Football Game Preview: Irvine Vaqueros vs. Troy Warriors + How To Watch

The Irvine Vaqueros will square off against the Troy Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average (Irvine 14.5, Troy 14.9) so any points scored will be well earned.

Irvine is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering El Toro just ended the team's five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 31-25 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Chargers.

Irvine's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Sina Saferzadeh, who threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns, and Seamus Hoffman, who gained 123 total yards.

Meanwhile, Troy waltzed into their game on Thursday with five straight wins... but they left with six. They blew past the Comanches 37-0. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by 28 points or more this season.

Irvine better keep an eye on Ethan Mundt. He was instrumental in Troy's win, rushing for 153 yards and a pair of scores on only 14 carries. Mundt's longest rush was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Jackson Hintz was another key rusher, rushing for 85 yards and one TD on only nine carries.

Troy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 267 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 189 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.

Troy didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Andrew Green and Noah Torosian. Torosian also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with seven. Another thorn in Canyon's side was Fisher McDonald, who picked up a sack and made six total tackles (4.0 for loss).

Irvine's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 6-2. As for Troy, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.

Irvine was taken down by Troy 49-13 when the teams last played back in October of 2024. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Vaqueros were down 28-6.