TROY, AL -- — Goose Crowder threw two touchdowns and rushed for another in the fourth quarter as Troy pulled away late to beat Nicholls 38-20 on Saturday evening in a season opener for both teams.

Troy poured on 272 rushing yards as a team, as Tae Meadows led the pack with 186 yards and a touchdown on 23 touches.

Crowder tied the game with a 16-yard rushing score, then hit Tray Taylor for a 28-yard touchdown to give the Trojans their first lead in the fourth quarter. Meadows broke free for a 47-yard run on the next possession, and Crowder capped the surge with a 5-yard scoring strike to Ethan Conner. The Trojans scored 21 unanswered.

Crowder went 14 of 24 for the Trojans, accounting for 144 yards and three touchdowns. He added 43 yards and a score on the ground as well.

Deuce Hogan went 21 of 27 with 184 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Colonels put up only 249 yards of total offense.

The Troy defense racked up four sacks and eight tackles for loss, holding Nicholls to 4 of 11 on third-down conversions.

—

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football