Troy’s first trip to the Sun Belt Football championship game didn't include much suspense. The Trojans have themselves to thank for that.
Troy scored 31 unanswered points to start the game and cruised to a 45-26 victory over visiting Coastal Carolina before a crowd of 21,554 at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
It was the Trojans' first SBC championship game and a conference record seventh overall championship. It was also the 10th consecutive victory for a Troy team that began the season with two losses in their first three games.
“If you got a pulse, you got a chance. The Troy Trojans have a pulse.”#RiseToBuild | #OneTROY ⚔️🏈 pic.twitter.com/BHoA2Dl9o3
— Troy Trojans Football 7x⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) December 4, 2022
Jon Sumrall won a conference title in his first season as the Trojans' head coach.
"A year ago today is the first time I had a team meeting here in this room with the guys about the direction we were about to take this thing," Sumrall said. "I wanted them to understand that things weren't going to be the same and we were going to work harder than they'd ever worked. They bought in. We invest deeply in relationships with our players and care deeply about them."
Quarterback Gunnar Watson had perhaps his most efficient game of the season. Watson was 12 of 17 for 318 yards with touchdowns of 65 yards to Deshon Stoudemire and 67 and 36 yards to RaJae' Johnson-Sanders. Johnson-Sanders had four catches for an SBC championship-record 134 yards.
Watson directed the Trojans to points on six of the team's first seven possessions. DK Billingsley scored on runs of 8 and 33 yards in the first half.
Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, a three-time SBC Player of the Year, saw action for the first time since injuring his foot on Nov. 3. He put up some good numbers but most came in the second half. McCall was 29 of 41 for 319 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for a touchdown.
"That was as good a feeling as I ever had after a game," said Sumrall, who was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year earlier this week. "I'm proud of these kids. That's what the best part of this is. These kids have worked so hard, and they've done so much, and they've been through a lot. To win five games a year for the last three years, there was a lot of change we brought to the staff, and a lot of it wasn't comfortable."
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email steve.irvine@1819news.com.
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