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Troy quarterback Goose Crowder hasn’t played since Sept. 28 but his presence has remained strong in the locker room and on the sideline.

Crowder was first injured against Memphis in the second game of the season before another injury ended his season against ULM on Sept. 28. Since that time, though, he can be seen rooting on his teammates on the sideline, along with giving words of encouragement and advice.

“His presence matters and his leadership matters still, even though he doesn’t have a helmet on,” Troy Coach Gerad Parker said of Crowder. “He’s a voted on team captain and the guys certainly know that is what he is. He does a great job being unselfish. He stands for everything we want our football team, and culture, to be.”

Crowder threw for 543 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions before his season came to an early end. In his place, redshirt freshman Tucker Kilcrease and junior Matthew Caldwell – both inexperienced at this level – have handled the quarterback duties. Crowder’s presence has benefited them.

“It definitely helps,” Caldwell said of Crowder being on the sideline. “We’re a close group, our position group is really close. It helps having him and Tucker and the two younger quarterbacks, Caleb (McCreary) and Montana (Wells). It helps having them all on the sideline, no matter who’s in there playing, and encouraging everyone and keeping each other up. It’s a hard position to play. It does help having Goose there. It’s good to have him on the sideline.”

Crowder sat behind starters at West Virginia before transferring to Troy last season, where he also sat behind Gunnar Watson in 2023. It looked as those 2024 would be Crowder’s chance to break out before the injuries. Despite those frustrations, Crowder has remained an excellent teammate.

“He goes to work and still prepares and is as present as he can be in our locker room, in our meeting rooms and on the sideline,” Parker said. “That tells you a lot about who he is and I know, for our guys, that breeds confidence from the people around him. That’s the kind of teammate he is to serve others. It’s fun to watch him be that kind of teammate.”

Crowder will root on his teammates this Saturday, Nov. 16, as they face off against Georgia Southern in a road conference matchup.