Rolling along: Trojans start conference play 2-0 with win over Vandals
Published 3:50 am Tuesday, October 4, 2016
![Photo/ Emmanuel Thompson reaches out to grab a pass against Idaho on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans picked up their fourth win of the season last Saturday afternoon when they defeated Idaho.](https://www.troymessenger.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2016/10/Thompson_Emanuel-1-300x148.jpg)
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Emmanuel Thompson reaches out to grab a pass against Idaho on Saturday afternoon. The Trojans picked up their fourth win of the season last Saturday afternoon when they defeated Idaho.
Troy quarterback Brandon Silvers lead the offense and the Trojans to a 34-13 romp over the Idaho Vandals Saturday.
The win for Troy gives the Trojans their third win in a row and second win in conference. They head into their bye week with a 4-1 overall record and a 2-0 record in conference play.
“I think you go on the road in your league and get a win, I think that’s a big deal,” said Trojans head coach Neal Brown. “We didn’t play our best and I think that was clear. We turned the ball over, the first drive of the game was disappointing to me…our kids never blinked, and they overcame adversity.”
Junior quarterback Brandon Silvers paced the Trojans offense on Saturday afternoon. Silvers threw for a career high 373 yards and three touchdowns.
After the Vandals put up two quick field goals, one of which came on the heels of a Trojan turnover on the game’s first play, the Trojans rattled of 31 straight points to take control of the game.
The Trojans rushed for 157 yards on the night led by Jordan Chunn, who tallied 137 yards with one touchdown.
“The biggest benefit we have right now is running the football,” Brown said. “Defenses have to respect our running game. We are getting people to clog the box and what that enabled us to do was throw the football.”
Silvers connected with three different Trojans for touchdowns, in Troy native John Johnson, Emmanuel Thompson and Travis McCormick. All three receivers finished with seven catches with Johnson leading the way in yards with 128.
After the two opening field goals, the Trojans defense held the Vandals offense to one more touchdown. In all the Vandals put up 255 yards, 166 coming through the air.
“We have some work to do,” Brown said. “I think we were better in pass defense then we were last week, but we still have some work to do.”
The Trojans enter their bye week ready to rest up and get ready for a stretch that sees them play two games in five days.
“We are tired,” Brown said. “We have had two times where against Clemson and Southern Miss we got home late. I think the coaches need some down time, I think the players need some down time. We have two games in five days. We not only have to get work on Georgia State, but we also have to get some work done on South Alabama as well.”
The Trojans will host Georgia State for homecoming on October 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.