Troy’s magical season ended with a crushing loss in the Birmingham Bowl, 17-10, to Duke on Saturday.
The Trojans valiantly battled through head coach Jon Sumrall departing for Tulane — and a stomach bug that the ESPN broadcast said had the team in some distress — but they were still able to pull off one last miracle highlight before the clock hit zero.
On third-and-goal at the two-yard line late in the second half, 6’4″, 314-pound left tackle Derrick Graham took a delayed toss and powered his way into the end zone, slowing down just enough at the goal line to truck a Duke defender in his way.
It was beautiful.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 23, 2023
Troy’s field level view of Graham’s run was even better.
BIG GUY TOUCHDOWN!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ELzAT6iWOG
— Troy Trojans Football 8x⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) December 23, 2023
Plays like these — and Northern Illinois’ kicker rushing for a 32-yard touchdown in the Camillia Bowl — are exactly why we tune in for these postseason games and college fans were pumped for Graham.