Troy went on the road to defeat Southern Miss 28-18
In a game that determined who would represent the West Division in the Sun Belt Championship Game, Troy went on the road and defeated Southern Miss 28-18. The Trojans advance to the championship for the first time in the Gerard Parker era.
𝙒𝙀 𝙊𝙒𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙀𝙎𝙏 pic.twitter.com/I0YcODUmvL
— Troy Trojans Football 8x⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) November 29, 2025
Both defenses opened strong, each forcing a three-and-out. On the third possession of the game, Braylon Braxton was intercepted by Devin Lafayette, giving Troy the first major momentum swing.
Troy could not capitalize on the turnover and was forced to punt again. Two more short drives kept the score at 0-0 through the end of the first quarter.
The Trojans finally broke through early in the second, taking advantage of a missed Southern Miss field goal. Running back Tae Meadows punched it in from three yards out, giving Troy a 7-0 lead.
On Troy’s next offensive possession, Goose Crowder was intercepted by Jonathan Pennix, setting up Southern Miss with good field position. The Golden Eagles were unable to fully capitalize, settling for a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3.
Just before halftime, Troy extended its lead. Crowder connected with Peyton Higgins on a 16-yard touchdown, sending the Trojans into the break up 14-3.
The second half started similarly to the first, with both defenses getting early stops. Late in the third quarter, Southern Miss finally found the end zone when tight end Kadinn Morris slipped open for a touchdown, cutting Troy’s lead to four.
The fourth quarter opened with a pair of punts before Troy answered back with a touchdown. Crowder found RaRa Thomas on a seven-yard connection to push the lead to 21-10.
Southern Miss responded quickly, with Braxton hitting Carl Chester for a touchdown. The Golden Eagles converted the two-point try, making it a 21-18 game.
But on the very next play, Troy delivered the knockout punch. Crowder found Thomas again—this time for a 75-yard touchdown that sealed the game and extended the lead to 28-18, which held as the final score.
Crowder finished the night 24-of-34 for 285 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Ray Guy finalist Evan Crenshaw also completed a pass on a fake.
Three 🎯 inside the 8
And a 🎯 on the fake punt
What more do you want @RayGuyAward? pic.twitter.com/OMb5tRRoa8
— Troy Trojans Football 8x⚔️ (@TroyTrojansFB) November 30, 2025
Meadows dominated on the ground, rushing for 94 yards on 21 carries. Thomas added 39 rushing yards on three attempts.
Thomas was also Troy’s top receiver, finishing with five catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Justin Powe, Devin Lafayette and Jordan Stringer tied for the team lead with seven tackles each.
For Southern Miss, Braxton went 20-of-25 for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He finished with negative rushing yards—rare for him this season.
Jeffery Pittman led the Golden Eagles’ rushing attack with 51 yards, while Robert Briggs added 30.
Carl Chester and Elijah Metcalf were the top receiving threats, with Chester recording 76 yards and Metcalf adding 62.
Defensively, Chris Jones finished with 10 total tackles—seven solo—pushing him to the top of the Sun Belt with 127 on the season, ranking him among the national leaders.
Despite controlling the division race for much of the season, Southern Miss will not advance to the championship and now waits to learn its bowl destination. Troy will travel to James Madison for the Sun Belt Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 5.
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