Mayor Jason Reeves has been to many Troy games in his life, but he said that he’s never seen an environment at Veterans Memorial Stadium like the one he saw Saturday.

“I think the environment of that game was the best environment that I’ve ever been a part of,” Reeves said. “I think that game was as important a game as any Troy has played. We had huge wins in the past over teams like Marshall and Missouri and Oklahoma State, but it was a great victory being inside the conference.”

The hype from the community factored heavily into making the environment so energetic, Reeves said.

“The generation of support from students and the community had a huge impact on making the game and environment as exciting as it was,” Reeves said. “When we converted on fourth and six, that was as loud as I’ve ever heard the stadium.”

The play Reeves referenced was a 50-yard pass by quarterback Brandon Silvers to keep Troy’s final drive alive.

Fans in the stands held their breath as Silvers opted to throw the ball deep down the sideline to receiver Sidney Davis, while it appeared another receiver would have been open for an easier first down play.

As Davis hauled in the long pass with an Appalachian State defender right on top of him, the crowd erupted into cheers.

Running Back Jordan Chunn ran in for the 11-yard go-ahead touchdown on the next play with just over a minute left in the game.

Athletic director Jeremy McClain said the environment created by the raucous crowd at the game gave the football team the extra push that they needed to come out on top.

“It was huge,” McClain said. “The community as a whole had a huge impact on the outcome of that game, honestly, especially late in the game when we needed a little push to get us over the finish line.”

Included in the community support before the game was an effort to get Troy ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 by spreading the hashtag #RankTroy on social media. Whether it was due to the campaign or the victory, the goal was ultimately accomplished with Troy being ranked 25 in the latest AP poll.

Angi Stalnaker, a Troy native, started a Rank Troy Facebook page and Twitter account to spur the movement forward.

“Coach Brown and the team were not getting the recognition they deserved,” Stalnaker said. “I started talking to a friend over the phone about it after the South Alabama game and I just thought why not put this out there and see if other people feel the same way? So I put together a highlight video and put it on the internet and within five days it had over 100,000 views. From there it sort of took on a life of it’s own.”

Stalnaker said that the excellent play of the football team is the main credit to the buildup of excitement around the program, but that having a way for fans to get involved certainly doesn’t hurt.

“It doesn’t hurt to have a movement where fans feel like they’re included in that and feel like we can help the team get recognized,” Stalnaker said. “I passed out 3,500 #RankTroy stickers and easily could have passed out 5,000 more. People felt like this is something they could do to help this team that they love so much.”

Kathy Sauer, president of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, said that business support within the community has also been integral to the feeling of a city united behind the Trojans football team.

“Local businesses have always been involved in supporting Troy football through sponsorships, help with athletes and other things,” Sauer said. “But there’s always more excitement surrounding a winning season.”

That excitement presents itself in many ways, Sauer said, including pro-Troy banners and flags in businesses to special deals following Troy games and wins.

“If someone drives into town and they see that, it shows that they’re coming into a university town that really supports its university. The University is also one of our largest economic footprints, so it’s really a mutual benefit. Businesses support Troy and Troy supports businesses.”

McClain and Reeves both said that the growing excitement in the community needs to continue for Troy’s last home game of the season Thursday night against Arkansas State.

“I think it’s crucial for us in that type of a game,” McClain said. “We’re playing a really good team in Arkansas State. We need every advantage we can get. The game on Saturday really made this the biggest game of the year.”

“Thursday is just as big now as Saturday,” Reeves said. “ I think its going to be critical to get behind it and do everything they can to make Thursday as successful as Saturday was.”

The game will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPNU. Fans are encouraged to wear black and bring white rally towels for the blackout game. The first 2,500 students to come to the game will receive free blackout shirts.