The postgame report: Troy 24, James Madison 21 (OT)

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Troy trailed 21-7 at halftime. James Madison had scored touchdowns on its first three possessions. The Trojans were starting backup quarterback Tucker Kilcrease in place of injured starter Goose Crowder, on the road against the defending Sun Belt champions in a rematch of last year's conference title game.

Then Justin Powe intercepted JC Evans on the second play of the third quarter and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. JMU did not score again.

Troy (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) forced five turnovers, scored 17 unanswered points in the second half and overtime, and beat James Madison (7-2, 4-2) 24-21 in overtime Thursday night at Bridgeforth Stadium. Powe intercepted three passes, returned one for a score, and ripped the ball from a JMU receiver's hands on a hail mary at the goal line as time expired to send the game to overtime.

WHAT IT MEANS

A week after a disastrous home loss to UL Monroe, Troy may have saved its season. The Trojans are 4-4 and still need two wins in their final four games to become bowl eligible, but beating the highest-ranked team left on the schedule — on the road, with their backup quarterback, against a team that was in the College Football Playoff conversation two weeks ago — is a significant step. For James Madison, this is the second consecutive overtime loss after falling to App State last week. The Dukes have gone from CFP contender to fighting for position in the Sun Belt East.

THE TURNING POINT

Second play of the third quarter. Troy trailed 21-7. JMU had just taken the second-half kickoff and run Seth Cromwell for two yards on first down. On the next snap, Evans dropped back and threw over the middle. Powe jumped the route at the JMU 37, caught it and returned it 37 yards untouched for a touchdown. It was 21-14 and the momentum had flipped.

Two possessions later, Jordan Perry forced a Jeremiah Harrison fumble at the JMU 42 and Miquon Merriweather recovered. Three plays after that, Jaheim Merriweather broke a 28-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 21. On the ensuing possession, Powe intercepted Coleman for his third pick of the night. James Madison did not score again — on any of its remaining eight possessions in regulation or overtime.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Good: Powe's three interceptions were the backbone of a defensive effort that shut out James Madison over the final three quarters and overtime. JMU scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, then went scoreless on its final 13. Keno Jones led all tacklers with 13 (five solo). The Trojans forced five turnovers — three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Offensively, Merriweather's 28-yard touchdown run tied the game, and Gavin Griffin scored from a yard out in the second quarter to cut it to 14-7. Kilcrease managed the game without throwing an interception — 15-of-31 for 179 yards — and ran 17 times for 40 yards.

Bad: Troy went 4-of-15 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down. The Trojans committed seven penalties for 44 yards, including five false starts. Hayden Wolfe missed a 49-yard field goal with 3:21 remaining in the fourth quarter that would have won the game in regulation.

Ugly: The first half. Troy went three-and-out twice, had a punt blocked that set up JMU's second touchdown and fell behind 21-7 by the 8:41 mark of the second quarter.

THE STATS THAT MATTER

5-1 in turnovers — Troy forced five turnovers and committed one. Powe's pick-six produced seven points directly. A forced fumble by Jordan Perry set up the tying touchdown, and Powe's third interception came on the next JMU possession to extend the shutout. JMU outgained Troy 408-349 in total yards. None of it mattered because the Dukes gave the ball away five times.

0 points on 13 possessions — James Madison scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and did not score again. The Dukes' final 13 possessions produced six punts, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two turnovers on downs — including in overtime, when Cromwell was stuffed on fourth-and-1 at the Troy 5.

45 carries, 170 yards — Troy leaned on the run game with a backup quarterback. Merriweather had 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Kilcrease ran 17 times for 40 yards. Griffin added 38 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, then carried five more times in overtime to set up the winning field goal.

WHAT THEY SAID

Gerad Parker, Troy head coach:

"I am so proud of our staff and our players. About had a coronary at halftime inside that locker room."

"It's a player-driven game. They found a piece of themselves we haven't quite found yet, coming up here. And thank God we found it in the second half. What an awesome night for our people."

Parker said he thought his team had been playing slow and without clarity heading into halftime.

"We looked fast as hell in the second half."

3 STARS

1. Justin Powe, DB, Troy — Seven tackles (six solo), three interceptions, 37-yard pick-six. Broke up the final two passes of regulation, including ripping the ball from Cole Keller's hands on a hail mary at the goal line as time expired.

2. Jaheim Merriweather, RB, Troy — 13 carries, 84 yards, one touchdown. His 28-yard run in the third quarter tied the game at 21.

3. Keno Jones, LB, Troy — 13 tackles (five solo). Made the stop on Cromwell on fourth-and-1 at the Troy 5 in overtime to give the offense its chance to win.

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

The defense won this game. Troy's offense gained 349 yards and did not throw a touchdown pass. Kilcrease's stat line — 15-of-31, 179 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions — is a game-manager performance. It was enough because the defense created five turnovers and turned one of them into seven points.

JMU used two quarterbacks. Coleman started and went 14-of-25 for 175 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Evans came in and was 8-of-10 for 72 yards but threw the interception Powe returned for the pick-six. Cromwell finished with 23 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown, but the turnovers behind him negated all of it.

The worry for Troy is the offense. Four-of-15 on third down, five false starts, a blocked punt and a missed field goal. Crowder's absence limits the ceiling. This team trailed 21-7 at halftime on the road against the defending conference champions and won the game.

NEXT UP

Troy hosts Louisiana Tech (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) on Saturday, Nov. 7. Kickoff at 3 p.m. CT.