Football Falls to Southern Miss in High Scoring Affair

Saturday, September 14

Troy, Ala.

5 p.m.

Troy University

1-1

Southern Miss

2-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Southern Miss

Troy

Football Falls to Southern Miss in High Scoring Affair

9/14/2019 11:10:00 PM | Football

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Kaleb Barker threw for a school record 504 yards and four Troy receivers topped the century mark, but it wouldn't be enough as Southern Miss defeated the Trojans, 47-42, Saturday night at The Vet.

The Golden Eagles (2-1) jumped on the scoreboard first with touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game. Barker wasted no time rallying the Trojans (1-1) on back-to-back scoring drives of 93 and 97 yards. A field goal as time expired in the first half gave USM a 17-14 advantage heading to the locker room.

The Trojans took their lone lead of the game on their opening drive of the second half when Barker found Tray Eafford from 25 yards out for a touchdown. Barker completed 29-of-43 passes for the 504 yards and four touchdowns in the game.

Eafford led all Troy receivers with seven catches and finished the game with 110 yards. Kaylon Geiger pulled down six catches for 118 yards, Luke Whittemore had five catches for 110 yards and Khalil McClain had four grabs for 104 yards and a pair of scores.

Troy sophomore linebacker Carlton Martial had another huge game with a career-best 16 tackles – the seventh most in a game in Troy history – and tied the great DeMarcus Ware for the Troy school record with 4.5 tackles for loss.

The fourth quarter turned into a shootout as both teams put 21 points on the board, including back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns. Reggie Todd took a 69-yard return to the house to pull Troy within five, 33-28, early in the fourth quarter, but Jaylond Adams returned the favor with an 100-yard return on the ensuing kickoff.

Adams caught 11 passes for 180 yards for the Golden Eagles, while Quez Watkins had seven catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Southern Miss quarterback Jack Abraham completed 28-of-36 passes for 463 yards and two touchdowns.

Barker hooked up with McClain for a 35-yard score with 2:51 to play in the game to pull Troy within a score, 47-42, but the Golden Eagles recovered the on-side kick and were able to run out the clock.

Quotable – Coach Chip Lindsey
"We really fought until the end. I told them at halftime we did a nice job of recovering from that initial 14-0 hole we dug ourselves. Despite being down 17-14 at the half I thought it felt like a different ballgame at halftime. We continued to fight just like a Troy team does. So, I'm really pleased with the way we fought. I told our team after the game I was proud of them, and we win as a team and lose as a unit."

Sound Smart with Your Friends
For the first time in school history, Troy had four receivers surpass 100 yards through the air in a single game – in fact, it was the first time that three receivers did so. Surpassing 100-yards were Kaylon Geiger (118), Tray Eafford (110), Luke Whittemore (110) and Khalil McClain (104)

Notable
• Troy's 528 yards of total offense was the most yards in a game since gaining 557 against Georgia State on Oct. 4, 2018
• Saturday's attendance of 27,108 was the fifth largest in Veterans Memorial Stadium history
• Troy's 97-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter marked the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Trojans had at least one drive of 97 yards or longer.
• Tray Eafford's 25-yard touchdown reception on Troy's opening drive of the second half was the second SHORTEST of his career. He now has seven career touchdown receptions -- 16, 25, 40, 43, 44, 50 and 60 yards.
• Will Choloh (9), KJ Robertson (7), Jaquez Dunmore (7) and TJ Harris (6) all finished the game with career highs in tackles.

Up Next
Troy will be on the road next weekend when they make the trip up north to Akron, Ohio to take on the Zips. Kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 21 is scheduled for 2 p.m. (CT) at InfoCision Stadium.