The Tuesday Night Lights returned for the first time in the 2026 season.
It wasn't Weekday CUSA. It wasn't Midweek MACtion. Rather, it was the Sun Belt which showcased the first Tuesday matchup of the season. Last November, Troy and Southern Miss collided in Hattiesburg with a Sun Belt West division title on the line. This time, the programs met for the conference opener.
Once again, Troy emerged as the victor, except the nature of the win was strikingly different. The Trojans unleashed their best offensive showing of the season, handling Southern Miss, 55-34 to begin their Sun Belt West division title defense.
Southern Miss let Goose get loose, and that made all the difference.
Troy sixth-year senior quarterback Goose Crowder enjoyed perhaps the best showings of his college career. Prior to Tuesday, Crowder never recorded more than 48 rushing yards in a single game. Yet in the first quarter, he posted 94 rushing yards and a touchdown on five attempts. Troy continued to utilize designed quarterback runs to gash a Southern Miss defense that ranked second-to-last nationally in rushing yards allowed per game. By halftime, Crowder had 136 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and he finished the night with 145 — essentially tripling his career-high.
The veteran quarterback also finished an efficient 18-of-21 through the air, registering 225 passing yards and two additional touchdowns. With Crowder delivering on both fronts, Troy's offense was more up-tempo and explosive than usual. Running back Jordan Lovett also had a mammoth of a game, managing 142 rushing yards, a team-high 53 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns. Two other Troy running backs — Gavin Griffin and Jaheim Merriweather — also accrued more than 70 rushing yards, and the Trojans finished with 437 on the ground.
Crowder and Lovett became the first pair of 140-yard rushers in Troy history, and it marked the program's first time exceeding 400 rushing yards since 2002.
This season, Troy never managed more than 34 points in non-conference play, or more than 24 against FBS competition, yet it compiled 55 points on a struggling Southern Miss defense, which allowed over 600 yards for the second time this season. The 55 points marked Troy's highest-scoring outing against FBS competition since Nov. 16, 2019 when it dropped 63 on Texas State.
Troy's offense dominated to the point where its First Team All-American punter, Evan Crenshaw, only made one appearance all night.
Southern Miss only punted twice, starting the game with consecutive three-and-outs. Its offense was late to the party but eventually arrived. The Golden Eagles trailed 17-0 entering the second quarter and moved the ball exceptionally well thereafter. However, that offensive production didn't necessarily reflect on the scoreboard considering Southern Miss committed three red zone turnovers. The first two turnovers were interceptions on trick plays — one snatched by Troy defensive end Kavion Henderson at the line of scrimmage and another secured by cornerback Jabari Strait on a late, across-the-body heave. Then in the early fourth quarter, when Southern Miss trailed by 14, Trojans star defensive end Donnie Smith initiated a strip sack to thwart the Golden Eagles' comeback plans.
Southern Miss generated 20 points in the third quarter alone. Blake Anderson and his staff schemed up a double pass play on the second snap of halftime, which resulted in a 75-yard connection from wide receiver Mario Sanders to his fellow receiver AJ Little. Quarterback Landry Lyddy also enjoyed a bulk of his production in that quarter, and the fifth-year senior finished his seventh career start with 316 passing yards and two touchdowns. While the Golden Eagles gained 512 yards on the road, it still paled in comparison to a Troy offense that generated 662 in the Sun Belt opener.
Southern Miss (1-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) has now dropped four consecutive games. The Golden Eagles remain in search of their first win over FBS competition this season, and they'll have a long time to reflect on this defeat. They return to Hattiesburg in Week 7 for an Oct. 17 matchup against Arkansas State, where head coach Blake Anderson coached from 2014-20.
Troy (3-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) snapped its two-game losing streak and started Sun Belt play victorious. The Trojans also return to action Oct. 17, and it will be a major one in the Sun Belt West division race. Troy travels to Louisiana in a matchup between the only two programs that have won the division since the inception of the Sun Belt Championship Game in 2018.
