For the second straight year, Troy pulled off a statement win over a Power Five program. How much trouble is Nebraska football in after suffering another defeat?
A punt return fumble by Troy’s Cedarius Rookard allowed Nebraska to pull within a touchdown of the Trojans early in the second half, and they added a second field goal after halftime to pull within four points. The Huskers kept pace into the fourth quarter, pulling back within a single score with fewer than three minutes remaining, but it was ultimately the closest that Scott Frost‘s team would get to the visitors on the scoreboard. A late pick ended any chance of the comeback.
Troy piled up an early 17-0 lead to start the game, scored an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter, and held on late to leave Lincoln with a statement 24-19 upset of the Cornhuskers on Saturday afternoon.
As a result, Nebraska has now started 0-2 for the first time in a season since 1957. Six decades ago, the Cornhuskers lost against Washington State and Army to start the season en route to a 1-9 finish. Scott Frost’s first season leading his alma mater could prove similarly disastrous, as the Huskers look like they must bottom out before they can really be rebuilt.
Of course, losing a starting quarterback will have a deleterious effect on even Power Five programs. Nebraska was put in a hole when Adrian Martinez was knocked out of the opener against Colorado. That forced Andrew Bunch to become Nebraska’s first walk-on starter at quarterback this century.
Bunch performed admirably enough, going 19-of-27 for 177 yards and two scores in his first college start. But it wasn’t enough to get the Cornhuskers the win, as he also gave up two interceptions and struggled to keep the ball moving for stretches against Troy.
Bunch ultimately played as well as one might expect from a walk-on quarterback, keeping Nebraska in the contest but unable to push them over the hump. His second interception, when Nebraska had the ball with two minutes left and a one-score deficit, prevented the Huskers from a shot at taking the lead.
This was more than just a Nebraska collapse, though
As much as Nebraska struggled, though, this can be attributed as much to the complete game that Troy played in all phases of the game. Before he fumbled the punt in the second half, Cedarius Rookard took an earlier boot 58 yards for a return touchdown. As Troy’s first touchdown of the game, that Rookard score proved critical in the end of the five-point victory.
They struggled passing the ball, as Kaleb Barker came nowhere near the level of performance of his predecessor Brandon Silvers. Barker finished the day in Lincoln with 110 yards on 14-of-21 passing, as he tossed an interception but no scoring passes. The quarterback added 12 yards on eight carries.
More critical to the success Troy enjoyed on offense was running back B.J. Smith, who punched in two touchdowns and ran for a total of 70 yards on 11 carries. Sawyer Smith added 60 yards on four carries. The two Smiths in the backfield kept Nebraska just enough on edge that they were never able to completely solve the riddle of the Trojans offense.
Meanwhile, the Troy defense contained a deep Nebraska rushing attack while rendering Bunch largely ineffectual passing the ball. Like they did against LSU on the road last year, the Trojans pulled off another statement win away from Alabama against a historic powerhouse in college football.
Admittedly, Nebraska is nowhere near the quality LSU brought to the table last year. But the end result is the same, as the defending Sun Belt co-champions stay on track for another shot at the conference title and a longshot bid for a New Year’s Six invitation as the top Group of Five champion.