2026 Missouri Football Opponent DEEP DIVE: Troy Trojans

I really don’t spot immoderate logic why Missouri should ever play nan Troy Trojans successful football.

Sure, Missouri has blown retired Troy successful 2 abstracted occasions. A 44-7 trouncing successful 2002 erstwhile Troy went by “Troy State” and was an D-1 independent intends perfectly nothing, and nan 52-21 triumph successful 2005 overlooks nan truth that Missouri only put up 20 points successful nan first half against them. a 25-point 3rd 4th helped, but still.

But Missouri played Troy successful 2004. If you’re older than 30 you cognize what happened then. A Tiger squad pinch convention contender stamped connected it and a imaginable Heisman contender astatine backmost implemented an unwise strategy alteration connected discourtesy and went up against a Troy defense featuring NFL Hall of Famer Demarcus Ware and mislaid connected nan roadworthy 24-14, stamping retired immoderate happy dreams pinch impunity.

Oh, and Missouri besides played Troy successful 2019. “But Nate,” you opportunity pinch confusion, “Missouri won that crippled 42-10, why are you grumpy astir that?”. Mmm. Yes. Missouri did win.

But what did it cost?

A Cale Garrett All-American-potential season, for one. The last-minute Navy-to-Missouri perpetrate was playing protect shot astatine a level seldom seen successful Columbia, logging 43 tackles (29 solo), 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 3 interceptions, a fumble return for a touchdown AND an interception returned for a touchdown. And that was complete 5 games! But he tore his pectoral musculus against Troy, vanished retired nan crippled anyway, and was promptly told his play was done.

AND. DON’T FORGET. Those soiled Troy Trojans besides deed backmost Kelly Bryant super late connected a touchdown pass, injuring his knee and forcing him to miss nan remainder of nan game. There are respective factors arsenic to why that 2019 squad fell isolated but having Bryant beryllium injured for nan remainder of nan twelvemonth was surely 1 of them. The nonaccomplishment of Cale Garrett was another.

So. Yeah. Forgive maine if I judge playing Troy is simply a bad point for Missouri to do because…

/waves hands franticly astatine nan paragraphs above

…I FEEL A LITTLE JUSTIFIED IN THAT SENTIMENT.

But let’s spell done this workout anyway.

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Here’s what Troy did past year:

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[words] truthful if Troy mislaid 25 players - and we’re ignoring nan truth that nary 1 wants those transfers - and only brought successful 14 guys to switch those losses, past wherever nan heck are they going to find guys to get retired of nan antagonistic of nan portal equation and capable retired a competent FBS two-deep?

The answer: JUCO, babaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!!!

When it comes to recruiting inferior assemblage players, Gerad Parker and his unit were busier than a one-legged man successful an ass kicking contest.

Of nan 34-man incoming “high school” recruiting class, 18 were playing inferior assemblage shot past year. That’s damn-near Bill Snyder astatine K-State levels of JUCO-ry.

[words, which JUCO did they target?]

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