Troy Drops League Tilt at Georgia Southern

Saturday, November 7

Statesboro, Ga.

12 p.m.

Troy University

4-3 , 2-2

Georgia Southern

5-2 , 3-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Troy

Georgia Southern

Troy Drops League Tilt at Georgia Southern

11/7/2020 5:22:00 PM | Football

Box Score Notes Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

By: Troy Athletics Communications

STATESBORO, Ga. – Troy scored a defensive touchdown in a third consecutive game but the Trojan offense could never get on track Saturday as Georgia Southern handed Troy a 20-13 loss in Sun Belt play at Paulson Stadium.

Troy (4-3, 2-2 Sun Belt) carried a 10-6 advantage into the half thanks to Dell Pettus' 44-yard interception return for a touchdown that was aided by a big hit from Jayden McDonald on Georgia Southern quarterback Shai Werts. The defensive score was Troy's fourth in the last three weeks and marked the first time in the school's FBS history that it scored a defensive touchdown in three straight games.

Unfortunately for the Trojans, that would be their only trip to the end zone all afternoon. The Georgia Southern (5-2, 3-2) defense limited Troy to just 235 yards of total offense and 61 plays; the Eagles' held the ball for nearly 43 minutes offensively behind their triple-option attack.

The Eagles also found limited success offensively Saturday with the exception of back-to-back drives in the third quarter; both of which were aided by a big play. Gerald Green took the Eagles' second play of their second drive of the third quarter 69 yards for a touchdown and then on the ensuing possession for Georgia Southern a 35-yard pass set the Eagles up at the 5-yard line.

Paced by Carlton Martial and T.J. Harris, the Trojan defense recorded seven tackles for loss in the game and forced Georgia Southern into three punts and a missed field goal on its final four possessions.

Troy had a late chance to tie the game after the Eagles missed a 34-yard field goal with 2:40 to play in the game. Jacob Free led the Trojans down to the 16-yard line before ultimately throwing his second interception of the game.

Free finished 21-of-47 through the air for 201 yards, while Kaylon Geiger paced the Trojans with six catches for 49 yards. For Georgia Southern, Werts completed 12-of-13 passes for 85 yards, while Green finished with 109 yards on 10 carries.

Quotable – Troy Head Coach Chip Lindsey
"I'm still proud of (our team). Obviously, we didn't play great on offense, but the defense kept us in the ball game all day. Our special teams unit did a great job. I wish we would've played better on the offensive side of the ball, but at the same time, I know this is a special group of kids. We are going to regroup and get ready for another big matchup next week."

Sound Smart with Your Friends
Troy scored a defensive touchdown in a third straight game ... it is the first time in the school's FBS history that Troy has scored a defensive touchdown in three consecutive games. It marks the third time in Troy's FBS history to have at least three defensive touchdowns in a season.

Notable
• Dell Pettus returned his first career interception 44 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. It was Troy's second interception return for a touchdown this season.

• Carlton Martial and Dell Pettus tied for a team-high nine tackles ... Martial added a pair of tackles for loss. It was Martial's 21st career game with a tackle for loss and 10th with multiple tackles for loss. Martial moved into fifth place in Troy history with 34.5 career tackles for loss.

• Jack Martin placed five of his six punts inside the 20-yard line and 4-of-6 when for 50-plus yards, including a 59-yard blast. He pinned Georgia Southern inside the 10-yard twice with a kick down to the 1-yard line and 7-yard line.

• Troy ran just 61 plays in the game; the second fewest under Chip Lindsey (54 at BYU).

• Troy has outscored its opponents by 59 points in the first half this season (132-63).

• Georgia Southern was the seventh consecutive Troy opponent to play the Trojans on extended rest to open the season; the Eagles last played on Thursday prior to today's game.

Up Next
Troy returns home to play No. 15 Coastal Carolina next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be televised on ESPNU; it is the earliest kick for a Troy home game since 2002.