TROY — Despite the record and near-record performances by other Troy players, coach Neal Brown cooed the most over a first-time starter Saturday night.

And gave him a big postgame surprise.

Junior safety Kyler Knudsen finished with seven tackles and made a late interception, the first of his career, to help seal the Trojans’ 26-16 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Afterward, for good measure, Brown took away Knudsen’s walk-on status, too.

He’s now on scholarship.

“I love it,” quarterback Sawyer Smith said. “He didn’t earn it today, but he got it today.”

Knudsen is in his fourth year with the Trojans after arriving on campus as a receiver. In the summer of 2017, with Knudsen at a Campus Outreach ministry in Florida, Troy coaches noted low numbers at safety and called Knudsen to ask if he’d be interested.

“He said, ‘Oh, yeah, if I can come to fall camp,’” Brown said. “He wasn’t going to come to fall camp as an inside receiver. As a safety, he was going to come to fall camp.”

Knudsen soon stood out. He played special teams in all 13 games and was a backup on defense. This year, he had 20 tackles before learning Friday night that he would start Saturday.

“It was an opportunity for me to play,” Knudsen said of changing positions. “I hadn’t played a down of defensive football in my life. Two falls later, here we are.”

Knudsen had no clue Brown was about to put him on scholarship until Brown belted it out in the team’s locker room Saturday evening.

“Coach Brown has a history of talking about a player before he gives it to him,” Knudsen said. “He was saying, ‘This guy came here as a receiver.’ I thought, ‘Oh, here it comes.’

“It was pretty emotional.”

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B.J. and the bear: Running back B.J. Smith continued his triple-digit habit, setting a school record with his fifth straight 100-yard game.

Smith had 103 yards on 22 carries, including a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“Five games now,” Sawyer Smith said. “He’s a baller.”

Arrid Gregory had a four-game 100-yard streak in 1996.

More:On Arrid ground: Troy's B.J. Smith ties school record

Alive and kicking: Sophomore kicker Tyler Sumpter, after staring at Greg Whibbs’ name too many times in Troy’s record book, put his name with Whibbs on Saturday.

Sumpter kicked four field goals — 32, 42, 20 and 49 yards — to tie a record set by Whibbs in 2007.

“I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen his name on all the records,” Sumpter said. “I’ve thought, ‘I have to get there one day.’”

Sumpter, at that point, didn’t know he had tied Whibbs. “I thought it was five,” Sumpter said.

Whibbs kicked field goals of 34, 45, 39 and 31 yards, all in the first half, of a 38-32 home loss to Florida Atlantic in December 2007.

Streak ended: Knudsen started in place of senior Cedarius Rookard, who missed Saturday’s game due to a hip injury. Rookard is scheduled to be evaluated Monday, Brown said.

Rookard had started 37 consecutive games, the longest active streak by a Troy player. Now, center Deontae Crumitie has the longest streak at 35.

Receiver Deondre Douglas also missed Saturday’s game. He suffered a foot injury in Troy’s previous game at South Alabama.

Brown had said last week that defensive back Marcus Jones wouldn’t play. On Saturday, Brown said the Trojans “anticipate him coming back.”

“I don’t think it will be next week, but I believe he’ll play again in the regular season,” Brown said.

Underwood, undertaker: Kicker Bratcher Underwood landed in the stats with two bruising tackles, including one on Troy’s first kickoff.

Raymond Calais had a 54-yard return ended when Underwood knocked him out of bounds. It coaxed an enthusiastic reaction from at least most of the Trojans.

“I’d rather him kick the ball in the end zone so he doesn’t have to tackle,” Brown said.

300-100-100: Troy’s offensive stars put up major measurements. Besides B.J. Smith’s 103 yards rushing, quarterback Sawyer Smith was 18-of-22 passing for a career-high 317 yards and receiver Damion Willis caught 10 passes for 213 yards.

It was just the 11th time in school history that Troy had a 300-yard passer, 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game. Of those 11, five have been in Brown’s four seasons.

Back again: Faulkner head coach Shayne Wasden, a former longtime Troy assistant, made it back Saturday after Faulkner’s game.

Wasden had pressing duties — escorting daughter Anna Shay, who was part of the homecoming court. Alabaster native Kaitlin Beyler was crowned homecoming queen.

Governor a fan: Gov. Kay Ivey was on hand to crown Troy’s homecoming queen at halftime Saturday. She said after the ceremony that the Trojans were her favorite Sun Belt Conference team, ahead of South Alabama. Why?

“I’m in Troy,” she said.

Ivey wouldn’t commit to whether major state powers Alabama and Auburn should schedule the other in-state schools like Troy, USA and UAB, keeping that guarantee money in the state.

“They’ll figure out who they want to play and make it work,” she said.

Where’s Waldo? Saturday’s announced crowd of 24,631 ranks 11th in Veterans Memorial Stadium history.

The Trojans have averaged 25,345 fans for five home games this year, which exceeds last year’s record 24,456 average. Troy’s final home game is against Texas State at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 17.