Troy Rolls Past Texas State, Back in Sun Belt Title Race

Saturday, November 26

San Marcos, Texas

3 p.m.

Troy University

9-2 , 6-1

Texas State

2-9 , 0-7

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Troy

Texas State

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

Troy Rolls Past Texas State, Back in Sun Belt Title Race

11/26/2016 7:33:00 PM | Football

Box Score Final Stats Season Stats Troy Postgame Notes Photo Gallery Highlights Neal Brown Press Conference Players Press Conference

By: Adam Prendergast

Final Stats | Season Stats | Postgame Notes | Photo Gallery | Highlights | Neal Brown Press Conference | Players Press Conference

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Troy jumped out to a 30-point halftime lead and rolled past Texas State, 40-7, in Sun Belt Conference action Saturday afternoon in Bobcat Stadium.

Troy's win, coupled with UL Lafayette's victory over Arkansas State, puts the Trojans back in control of their own destiny for a league title. With a victory over Georgia Southern next Saturday, the worst Troy could do is share the Sun Belt title with Appalachian State and Arkansas State.

The Trojans improved to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the Sun Belt; it is Troy's second nine-win season since moving up to the FBS ranks in 2004 – the Trojans went 9-4 in 2009. Troy has never had a 10-win season at the FBS level.

Troy's defense held Texas State to just 100 yards in the opening half of play, while the Trojans tallied 304 yards and found the end zone four times before the break.

Josh Anderson rushed for a pair of touchdowns, Brandon Silvers threw a pair of touchdown strikes and Jordan Chunn scored his 32^nd career rushing touchdown to pace the Troy offense. Additionally, Ryan Kay booted a pair of field goals to give him 17 on the season, which is tied for the third most in school history and just three shy of the single-season record.

Silvers completed 20-of-28 passes for 218 yards and the two scores before turning the reigns of the Troy offense over to Sawyer Smith in the third quarter. Chunn rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries, B.J. Smith carried the ball 10 times for 42 yards and Anderson finished with 36 yards on five carries.

Tevaris McCormick caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season and finished with 75 yards, while Emanuel Thompson had a game-high six catches for 54 yards. Deondre Douglas caught his team-leading sixth touchdown pass on a 46-yard grab with 14 seconds to play in the opening half.

Troy held Texas State to 256 yards of offense in the game with most coming late in the contest. Jalen Rountree intercepted a pair of passes and Tron Folsom led the Trojans with a career-best eight tackles.

Trojan defenders wreaked havoc on Texas State (2-9, 0-7) all game as they tallied seven tackles for loss, recorded nine quarterback hurries and broke up three passes.

Conner White completed 8-of-16 passes for 108 yards with an interception, while Eddie Printz was 4-of-13 for 39 yards and a pick. Tyler Siudzinski carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards and Stedman Mayberry was responsible for Texas State's only touchdown with a 10-yard score late in the third quarter.

Quotable
"We've had a rare opportunity this year to redeem ourselves for five of our losses last season," Troy head coach Neal Brown said. "Georgia Southern came into our stadium last year and soundly beat us. They beat us 45-10. They had a 14-minute drive in that game. It was a learning point for our coaches. We changed some things that we did in the offseason, changed some things on offense and defense. It's a great opportunity. I'm proud of our guys for coming on the road and taking care of business tonight."

Stat Geek
Tevaris McCormick caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season with a 39-yard grab in the second quarter; his touchdown receptions have averaged 42.5 yards in length.

Notable
• Jalen Rountree intercepted two passes; it marked the third time this season that a Troy player has recorded multiple interceptions in a game -- Blace Brown had two picks against New Mexico State and Idaho.

• Troy has recorded an interception in nine of its 11 games this season and now have 18 on the year, which ranks as the third most in a single-season in Troy's FBS history.

• Jordan Chunn moved into a tie for third place on the Troy career rushing touchdown list after rushing for one touchdown against Texas State; he now has 32 in his career. He also moved into a tie for seventh place on the Troy single-season rushing touchdown list with 11.

• Brandon Silvers moved into third place in Troy history with 63 touchdowns responsible for after throwing for two against Texas State.

Up Next
Troy heads to Georgia Southern next Saturday with a chance to win a Sun Belt championship. With a victory over the Eagles, the worst Troy could do is share the title with App State and Arkansas State. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 11 a.m. and it will be televised live on ESPN2.