Salado Eagles chewed up more than 450 yards of artificial turf in a dominating 33-0 shut out of the Troy Trojans at University of Mary Hardin Baylor Crusader Stadium in the season opener Sept. 1.

The Eagles had 38 plays on the ground and half a dozen in the air, taking full advantage of a skilled slot T offense.

Trey Sheppard led Salado with 173 on 18 carries and three touchdowns. Aaron Torczynski carrier the ball 10 times for 126 and a touchdown. Cade Depoy had 66 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.

Torczynski scored the first touchdown of the season for Salado on a 47 yard up the middle of the Troy defense. After Salado failed to convert on a fourth down in the opening minutes of the game, Troy drove to the Eagles’ 19 yard line, but quarterback Chance Mosley fumbled the ball, recovered by Salado’s Hunter Bales at the Eagles’ 20 yard line.  Sheppard ran to the 27 yard line and Cade Depoy broke around the edge of the defense for 16 yards. Torczynski ran for 10 yards before taking the next handoff up the middle and running through the Trojan linebackers for the 47 yard touchdown with 3:41 in the first. The PAT failed.

Mosley coughed up the ball on the next series, this time after pushing past the yard marker on a fourth and one sneak. Salado recovered the ball at the Troy 33 yard line. The Eagles drove to the Try 11 yard line thanks to a powerful run by Sheppard, carrying most of  the Troy defense on his back for a first down inside the Troy red zone. But the Eagles could not convert after Hayden Haire fell on a missed handoff to force a fourth down and eight at the Trojan 11. A low snap and bad hold resulted in Jake Walrath’s field goal try wobbling to the left in the opening minute of the second quarter.

The Eagles forced Troy to punt near midfield, taking over at their own 18 yard line. Salado drove 82 yards in six plays, all on the ground, highlighted by a 36 yard run by Cade Depoy  before his TD run of eight yards with 7:07 left in the half. The PAT failed and Salado held a 12-0 lead, which they carried into the lockers.

The Eagles had 202 yards on the ground in the first half. Sheppard had 90 on 11 carries and Torczynski had 67 on seven carries.

Meanwhile, the Eagle defense kept Troy out of the red zone except for the one incursion in the first quarter thanks mostly to a 34-yard run by Sam Jones.

Salado kicked to Troy to open the third. The Trojans pushed the ball to midfield when Mosley hit Steven Stanford for what looked like a broken up pass by Mac Miller. However, the pass was called complete and a fumble by Stanford that Miller recovered to give the Eagles the ball at their own 40 yard line. The Eagles drove to the Troy seven yard but missed a short field goal with two minutes left in the third.

However, in quick order Quade Brown intercepted a Troy pass and returned it to the Trojans’ 10 yard line. Sheppard ran through the Troy defense for a touchdown with 1:03 left in the third. The Eagles added a two-pointn conversion for a 20-0 lead.

Salado forced the Trojans to a three-and-out series deep in their own territory. The Eagles took over at Troy’s following a piddling punt with no return. After an incomplete pass, Sheppard again burst through the Troy defense for a 42 yard touchdown with 11:40 left in the game. Walrath’s PAT kick was good for a 27-0 lead.

With just under six minutes left to play, Salado took over following another piddling punt by Troy. Torczynski ran through the Troy defense for a 53 yard run which had 13 yards tacked on for facemasking by the Torojans. Sheppard finished the drive with a 13 yard touchdown run through the middle of the defense with 4:45 left to play. The PAT kick was no good.