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The Troy Trojans (1-3) will look to win their second straight game of the season this week as Sun Belt Conference play opens up with the ULM Warhawks (2-1) coming to town.

Last week, the Trojans picked up the first win in the Gerad Parker era of Troy Football over Florida A&M.

“I’m proud of our staff and players for a tremendous effort in a week to prepare after a huge road game at Iowa,” Parker said. “To get back here, to get home in ‘The Vet,’ and go play with the effort and physicality that we did I thought was a testament to our players.”

Quarterback Goose Crowder made his first appearance on the field after suffering a shoulder injury against Memphis. The junior Gardendale native threw for a career high 291 yards and four touchdowns in his return.

“I think it’s a great sign for us moving forward with how he played,” Parker said of Crowder. “It was great to have him out there as a player, but also his leadership and what he brings to the table as one of our team captains is something that’s very palpable and our players feel that. It was great to have him back.”

The star of the show, however, was receiver Devonte Ross, who caught 11 passes for a Troy single-game record 229 yards and three touchdowns, which included a 98-yard touchdown catch. Ross has now caught 26 passes for 501 yards and six touchdowns through just four games.

The Trojans now set their sights on SBC play. ULM is coming off a 51-3 loss to the SEC’s Texas last week. ULM also holds wins over both FCS Jackson State and UAB this season, though.

Leading the ULM offense is former Oklahoma quarterback General Booty. In his first season as a starting quarterback, Booty has thrown for 233 yards, one touchdown and one interception in three games on 27-of-49 passing. ULM utilizes a three-headed running attack consisting of Ahmad Hardy (191 yards, 2 TD), Taven Curry (118 yards) and James Jones (110 yards, 1 TD).

On the defensive end, Wydett Williams Jr. leads the Warhawks with 29 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, one sack and two interceptions. Billy Pullen also boasts 4.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks.

The Troy defense has had some struggles that Trojan fans have not come accustomed to in recent seasons. The Trojans are giving up 191 yards per game on the ground but did cut that down to just 55 yards rushing against Florida A&M. The Troy defense has also recorded just four sacks so far this season and has yet to record a single turnover.

Jordan Stringer has led the Troy defense with 29 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and one sack, while Brendan Jackson has earned 27 tackles and four tackles-for-loss. No Trojan has recorded more than one sack.

Troy holds an 11-8-1 all-time record against ULM, winning 34-16 last season. The two sides first met in 1970, a 14-10 ULM win. In Troy, the Trojans hold the edge in the series 7-2 over ULM and are 8-2 in the State of Alabama. Troy and ULM met in Dothan in 1971, a 21-7 Trojan win.

Troy will host ULM this Saturday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy in a game that will stream live on ESPN+.