Jaheim Merriweather rushes for 127 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans pile up 427 yards of offense and hold the Hornets to their lowest output during a 15-game scoring streak.
Merriweather rushed for a career-high three touchdowns, including an explosive 69-yard score, and Troy rolled up 427 yards of total offense in a 34-17 victory over in-state opponent Alabama State at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Trojans improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2013, powered by 226 rushing yards and a defense that limited an Alabama State offense averaging at least 30 points over its previous 15 games to just 17.
Merriweather was the centerpiece of Troy's ground attack, rushing for 127 yards on 28 carries. T.K. Keyes delivered through the air with five receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Goose Crowder completed another turnover-free performance with 201 passing yards.
Still, head coach Gerad Parker saw plenty to correct.
“We didn't turn the football over — which was a positive, but we didn't play clean at all and played with poor discipline,” Parker said. “We ran the football well enough to get out of the game with a win.”
Keyes Strikes Early With 73-Yard Touchdown
Troy needed only three plays to announce itself.
Crowder connected with Keyes over the middle on the opening possession, and the receiver broke two tackles before racing for a 73-yard touchdown just 1:35 into the game.
It was Keyes' second touchdown in as many weeks and Troy's fastest opening touchdown since 2018.
Alabama State answered immediately.
Jamarie Hostzclaw broke loose for a 50-yard touchdown on the Hornets' opening possession, tying the game and momentarily silencing the home crowd.
The response didn't last.
After the teams traded punts, Merriweather took the first snap of Troy's next possession, bounced outside and tightroped the sideline for a 69-yard touchdown.
The longest run of Merriweather's college career gave Troy a 14-7 advantage — and the Trojans never trailed again.
The two explosive scores also gave Troy both a 60-plus-yard rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown in the same game for the first time since its 2023 matchup with Arkansas State.
Merriweather's Three-Touchdown Day Breaks Open Game
Merriweather wasn't finished.
Ethan Head's 24-yard field goal extended Troy's lead to 17-7 after a 12-play drive stalled near the goal line.
Then Merriweather began finding the end zone with regularity.
The third-year running back scored on runs of 6 and 1 yards during Troy's final two possessions of the first half, completing his first three-touchdown rushing performance as a Trojan.
His final score was set up by Donnie Smith's strip sack, which gave Troy possession at the Alabama State 42.
By halftime, the Trojans had transformed an early 7-7 battle into a commanding 31-7 advantage.
Merriweather became the first Troy player to rush for three touchdowns in a game since Kimani Vidal scored five against Appalachian State in the 2023 Sun Belt Championship Game.
Alabama State Threatens After Halftime
The Hornets refused to disappear.
Troy turned the ball over on downs in its own territory early in the third quarter, and Alabama State capitalized almost immediately.
Quarterback Andrew Body connected with John Austin for a 19-yard touchdown, trimming Troy's lead to 31-14.
The Trojans then gambled again.
A failed fake punt gave Alabama State possession at the Troy 30, offering the Hornets an opportunity to make it a one-score game.
Troy's defense responded.
The Trojans kept Alabama State out of the end zone and forced the Hornets to settle for Andrew Abu-Akel's 37-yard field goal.
The defensive stand proved critical.
Alabama State never scored again.
Troy Defense Slams Door on Hornets
The Trojans held Alabama State scoreless throughout the fourth quarter, forcing two punts and a turnover on downs to preserve the 17-point victory.
Body finished with just 105 passing yards and was sacked three times.
Keno Jones and T.J. Thompson led Troy with six tackles apiece, while Jones added 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Smith also continued a productive start to the season, recording a sack for the second consecutive game.
The overall numbers illustrated Troy's defensive control.
Alabama State finished with only 221 yards of offense, the fewest allowed by a Troy team during Parker's tenure. It marked the 40th time since Troy moved to the FBS level in 2001 that the Trojans held an opponent to 250 yards or fewer. Troy is 35-5 in those games.
More significantly, the Trojans ended an impressive Alabama State scoring streak.
The Hornets had scored at least 30 points in 15 consecutive games before Saturday.
Crowder, Keyes Give Troy Balance Through Air
Troy's rushing performance dominated the statistics, but Crowder and Keyes prevented Alabama State from selling out against the run.
Crowder threw for 201 yards without an interception, continuing his clean start to the season.
Keyes turned five catches into 127 yards, averaging more than 25 yards per reception.
Troy also received a career first from Jywon Boyd, whose 6-yard reception in the opening quarter was his first collegiate catch.
Boyd later delivered in a much bigger situation.
Facing another fourth down from the Alabama State 41, Crowder connected with Boyd for 12 yards to extend the possession.
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— Troy Trojans Football 8x⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) September 12, 2026
TK Keyes eclipses the 100-yard mark on his fourth reception, getting to 107 yards in the ballgame. pic.twitter.com/u5J3AdmCJu
That completion moved Troy into field-goal range, where Head drilled a career-long 47-yarder to establish the final 34-17 margin.
Troy finished 3-for-5 on fourth downs but just 6-for-19 combined on third- and fourth-down opportunities — one of the areas Parker highlighted afterward.
Trojans Run Their Way Into Familiar Winning Formula
Troy's 226 rushing yards represented the fourth-highest total of the Parker era and continued a longstanding formula for success.
The Trojans have won 10 of their past 11 games when rushing for more than 100 yards.
The numbers become even more striking as the rushing total increases.
Troy improved to 47-4 when reaching 150 rushing yards and 54-2 since 2004 when surpassing 200.
The Trojans are also 26-0 when rushing for more than 200 yards since 2015.
Saturday's 226-116 rushing advantage marked only the third time in Troy's past 10 games that it had outrushed an opponent, but the Trojans have now accomplished it in both games this season.
Parker Wants More Despite Historic 2-0 Start
A 17-point victory, 427 yards of offense and the program's first 2-0 start since 2013 would ordinarily provide plenty of reasons for satisfaction.
Parker wasn't interested in overlooking the problems.
Troy accumulated penalties, struggled on third and fourth downs and twice gave Alabama State favorable field position after unsuccessful fourth-down decisions.
“I'm just frustrated because I don't think our football team played at our best or at the best version of ourselves to this point in week two,” Parker said.
Parker also credited Alabama State and the Hornets' traveling support, which helped contribute to an announced crowd of 26,634 — tied for the 14th-largest attendance in Veterans Memorial Stadium history.
But with the difficulty of Troy's schedule set to increase, Parker wants the mistakes corrected.
“We've got to change what we're doing in order to get it fixed and play winning football as the competition continues to climb for us as we go into the bulk of our season,” he said.
That challenge comes with Troy in a position it hasn't occupied in more than a decade.
Undefeated after two games.
Troy Improves to 15-2 All-Time Against Alabama State
Saturday's victory continued Troy's dominance in the in-state series.
The Trojans improved to 15-2 all-time against Alabama State and remain perfect at 8-0 against the Hornets at The Vet.
Troy also improved to 22-1 against FCS opponents since moving to the FBS level in 2001.
For Alabama State, Hostzclaw provided the offensive highlight with 80 rushing yards, including his 50-yard touchdown. But the Hornets couldn't consistently solve a Troy defense that tightened after halftime.
For Troy, the bigger historical number was 2-0.
The last Trojans team to begin a season with consecutive victories was the 2013 squad, which finished 6-6. Troy has recorded five 10-win seasons since then without starting 2-0.
This year's Trojans have finally ended that drought.
And they did it by running straight through an in-state opponent.
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-- By Amelia Nettles and Jessica Perry
© Copyright 2026 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article cannot be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or distributed in any form without written permission.
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