TROY – When the 2017 season began, Tyler Sumpter had no inkling he would become Troy’s most consistent field goal kicker. In fact, he hadn’t practiced the craft.
“After spring ball, (Trojan head coach Neal) Brown told me to kind of just focus on punting,” the Spain Park High graduate said. “Bratcher (Underwood) had done a good job. Going into the season, I hadn’t really kicked at all. It kinda just happened.”
Five games into the season, though, a youthful Trojan special teams unit had struggled to put points on the board when needed.
After a strong start against Boise State, a tweaked back led to other problems for Underwood – who eventually missed two extra points and two field goals in the next few weeks.