Troy University Athletics
Troy University
5-1 , 3-0
Georgia State
2-4 , 1-1
Troy Rushing Attack Shines in Primetime Win
10/5/2018 12:06:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. –Two Trojans rushed for over 100 yards for the second time in as many games to propel Troy past Georgia State, 37-20, in the national spotlight at The Vet Thursday night in Sun Belt Conference action.
BJ Smith and Kaleb Barker put on a show for ESPNU as the two combined for 251 rushing yards to pace the Trojans (5-1, 3-0) to their ninth straight Sun Belt Conference victory. Smith led the charge with 143 yards on 18 carries and two scores, while Barker carried the rock five times for 111 yards.
Barker started off the game with a bang, running for 75 yards on the first play from scrimmage and setting up a 2-yard Smith score – it was the longest run by a quarterback in Troy's Division I history.
In the passing game, Barker was 9-for-10 passing with 136 yards and two touchdowns. The junior connected with Tray Eafford on a 50-yard strike in the first quarter, then delivered a 12-yard dime to Deondre Douglas in the second.
The offense went quiet for a little while, but the defense stood tough – adding two points of their own with a Hunter Reese safety in the first half. Georgia State (2-4, 1-1) was unable to find the end zone against that defense until six minutes remained in the game.
Troy got back on the scoreboard with a couple of long touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Damion Willis snagged a 41-yard Sawyer Smith pass and dove into the end zone, then BJ Smith iced the game away with a 78-yard touchdown run – the longest play from scrimmage this season for the Trojans.
Quotable – Troy Head Coach Neal Brown
"I am proud the players and staff on the short week. I was impressed with what (the team) did. I thought it was gutsy, the collateral damage was high in the game. We had several guys that went down, and we always talk about a 'next man up attitude' and I thought we did that. This couple day break comes at a good time. It's hard, you play six games in a row and the sixth one is on a short week."
Notable
• Kaleb Barker's 75-yard run on the first play of the game, it was the longest run by a Troy quarterback in its Division I history. Backup quarterback Sawyer Smith added a 63-yard rush in the second quarter marking the second-longest rush by a Troy quarterback in its Division I history.
• Troy forced two turnovers in the game and now have 13 on the season ... the Trojans entered the game ranked seventh nationally this season in turnovers forced and third since the start of the 2016 season.
• Tyler Sumpter connected on all six of his extra-point attempts and is now a perfect 63 extra-point attempts in his career.
Team Stats
GSU 0, TROY 7
TROY - Smith, B.J. 2 yd run (Sumpter, Tyler kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:27
GSU 0, TROY 14
TROY - Eafford, Tray 50 yd pass from Barker, Kaleb (Sumpter, Tyler kick) 7 plays, 90 yards, TOP 3:02
GSU 0, TROY 21
TROY - Douglas, D. 12 yd pass from Barker, Kaleb (Sumpter, Tyler kick) 12 plays, 84 yards, TOP 5:33
GSU 0, TROY 23
TROY - Reese, Hunter 1 yd safety
GSU 3, TROY 23
GSU - Wright, Brandon 32 yd field goal 10 plays, 49 yards, TOP 3:44
GSU 6, TROY 23
GSU - Wright, Brandon 28 yd field goal 14 plays, 69 yards, TOP 5:52
GSU 6, TROY 30
TROY - Willis, Damion 41 yd pass from Smith, Sawyer (Sumpter, Tyler kick) 9 plays, 61 yards, TOP 5:18
GSU 12, TROY 30
GSU - Barnett, Tra 1 yd run (Ellington, Dan passfailed), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:11
GSU 12, TROY 37
TROY - Smith, B.J. 78 yd run (Sumpter, Tyler kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:37
GSU 20, TROY 37
GSU - Owens, C. 21 yd pass from Ellington, Dan (Owens, C. pass) 9 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:47
