DALLAS (FWAA) The Troy Trojans went into Death Valley, raced out to a 17-0 lead and never trailed in a 24-21 win in front of a packed house at LSU. For ending LSU's 49-game home non-conference winning streak, the Trojans earned the Football Writers Association of America National Team of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept. 30.
The announcement came on "Off Campus with Mark Packer" on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM. Each Monday during the season, the FWAA National Team of the Week will be unveiled during the program, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m. ET.
The win was only Troy's second over a ranked opponent in school history. Jordan Chunn rushed for 191 yards and a touchdown and the Trojans (4-1) forced four turnovers. Troy led 24-7 with 8:14 to play, but the Tigers rallied to get within 24-21 with two minutes left. The Trojans foiled two onside kicks and Blace Brown intercepted his eighth career pass to ice the game. Brown also forced a fumble, recorded five tackles and broke up a pass.
"That wasn't a fluke win," said Troy head coach Neal Brown. "We played physical, we ran the football, we ate up clock, our defense tackled, we swarmed to the football and I'm really proud of our guys."
Troy improves to 1-2 in the series against LSU, but the Trojans have led in the fourth quarter of all three games. The Trojans led 10-0 at the half on Saturday, marking the first time since 2009 that LSU had trailed at the half of a non-conference home game. The Trojans' other win over a ranked opponent was a 24-14 win over No. 17 Missouri (then a Big 12 member) in 2004.
This is Troy's first time to win the FWAA award.
The other National Team of the Week nominee for the weekend of Sept. 30 was:
Washington State (5-0): The Cougars snapped a 15-game home losing streak to ranked opponents in a dramatic 30-27 win over No. 5 USC. Erik Powell kicked a 32-yard field goal with 1:40 left for the game-winner, Luke Falk threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, and WSU held USC's Sam Darnold to 164 passing yards and an interception. WSU earned its first win over USC since 2002, and its first over a top-five opponent since Drew Bledsoe led the Cougars over rival Washington in 1992.
The Football Writers Association of America has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. Members of the 12-person FWAA All-America Committee – plus one fan vote from Twitter – decide the weekly honor.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,400 men and women who cover college football.
The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key
executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas
that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.
For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson
at tiger@fwaa.com.