This is the Depth Dossier: the Troy Trojans, Week 7.

A week after rolling up 437 rushing yards, Troy couldn't buy a first down on the ground, and it cost them. The Trojans fell 33 to 6 to Louisiana, giving away ten points through special teams and turnovers, then shooting themselves in the foot on fourth down and in the red zone all afternoon.

Troy managed just 126 yards rushing after that huge outing the week before, and the game got away from them early. Punt returner Noreel White muffed the opening punt at his own eight yard line, and Louisiana scored three plays later. Quarterback Goose Crowder fumbled at his own 26, then left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury. Backup quarterback Tucker Kilcrease came on and actually scored Troy's only touchdown, a 23-yard run, but kicker Ethan Head missed both the field goal and the extra point that followed it. Louisiana held the ball for almost 37 minutes, and a Troy defense that came in as the best run-stopping unit in the Sun Belt gave up 243 yards on the ground.

Let's dig into how this one really got away from them.

Field position and turnovers buried Troy before the offense ever got going. White's muffed punt at his own eight led straight to a Louisiana touchdown. Crowder's fumble at his own 26 set up a Louisiana field goal. That's two Troy giveaways deep in their own territory that turned into ten points. Throw in two dropped interceptions on drives that ended in Louisiana touchdowns, and the turnover story is even worse than the scoreboard suggests.

Troy also couldn't close anything out. They went one for four on fourth down, with Kilcrease failing on tries at the Troy 36 and the Louisiana 24. Five trips into the red zone netted next to nothing. Third down was ugly too, just three conversions in twelve tries.

The run defense cracked for the first time all season, giving up 243 yards on 49 carries to a team they'd normally hold to about 100 yards a game, and they didn't register a single sack.

There were a few bright spots worth mentioning. Punter Evan Crenshaw boomed one kick 73 yards, his longest since 2018. Linebacker Jordan Perry set a career high with 13 tackles and a pass breakup. Wide receiver Jace Petty had a career-best 69 yards on four catches. And linebacker Donnie Smith posted a career-high seven tackles, though his nine-game sack streak finally ended. Louisiana's head coach, Michael Desormeaux, reportedly said wind was a factor, which tracks with Head's missed kick and Troy's lack of big plays through the air.

Now to the depth chart, and the biggest question hanging over next week is Crowder's shoulder.

He left in the third quarter after scrambling for nine yards on fourth and eight. He's reportedly day-to-day, and he's been called questionable for next week at Louisiana-Monroe, though nothing's been confirmed. Before leaving, he'd gone nine for 16 passing for 65 yards, with 25 yards on the ground.

Kilcrease didn't just manage the game when he came in. He scored Troy's only touchdown and nearly converted that fourth-down try at the Louisiana 24. If Crowder can't go, Kilcrease looks like the guy, and he got real meaningful snaps here rather than just mop-up duty. Running back Jordan Lovett led the ground game with 50 yards on 10 carries and still looks like the lead back in a crowded room.

On special teams, there are real questions now. Head missed a field goal and an extra point, and White muffed a punt and didn't do much on his two return chances. Neither job change is official, but both are worth watching. Crenshaw, at least, had a clean day punting.

So heading into Louisiana-Monroe, it all comes down to one question. Can Crowder play, and if he can't, does Kilcrease get the start outright or end up sharing the job?

This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.