The Trojans’ win over Texas State kept their slim conference championship hopes alive on Saturday, but with two big games remaining on the schedule, the Trojans are still very much hoping for a fourth consecutive bowl appearance.

The Trojans are now 5-5 on the season, one win shy of the six wins needed for bowl eligibility. They now sit at 3-3 in conference play – tied for third in the Eastern division.

“It’s a big win for our team on the road in conference play,” Troy head coach Chip Lindsey said. “Anytime you can win on the road in conference, it’s a big accomplishment. For the last four weeks, we’ve talked about building momentum each week. Texas State was a complete win, executing in all three phases.”

The Trojans have an outside chance of making the conference championship, but will need help over the next two weeks. A bowl berth will require at least one win in their final two games.

“We have to take it one day at a time and control the things we can control,” Lindsey said. “We have a lot of our goals still out there. We backed ourselves into a corner with two games left, and we are not where we want to be and would rather have things wrapped up. We have to continue being who we are and approach every day to try to improve, have a great plan and go out and execute the next two Saturdays.”

They will have to execute against the top two teams in the Sun Belt conference. Louisiana and Appalachian State have a combined record of 10-2 and represented the two divisions in the championship game a season ago.

“It’s an opportunity to kind of show our fans and everybody on the outside that the team, we’re still Troy,” quarterback Kaleb Barker said. “We are 5-5, but we still have a really good team. It’s disappointing that we haven’t played our best until these last two weeks. I want to get the wins to show that we’re still a really good football team, despite being 5-5.”

As important as getting a win is for this season, Troy offensive lineman Kirk Kelley believes it could give them a boost of momentum heading into next season.

“I think it’s good to show that we’re still one of those teams in this conference that can compete at a high level,” Kelley said. “Things didn’t go as planned, but we can still show we’re one of the top teams and we’re still a team that’s going to be a team at the top for years to come. It’s an opportunity to showcase that talent that we have.”

The Trojans will hit the road on Saturday to take on the Ragin’ Cajuns beginning at 4 p.m.

“They are averaging 38 points per game, third in the conference, along with leading in total offense and scoring defenses,” Lindsey said. “When you flip the film on and see this is one of the better teams in our league. It is going to be a lot of fun with two good football teams playing; we’re ready for the challenge.”