Troy football hosts Southern Miss tonight looking to snap a two-game skid
The Trojans and Golden Eagles open Sun Belt Western Division play in Troy, Alabama, with both teams trying to stop a losing streak.
Two skidding teams meet in Troy
Troy and Southern Miss open Sun Belt Conference Western Division play against each other tonight at Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
Both sides are banged up heading in. Troy sits at 2-2 after dropping two straight, most recently a 21-10 loss to Utah State on Sept. 26. Southern Miss is 1-3 and has lost three in a row, including a 24-21 defeat to Tulane that same day. The Golden Eagles are also 0-2 on the road this season, while Troy has gone 2-0 on its own field in 2026.
What went wrong last time out
Southern Miss's three-game losing streak includes that 24-21 loss to Tulane, a game the Golden Eagles were in but couldn't close out. Troy's two-game skid ended with the 21-10 setback against Utah State the same day, a result that cut short whatever momentum the Trojans had carried from their home wins earlier this year.
That home record matters tonight. Troy has won both its games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in 2026, and the Trojans will need that same comfort if they want to stop the slide in front of their own crowd.
The players carrying each offense
Troy's hopes run through quarterback Goose Crowder, who has thrown for seven touchdowns and more than 800 yards this season. His production has kept the Trojans in games even during the losing stretch.
Southern Miss will lean on running back Steven Robinson, who has rushed for four touchdowns and more than 300 yards on the year. With the Golden Eagles in the middle of a three-game skid, Robinson moving the chains on the ground matters as much as anything else they do tonight.
A series Troy has owned lately
Southern Miss actually leads the all-time series 8-7, but recent history belongs to Troy. The Trojans have won five straight meetings between these two programs, including a 28-18 win last season. A sixth straight win tonight would extend that run and hand Southern Miss a fourth consecutive loss this season.
For two teams opening Sun Belt West play under this kind of pressure, tonight's game in Troy is about stopping the bleeding first. The conference standings can wait.
Facts per SportsLine, AL.com. Opinion is the taproom's.