Troy Stuns James Madison 24-21 in OT as Justin Powe Picks Off Three Passes and Hayden Wolfe Kicks the Winner

Final: Troy 24, James Madison 21 (OT). Troy fell behind by two touchdowns at halftime, then shut out the Dukes for the rest of the night and won it on Hayden Wolfe’s 27-yard field goal in overtime Thursday at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The upset ended James Madison’s 11-game home winning streak and gave Troy (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) a measure of payback for last season’s Sun Belt Championship Game, which JMU won 31-14 on the same field. James Madison fell to 7-2.

How Troy came back

JMU looked in control early. Camden Coleman threw touchdown passes of 2 yards to Corey Scott and 31 yards to Braeden Wisloski on the Dukes’ first two drives, and Seth Cromwell’s 14-yard run made it 21-7 at halftime. Troy’s only first-half points came on Gavin Griffin’s 1-yard run on the first play of the second quarter, a drive extended by three JMU penalties.

The second half belonged to Troy’s defense:

• Pick-six to open the half: On the second play of the third quarter, safety Justin Powe intercepted JMU’s JC Evans and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 21-14.
• Fumble turned into the tying score: After Jordan Perry forced a fumble that Miquon Merriweather recovered, Jaheim Merriweather ran 28 yards for a touchdown three plays later to make it 21-21 in the third quarter.
• A scoreless fourth: Wolfe missed a 49-yard try with 3:21 left, and JMU drove to the Troy 37 late. Powe broke up a deep third-down pass with 13 seconds left and then ripped away a Hail Mary in the end zone on the final play of regulation, AL.com reported.

JMU scored on its first three possessions, then managed four three-and-outs and five turnovers on its next nine, according to the AP. Troy held the Dukes scoreless for the final 38 minutes, 41 seconds.

The overtime

Troy won the toss and chose defense. JMU picked up one first down, but on fourth-and-1 from the Troy 5, Keno Jones stopped Cromwell short. Troy then ran the ball six times for 16 yards, including Griffin’s 8-yard gain on third-and-6, before Wolfe’s kick went straight through.

It was the first career field goal at Troy for Wolfe, a junior-college transfer who had missed his first two attempts. “Every kicker wants that moment, overtime to win the game. There’s just no better feeling than that,” Wolfe said, per AL.com.

Justin Powe’s record night

Powe finished with three interceptions, tying a Troy single-game record first set by Ronnie Shelley in 1968, and became the first Trojan to do it since Montres Kitchens in 2014. Troy Athletics said he is the first player nationally since App State’s Tae Hayes in 2017 to post three interceptions, two pass breakups and a touchdown in one game.

“I was really just playing off my teammates,” Powe said, according to AL.com.

Troy football: key numbers

• Turnovers forced: 5, the most by a Troy team since the 2022 Cure Bowl, per the school
• Quarterback: Tucker Kilcrease, starting with Goose Crowder still recovering from a shoulder injury, threw for 179 yards and ran for 40
• Rushing: Merriweather had 84 yards on 13 carries; Troy ran for 170 as a team
• Defense: Jones had a game-high 13 tackles plus a fumble recovery; Donnie Smith recorded his seventh sack of the season

Coach Gerad Parker’s team was coming off a painful 21-14 loss to previously winless Louisiana-Monroe, AL.com noted. “Take a breath, we’re still Troy. It took us a half to get there,” Parker said on the Troy Sports Radio Network.

JMU football: what went wrong

James Madison outgained Troy 408 yards to 349 and held the Trojans to 4-for-17 on third and fourth downs, per AL.com, but the turnovers decided it. Coleman and Evans split time at quarterback and combined for 247 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Cromwell ran for 135 yards and a score on 23 carries. The Dukes had been averaging more than 50 points per game at home this season, Troy Athletics said.

What’s next

Troy hosts Louisiana Tech for homecoming on Saturday, Nov. 7, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. local time. James Madison plays at Southern Miss on Thursday, Nov. 5.

FAQ