Wesley Kirchharr
Staff Writer
The Troy Trojans dropped their first conference game of the season, falling to Arkansas State 35-3 in a Thursday night contest.
The newly ranked No. 25 Trojans (9-2, 5-1 Sun Belt) dropped to second place in the Sun Belt Conference after falling to the Red Wolves, who remain perfect in conference play.
Five turnovers crippled the Troy offense, two of which led to touchdowns for the Red Wolves (6-4, 6-0 Sun Belt). Two interceptions from quarterback Brandon Silvers and fumbles to start both halves kept Troy’s offense on the sidelines as Arkansas State light up the score board in the second half.
After a Troy fumble on the first offensive possession, both teams had trouble getting anything going offensively. The first quarter ended with a 3-0 Trojan lead after senior kicker Ryan Kay sent a 43-yarder through the uprights.
Each defense had the opposing offense scratching its head after 12 punts were exchanged by the two teams in the first half alone. Arkansas State broke the stalemate and got things going with under four minutes left in the half as they converted on a fake punt that brought up first and goal for the Red Wolves.
Quarterback Justice Hansen then found Kendall Sanders for an eight-yard touchdown to take the lead. This score sent the teams to the locker rooms with a 7-3 Arkansas State lead.
On the Trojans’ first drive of the second half, the Red Wolves forced a fumble that was recovered in the end zone, which widened the gap between the two teams. With 14:40 remaining in the third, the Red Wolves held a 14-3 lead.
The offensive trend for the Trojans continued, as Troy was seemingly unable to get anything going during the third quarter. Arkansas State continued to build on their offensive rhythm as they found the end zone twice during the third quarter. Chad Voytik and Johnston White punched in scores on the ground from four and 24 yards, respectively. After 28 unanswered points from the Red Wolves, the Trojans trailed 28-3.
At the end of the third quarter, Troy’s offense encountered a fourth down inside the red zone, but came up short, ending the hopes of sparking a comeback.
Arkansas State scored once again inside of four minutes left to play, making for a final score of 35-3.
Troy ended with 262 yards of total offense, as junior quarterback Brandon Silvers went 20-39 for 207 yards through the air.
The Arkansas State defense held Jordan Chunn as well as anyone has so far this season, as Chunn finished with 51 yards on 16 touches.
The Trojans will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 26, when they will travel to San Marcos, Texas to take on the Texas State Bobcats. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
