY: Gerad Parker (10- 17 overall, 10-11 at Troy)
ODU: Ricky Rahne (26-33 overall/at ODU)
Last meeting: This is the first-ever meeting between Troy and ODU.
Troy Preview
The Trojans were riding a five-game win streak before being upset by Arkansas State two weeks ago. It was their first conference loss of the season.
After USM’s win over ASU last week, Troy (6-3, 4-1) now sits alone in second place in the Sun Belt West. If the Trojans win this week and defeat Georgia State next week, there’s a strong possibility they will be playing Southern Miss in the final week of the regular season for a trip to the Sun Belt Championship.
If Troy is going to knock off ODU, though, it’s going to need a much better showing from its offense than what we saw against ASU. The Trojans mustered just 187 yards of total offense and only 21 yards on the ground.
It has been a struggle for Troy to get its rushing attack going for much of the season. It’s only averaging 121 rushing YPG and 3.3 yards per carry. Running back Tae Meadows has been the most effective rusher and has 546 yards and four touchdowns on the season.
The Trojans rank last in the league in total offense (324 YPG) and have also given up the most sacks (34). They’re averaging 27 points per game.
Since losing starting QB Goose Crowder in Week 3, Tucker Kilcrease has been the man under center. The junior has 1,400 passing yards and nine TDs. Wide receiver Tray Taylor leads the team with 402 receiving yards to go with three TDs.
Troy’s defense has primarily been the strength of the team this year. It ranks among the Sun Belt’s top three in scoring defense (24.1 PPG) and total defense (356.7 YPG). Linebacker Jordan Stringer leads the team and is fifth in the conference with 83 total tackles while Devin Lafayette has registered 77. Defensive back Jacquez White has 11 total pass breakups.
Old Dominion Preview
It’s been an up-and-down season for Old Dominion so far.
A month ago, the Monarchs were looking like one of the teams to beat in the league but then lost two games in a row to Marshall and James Madison. They have since bounced back with wins over App State and ULM.
ODU (6-3, 3-2) is also coming off a bye, and because of the loss to JMU, I don’t think there’s any possibility the Monarchs can still make the Sun Belt title game. Regardless, ODU still has a chance to reach nine regular season wins, which would be its most since 2016.
Much like Troy, the Monarchs’ defense has been stout for most of the season. They also rank in the top three in total defense (367.4 YPG) and scoring defense (23.4 PPG). The defense is balanced and is led by safeties Jerome Carter (64 tackles) and Mario Easterly (58).
ODU has been good at getting to opposing quarterbacks this season and has 23 sacks. How much disruption they’re able to cause could be a main factor in this game.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Colton Joseph has arguably been the top dual-threat signal caller in the league this year and paces the Sun Belt with 316.8 total YPG. His 620 rushing yards are fifth most in the league while his nine rushing scores are tied for second most. His 19 passing TDs are also tied for the most in the conference.
Tre’ Brown III leads the team with 623 receiving yards, while Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding has 551 yards and six TDs on 40 receptions.
The Monarchs’ offense is averaging 31.9 points and 451.8 YPG.
Troy-Old Dominion Prediction
I predict ODU gets the win but Troy covers the spread.
I think this will be Troy’s biggest test so far in conference play, but I expect the Trojans can keep this game within two possessions because of their defense. Against ASU, they were able to keep Jaylen Raynor from doing damage with his legs, which will be key in trying to keep Joseph one dimensional. But that’s easier said than done.
Troy will also need to get some sort of offensive consistency if it wants to stay in this game.
