“They’ve been the difference,” Trojans defensive coordinator Vic Koenning said of his defensive front. “Going into almost every game, we’ve said we may not match up well in the secondary or at linebacker, but we have to win up front. They’ve come through most games.”
Troy’s defense has been extremely disruptive this season, ranking fifth nationally with negative yardage on 14 percent – 117 of 838 – of opponent plays this season. The Trojans have forced at least one negative play on 61 percent of opponent drives.
More important, Trojan head coach Neal Brown said they’ve done that without compromising the integrity of the defense.