1996 Troy State Trojans football team

1996 Troy State Trojans football
Southland champion
ConferenceSouthland Football League
Ranking
Sports NetworkNo. 5
Record12–2 (5–1 Southland)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorDon Jacobs (6th season)
Defensive coordinatorSteve Davis (2nd season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumVeterans Memorial Stadium
1996 Southland Football League standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 5 $^   5 1     12 2  
No. 19 Nicholls State ^   4 2     8 4  
No. 22 Stephen F. Austin   3 3     7 4  
Northwestern State   3 3     6 5  
Sam Houston State   3 3     4 7  
Southwest Texas State   2 4     5 6  
McNeese State   1 5     3 8  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The 1996 Troy State Trojans football team represented Troy State University—now known as Troy University—as a member of the Southland Football League during the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Larry Blakeney, the Trojans compiled an overall record of 12–2 with a mark of 5–1 in conference play, winning the Southland title. For the fourth consecutive season, Troy State advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs, where the Trojans beat Florida A&M in the first round and Murray State in the quarterfinals before losing to Montana in the semifinals. They Trojans finished the season ranked No. 5 in the Sports Network poll.[1] The team played home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Alabama.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
August 31at Alcorn State*No. 10W 61–7[2]
September 7at No. 10 Eastern Kentucky*No. 8W 40–38[3]
September 21Nicholls StateNo. 4W 37–7[4]
September 28at No. 7 Stephen F. AustinNo. 3L 10–13[5]
October 3Alabama State*No. 9
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
W 37–6[6]
October 12McNeese StateNo. 8
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
W 16–129,500[7]
October 19Southwest Texas StateNo. 6
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
W 24–13[8]
October 26at Jacksonville State*No. 4W 31–2111,500[9]
November 9at No. 19 Northwestern StateNo. 5W 26–13[10]
November 16at Sam Houston StateNo. 5W 35–145,014[11]
November 21Samford*No. 5
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL
W 50–10[12]
November 30No. 12 Florida A&M*No. 5
W 29–2510,200[13]
December 7No. 4 Murray State*No. 5
  • Veterans Memorial Stadium
  • Troy, AL (NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal)
W 31–36,100[14]
December 14at No. 2 Montana*No. 5
L 7–7018,367[15]

References

  1. ^ "NCAA I-AA". The Salina Journal. Salina, Kansas. November 26, 1993. p. B2. Retrieved April 29, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Davis leads Troy to rout of Alcorn". The Montgomery Advertiser. September 1, 1996. Retrieved August 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Troy State defeats Eastern Kentucky". Messenger-Inquirer. September 8, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Trojans deliver Blakeney perfect birthday gift". The Dothan Eagle. September 22, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Troy State falls to Austin". The Mobile Register. September 29, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Troy State rebounds from loss". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 4, 1996. Retrieved July 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "TSU Trojans trick their way to victory". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 13, 1996. Retrieved March 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Troy State thumps Southwest Texas State". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 20, 1996. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Troy rallies to knock off Jax State". The Birmingham News. October 27, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Davis leads Troy State to 26–13 win". The Birmingham News. November 10, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Trojans bomb Bearkats". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 17, 1996. Retrieved December 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Trojans prepare for playoffs by routing Samford". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 22, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Trojans avoid being bitten by Rattlers". The Dothan Eagle. December 1, 1996. Retrieved August 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Troy State's defense focuses on Cherry, stifles Racers 31–3". The Courier-Journal. December 8, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Grizzlies maul Troy". The Mobile Register. December 15, 1996. Retrieved June 27, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.