Troy Looks to Bounce Back at Georgia State

Saturday, October 21

Atlanta, Ga.

1 p.m.

Troy University

Georgia State

Troy Looks to Bounce Back at Georgia State

10/20/2017 10:51:00 AM | Football

By: Adam Prendergast

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TROY, Alabama – It's been a long 10 days for Troy head coach Neal Brown and his Trojans, who have been itching to get back on the field after falling at home to their in-state rival last Wednesday. Brown and the Trojans will get that chance Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. (CT) against Sun Belt foe Georgia State.

The matchup is the fifth all-time in the young series between the two schools and will be just the second ever game at the new Georgia State Stadium. Georgia State purchased the Atlanta Braves' Turner Field and converted it into its new football home after playing in the Georgia Dome in prior seasons.

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the Troy Sports Radio Network will have full coverage beginning at 11 a.m.

"That loss (South Alabama) hurt and it should," Brown said at his weekly press conference. "We're going to see what we're about this week. Adversity can do one of two things; it tears you apart or makes you stronger. I have full confidence in this team and these coaches that we'll bounce back and be stronger. We're going to prepare better this week and perform better Saturday afternoon than we did the previous week."

Troy (4-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) carries the best defense in the Sun Belt and one of the best in the country into this weekend's matchup with the Panthers (3-2, 2-0). The Trojans lead the conference in scoring defense (18.7), rushing defense (98.7) and total defense (320.5); the scoring defense drops to 16.0 points per game when you take out the points allowed by special teams and the offense.

The Trojans are one of just four teams in the country – Michigan, Washington State, New Mexico – to have improved their total defense number each of the past five seasons. Troy is 12^th nationally against the run, 21^st in scoring defense and 24^th in total defense.

While there have been standout performances on the defensive side of the ball, the old cliché of a total team effort rings true with that unit. Safety Cedarius Rookard leads the club with 37 tackles on the season, linebacker Tron Folsom checks in with a team-best 4.5 tackles for loss, while defensive tackle Jamal Stadom and bandit Zo Bridges lead the team with 2.5 sacks.

Troy held South Alabama to just 224 yards and 48 rushing yards in the game, which was the lowest overall offensive output by a Sun Belt opponent against the Trojans since 2010. Additionally, Troy has held four of their six opponents under 100 yards rushing this season.

Offensively, quarterback Brandon Silvers has been efficient in the passing game with 250.7 yards per game and completing 62.3 percent of his passes. However, Troy has struggled to get the ball in the end zone through the air as Silvers has more rushing touchdowns (3) than passing touchdowns (2) this season.

Jordan Chunn is going to be a game-time decision after suffering an injury in the second half of the game against South Alabama. The senior running back is averaging 86.3 yards per game, including a career-best 191 yards at LSU. If he can't go, expect a combined effort from Josh Anderson, Jamarius Henderson and B.J. Smith for the Trojans.

"We're expecting him to play," Brown said. "He had a leg injury that caused him to miss the second half. If he doesn't play, we don't expect our production to drop off at that position. Whether it's Jamarius [Henderson], Josh Anderson or B.J. Smith, they're going to have a full week of preparation."

Know Your Foe
After a rough start, including a loss to Tennessee State, Georgia State has bounced back with three straight road victories capped by last Saturday's win at ULM, which entered the contest 3-0 in Sun Belt play.

The Panthers are led by quarterback-receiver combo of Conner Manning and Penny Hart. Manning ranks 33^rd nationally with 252.2 passing yards per game, while Hart is seventh in the country averaging 110.0 receiving yards per game.

Notable
• Troy has allowed just three rushing touchdowns all season long … the tally is tied for the seventh fewest in the country.

• Troy has rushed for over 150 yards 13 times under head coach Neal Brown and the Trojans have won all 13 of those games.

• The last two meetings in this series have been decided by the same 31-21 margin and both by the home team.