3 takeaways from Troy blowout of North Texas in the 2017 New Orleans Bowl

1. Troy was simply more well-rounded than North Texas on offense

While the two quarterbacks both had respectable days in the New Orleans Bowl, North Texas was almost wholly dependent on what Mason Fine could do through the air. The Mean Green finished with negative-eight net rushing yards as a team on 25 carries. Especially once they got behind in the second half, there was even less pretense of running the ball for Graham Harrell’s offense.

Troy’s defense was instrumental in disrupting North Texas on the ground. The defensive line was getting great pressure in the backfield on both running and passing plays. Fine did a decent job of dealing with the pressure, but with an anemic running game there was only so much he could do against a defense prepared to put seven into coverage.

The Mean Green couldn’t commit as heavily to stopping the pass on defense. Brandon Silvers had the advantage of a ground game that was operating on all cylinders. Josh Anderson was ripping off decent yardage all day, finishing with 113 yards on 22 carries. After getting the start for the injured Jordan Chunn, the senior posted the biggest single game of his college career in his final game. He also posted a pair of rushing touchdowns to cap the triple-digit performance.

With so many injuries in its receiving corps, Troy also got a breakout performance from receiver Damion Willis. The former East Mississippi Community College star of Last Chance U fame put up the biggest performance of his FBS career to date. Willis finished with 136 yards and two touchdown catches on 11 receptions.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round before bowl season

Troy ends the year yet again on a high note. Thanks to a balanced offense and a strong defensive performance, the Trojans won a second consecutive bowl game.