GAMEDAY » INDIVIDUAL CAREER RECORDS
Chip Lindsey, one of the nation’s most innovative offensive minds, begins his third season as Troy’s head coach. Lindsey, 46, has been the architect of some of the nation’s most electric offenses since moving to the collegiate ranks and his first two seasons with the Trojans were no exception. Additionally, he navigated the Trojans through the unconventional 2020 season as Troy was able to play 11 of its 12 scheduled games with the lone cancellation coming because of an opponent’s inability to play. In 2020, Troy ranked 21st nationally and second in the Sun Belt averaging 290.2 passing yards per game while sophomore quarterback Gunnar Watson led the league with 237.9 passing yards per game and by completing 70.1 percent of his pass attempts, a mark that ranked seventh nationally and third all-time in Troy history. The Trojan offensive line was also one of the best pass blocking units in the country as the group checked in third (at least 300 passing attempts) nationally per Pro Football Focus’ OL Pass Blocking Efficiency – Troy allowed just nine sacks, six quarterback hits, 45 hurries and 60 pressures in 494 passing situations. Linebacker Carlton Martial tied for first nationally with 113 tackles, which included a 21-tackle game against Coastal Carolina. The Trojans improved 63 spots nationally in scoring defense from 2019 to 2020 and 38 spots in total defense. Troy led the country with four defensive scores and the Trojans finished the season ranked as the nation’s No. 15 defense per PFF. In his first season, the Trojans topped the 500-yard mark in total offense on six different occasions to tie the program’s DI record and scored 35-plus points eight times; the second most in program history and fourth most in Sun Belt Conference history. The Trojans finished ninth nationally in passing offense (313.2), 25th in scoring offense (33.8) and 18th in total offense (456.3). He also guided quarterback Kaleb Barker, just 331 days removed from an ACL injury, to one of the best seasons in Troy history. Barker finished third nationally in completions per game (24.92), fifth in yards per game (302.3), fourth in 300-yard passing games (6) and 14th in touchdown passes (30). Among the Troy all-time greats to play the position, Barker finished third in touchdown passes and passing yards (3,628) and fourth in completions (299). Both Barker and receiver Kaylon Geiger were named to the All-Sun Belt First Team and Geiger was the league’s Newcomer of the Year. On the defensive side of the football, Martial became just the 12th player in the last 20 years to finish a season with 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions on his way to AllAmerica honors while true freshman safety Dell Pettus was named a Freshman All-American. Both offseasons saw the positive momentum continue as Lindsey and his staff signed two of the top recruiting classes in program history. The 2020 class was the second-ranked class in the Sun Belt
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