There's one stubborn detail in that Louisiana Tech box score: it was 0-0 at halftime. Louisiana Tech scored all 24 of its points after the break. The UL Monroe defense that gave up 45 to Florida Atlantic and 52 to South Alabama in back-to-back games played 30 good minutes before the offense's mistakes caught up with it. Whether that half was a real turn or a one-off is the most interesting question the Warhawks bring to Troy.
SE Louisiana35-38
Alabama State34-17Troy's season splits cleanly. The Trojans are 2-0 in the games on this list played at home, with 34 on Alabama State and 55 on Southern Miss. They're 0-3 on the road, and the 17-27 loss at Missouri is the only one of those that stayed respectable. Now they get a home date against a team that hasn't won all year, coming off their worst result of the season. The bounce-back spot is right there for them. What's less clear is whether the offense that disappeared in Lafayette shows up again.
Troy will be without tight end J. Worley, who's expected to miss the rest of the season, so the Trojans have been working without him in the passing game for a few weeks. The forecast calls for 74 degrees, clear skies and an 8 mph wind, which gives neither side an excuse. For UL Monroe it comes down to ball security. Three giveaways against Louisiana Tech turned a scoreless first half into a shutout loss, and Troy just watched Louisiana use 2 turnovers to bury it. Whichever team protects the football on Saturday most likely wins it.