UL Monroe (0-6, 0-2 Sun Belt) at Troy (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt). Saturday, Oct. 24, 4 p.m. ET, Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, Ala., ESPN+.
Your hosts are Marlo Pickens, a former Troy snapper from a Wiregrass peanut farm who can't finish a sentence without a peanut pun, and Darnell Vidrine, a UL Monroe fan who keeps an optimism counter running all season.
Marlo: Darnell, I admire a fella who keeps faith. I'll save you a bag of boiled peanuts, win or lose.
Darnell: I love a peanut pun, Marlo, but I love a comeback more. Let's see whose story ends better.
Players to watch
Troy quarterback Goose Crowder has completed 96 of 169 passes for 1,112 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Running back Gavin Griffin has 359 yards on 76 carries. Receiver TK Keyes has 13 catches for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Defensive back Donnie Smith leads the team with five sacks, and linebacker Keno Jones leads with 40 tackles.
UL Monroe quarterback Aidan Armenta has 974 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Fellow quarterback Austin Carlisle is the leading rusher, with 230 yards on 40 carries. Receiver Marcellus Jackson has 32 catches. Linebacker Noah Flemmings leads with 51 tackles, and Tyrell Brown has 2.5 sacks.
Marlo: Five sacks from a defensive back. That's a lot of peanuts.
What happened last week
Troy lost 33-6 at Louisiana. Marlo calls it a bad crop year in a single afternoon. Crowder and Tucker Kilcrease combined to go 14 of 26 for 141 yards. Kilcrease scored on a 23-yard run. A muffed punt at the Troy 8 set up a Louisiana touchdown.
UL Monroe lost 24-0 to Louisiana Tech, a tough afternoon for the Warhawks' offense.
Darnell: The counter doesn't reset to zero. It just reloads.
Injuries and availability
The Sun Belt doesn't publish an official availability report, and no injury news had surfaced for either team as of Oct. 18. Troy hasn't announced whether Crowder or Kilcrease will start. Both played at Louisiana.
What the coaches are up to
Gerad Parker was hired at Troy on Dec. 18, 2023. His Trojans run first, with 1,228 rushing yards on 239 carries, about 5.1 a carry.
Bryant Vincent was hired at UL Monroe on Dec. 5, 2023. He's chasing the season's first win. His defense has allowed 1,378 rushing yards on 255 carries, about 5.4 a carry.
Player storylines
Troy's ground game against ULM's run defense is the headline. On the other side, Smith's pass rush will be chasing Armenta and the scrambling Carlisle. Special teams bear watching after last week's muffed punt. Turnovers have been even for Troy, with seven given and seven taken.
What's happening on campus
It's Troy's annual Military Appreciation game. Representatives of each military branch will lead the team on the Trojan Walk, and helicopters from Fort Rucker will fly over before kickoff. Fans can write messages to service members overseas at a "Thank You For Your Service" tent in Tailgate Terrace. At halftime, the "Walk of Heroes" salute features the Sound of the South band and an oath of enlistment ceremony. The day also includes a wreath-laying ceremony and the POW/MIA Chair Changing of the Guard.
Anything else fun and true
Troy won last year 37-14, and ULM won 13-9 in 2024. Military Appreciation Day is Troy's third patriotic-themed home game of 2026.
Marlo: Win or lose, Darnell, those boiled peanuts are yours. Salted, Cajun or plain. I'm a full-service peanut man.
Darnell: I'll take them, Marlo. Faith travels well, and so do peanuts.
The Cover Window
My call: Troy Trojans 36, UL Monroe Warhawks 18.