The Troy football team topped Southern Miss by a score of 37-31 in a last-second thriller on Saturday.
The Trojans jumped out to a first-quarter 17-7 lead after a pair of passing touchdowns from junior quarterback Brandon Silvers. The Golden Eagles (2-1, 0-0 C-USA) trailed the entire first half until the third quarter, when they tied the game at 24 on a 70-yard touchdown run from Ito Smith.
The shootout continued as both teams exchanged touchdowns to make the score 34-31 in the Trojans’ favor as the third quarter came to a close.
Southern Miss quarterback Nick Mullens went 24-for-52 through the air for 263 yards and one score. Mullens was picked off once by the Trojan defense. Ito Smith also highlighted the Golden Eagles’ offense, as he went for 131 yards on his 20 touches, along with two touchdowns.
For the Trojans, Silvers completed 10 of his 27 attempts for 123 yards. Silvers had three touchdown passes and hit a different receiver through the air on each score. Along with Silvers, junior running back Jordan Chunn led the Trojan offense with 36 carries for 176 yards and one score.
To begin the final quarter of play, Ryan Kay sent a 43-yard field goal, his third of the evening and his second from 40 yards or more, through the uprights to extend Troy’s lead to 37-31. The Golden Eagles couldn’t seem to find an answer in the final 10 minutes of play, however, as they were forced to punt on three consecutive drives.
The Trojans were forced to punt with 1:33 left, giving Southern Miss one last chance to score. The Golden Eagles drove inside the 10-yard line with three seconds remaining but Mullens’ pass fell incomplete, sealing the victory for the Trojans.
Troy returns home on Saturday, Sept. 24, for their first conference matchup of the season against the Aggies of New Mexico State. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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