Cure Bowl: Troy 18, Texas-San Antonio 12
By COREY LONG
Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. - Gunnar Watson's 12-yard scoring pass to RaJae' Johnson in the third period put No. 23 Troy ahead to stay, and the Trojans forced five turnovers in an 18-12 come-from-behind win over No. 22 USTA in the Duluth Trading Cure Bowl.
Troy (12-2) closed out the season with 11 straight victories and set a school record for wins in a season.
USTA (11-3) outgained Troy 345-169 and led 12-0 in the first half, but turnovers proved to be the difference.
Troy linebacker K.J. Robertson picked off a pass by USTA's Frank Harris near the goal line in the third quarter. Robertson returned the interception 61 yards, with a 15-yard personal foul penalty tacked on at the end, and the pick set up the go-ahead score.
Watson's TD pass to Johnson gave the Trojans a 13-12 lead, and a 2-point conversion pass to tight end Clayton Ollendieck made it 15-12 with 2:43 remaining in the third quarter.
Watson was 13-for-23 passing for 113 yards. Kimani Vidal rushed for 73 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.
Vidal scored on a 2-yard rush with 50 seconds left in the first half to pull Troy within 12-7.
The Roadrunners took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter on a safety when Troy center Jake Andrews snapped the ball before Watson was ready and the ball bounded through the end zone.
Harris connected with Zakhari Franklin for a 2-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter to make it 9-0.
Jared Sackett added a 42-yard field goal at 6:41 of the second quarter to extend USTA's lead to 12-0.
Harris went 23 for 42 for 198 yards and a TD. Kevorian Barnes rushed for 132 yards on 21 carries.
THE TAKEAWAY
UTSA: Penalties and turnovers doomed the Roadrunners. They were penalized eight times for 89 yards with several personal fouls. Harris threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Troy: The Trojans got down to their defensive roots and forced UTSA into some uncharacteristic mistakes. They got just enough plays from Watson on offense.
December 16, 2022
| Scoring Summary |
| First Quarter |
Tx-SA | Troy |
| Tx-SA |
SF |
3:58 |
Team safety |
2 |
0 |
| Second Quarter |
Tx-SA | Troy |
| Tx-SA |
TD |
12:30 |
Zakhari Franklin 2 yard TD pass from Frank Harris (Jared Sackett Extra Point) |
9 |
0 |
| Tx-SA |
FG |
6:21 |
Jared Sackett 42 yard field goal |
12 |
0 |
| Troy |
TD |
0:50 |
Kimani Vidal 2 yard TD run (Brooks Buce Extra Point) |
12 |
7 |
| Third Quarter |
Tx-SA | Troy |
| Troy |
TD |
2:43 |
RaJae' Johnson 12 yard TD pass from Gunnar Watson (Clayton Ollendieck 2pt conversion attempt is GOOD) |
12 |
15 |
| Fourth Quarter |
Tx-SA | Troy |
| Troy |
FG |
9:18 |
Brooks Buce 27 yard field goal |
12 |
18 |
| Team Stats |
| |
UTSA |
Troy |
| First downs |
21 |
16 |
| Rushing |
6 |
5 |
| Passing |
15 |
4 |
| Penalty |
0 |
7 |
| 3rd Down Efficiency |
3-12, 25% |
2-15, 13% |
| 4th down efficiency |
1-3, 33% |
1-2, 50% |
| Rushes-Yards |
32-147 |
43-37 |
| Passing Yards |
198 |
113 |
| Return Yards |
13 |
128 |
| Completions-Attempts-Int |
23-42-2 |
13-24-2 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost |
2-14 |
6-38 |
| Punts |
4 |
6 |
| Fumbles Lost |
4-3 |
2-0 |
| Penalties - Yards |
9-104 |
2-21 |
| UTSA Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| F. Harris |
23 |
42 |
198 |
1 |
2 |
| Troy Passing |
| Player |
Cmp |
Att |
Yds |
TDs |
Int |
| G. Watson |
13 |
23 |
113 |
1 |
2 |
| T. Johnson |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| UTSA Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| K. Barnes |
22 |
134 |
6.1 |
0 |
| F. Harris |
8 |
12 |
1.5 |
0 |
| C. Carpenter |
1 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
| Troy Rushing |
| Player |
Carries |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| K. Vidal |
22 |
73 |
3.3 |
1 |
| D. Billingsley |
8 |
14 |
1.8 |
0 |
| G. Watson |
9 |
-35 |
-3.9 |
0 |
| UTSA Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| O. Cardenas |
5 |
62 |
12.4 |
0 |
| C. Carpenter |
7 |
59 |
8.4 |
0 |
| Z. Franklin |
8 |
41 |
5.1 |
1 |
| D. Dishman |
1 |
20 |
20.0 |
0 |
| T. Ogle-Kellogg |
1 |
9 |
9.0 |
0 |
| K. Barnes |
1 |
7 |
7.0 |
0 |
| Troy Receiving |
| Player |
Rec |
Yds |
Avg |
TDs |
| R. Johnson |
2 |
41 |
20.5 |
1 |
| T. Johnson |
4 |
40 |
10.0 |
0 |
| D. Stoudemire |
3 |
16 |
5.3 |
0 |
| K. Vidal |
2 |
7 |
3.5 |
0 |
| C. Ollendieck |
1 |
6 |
6.0 |
0 |
| M. Vice |
1 |
3 |
3.0 |
0 |
| UTSA Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| K. Nwachuku |
1 |
0 |
| C. Chattman |
1 |
0 |
| Troy Interceptions |
| Player |
Int |
Yards |
| K. Robertson |
1 |
61 |
| R. Jibunor |
1 |
13 |
| UTSA Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| L. Dean |
4 |
187 |
46.8 |
| Troy Punting |
| Player |
Punts |
Yards |
Avg |
| M. Rivers |
6 |
260 |
43.3 |
| UTSA Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| C. Carpenter |
2 |
13 |
6.5 |
| Troy Punt Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| UTSA Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| C. Holt |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Troy Kick Returns |
| Player |
Ret |
Yards |
Average |
| J. Williams |
3 |
54 |
18.0 |
| UTSA Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
| Troy Missed FG |
| Player |
Length |
