“Has a DB ever taken over a game like Powe?”
5 stories this week, from 4 outlets.
Justin Powe Sweeps National Player of the Week Awards -- Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe & Walter Camp
Troy University Athletics Nov 3
Justin Powe
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away. Played for two head coaches at Troy: Jon Sumrall and Gerad Parker. One game to point at: 14 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Missouri — Week 3, 2026.
54 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Hits like a linebacker and still takes the ball away.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
54 tackles. 3 passes defended. 3 interceptions. 2.5 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 4 outlets
Justin Powe Sweeps National Player of the Week Awards — Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe & Walter Camp
Troy University Athletics Nov 3 · 1 outlet
Troy University AthleticsJustin Powe Sweeps National Player of the Week Awards — Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe & Walter CampNov 3from 4 outlets
Justin Powe Sweeps National Player of the Week Awards — Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe & Walter Camp
Troy University Athletics Nov 3 · 1 outlet
Troy University AthleticsJustin Powe Sweeps National Player of the Week Awards — Bronko Nagurski, Jim Thorpe & Walter CampNov 3Troy University AthleticsEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 2 pass breakups, 7 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-21vs Sam Houston | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 34-17vs Alabama State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 17-27@ No. 20 Missouri | 14 | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 14 tackles |
| Wk 4 | L 10-21@ Utah State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 55-34vs Southern Miss | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 6-33@ Louisiana | 8 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 14-21vs UL Monroe | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 24-21@ James Madison | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Total | 54 | 27 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 3 |
Oct. 29 · W 24-21 at James Madison, play by play
A defensive touchdown: his interception went 37 yards for the score. 7 tackles, including 2 passes broken up, the most interceptions in FBS that week.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 8 for him; the box score credits 7.
Intercepted on 3rd and 8. Second quarter, down 21-7. Ended James Madison’s drive (int).
Intercepted, returned 37 yards for the score. Third quarter, cut it to 21-14.
Intercepted. Third quarter, tied 21-21. Ended James Madison’s drive (int).
Broke up a pass on 4th and 10. Fourth quarter, tied 21-21. Ended James Madison’s drive (downs).
His defensive touchdowns put 14 points on the board directly. Without them the final is 10-21, not 24-21 — the difference between winning and losing.
His game this year: taking the ball away — 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble in the 8 games with play by play.
How Troy’s defense played that day
James Madison’s 16 drives: 13 stopped (5 takeaways) · 3 scored. While the game was within a score they held 8 of 11. His pick-six came with Troy down 14.
9 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
7 tackles, including 1 more for loss. The fumble he forced ended Utah State’s drive (fumble).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 5 of his 7, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Fourth quarter, down 21-10. Ended Utah State’s drive (fumble).
A big game: 14 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 13 of his 14, sacks included.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 9 · 2026
W 24-21
3 interceptions · 7 tackles · 2 pass breakups
A close one, won by 3 on the road.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to +14 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
6%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
3interceptionsTackle volume
54tackles this seasonTFL rate
5%2 TFL54 tackles · 2.5 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 3 interceptions.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 9.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 8.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Gerad Parker
Pass share
41.1%
230 pass / 329 run
Plays / game
69.9
8 games
Team sack rate
7.5%
265 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
54 tackles in 8 games, more tackles a game than nearly every FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Sun Belt
Based on 2025: #20 of 42 Sun Belt Ss
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Jon Sumrall → Gerad Parker. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
