Troy defeats Georgia Southern 28-20 behind Caldwell's efficient performance
Troy defeated Georgia Southern 28-20 on Saturday in Week 12, with quarterback Matthew Caldwell leading the Trojans to victory. Caldwell completed passes for 288 yards and orchestrated Troy's offensive attack, which featured several high-impact plays throughout the contest.
Georgia Southern struck first with a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but Troy answered with a touchdown in the second quarter to narrow the gap. The Trojans pulled ahead in a back-and-forth affair, with Georgia Southern tying the game at 14-14 through three quarters before Troy's fourth-quarter surge proved decisive.
Caldwell's performance was complemented by strong supporting efforts. Running back Damien Taylor rushed for 92 yards, while receiver Devonte Ross led all receivers with 95 yards. Key plays included a 37-yard completion to Peyton Higgins and a 15-yard scoring run by Caldwell in the third quarter.
Troy's defense forced several critical stops, with Georgia Southern unable to maintain momentum in the final quarter. The game finished under the 53.5-point over-under, and Troy covered the 7-point spread with its eight-point victory.
AI-generated recap · Sep 3, 2026
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Troy | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
 Georgia Southern | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Scoring Timeline
Drive Chart
Box Score
| Statistic | Troy | Georgia Southern |
|---|---|---|
| Passing | 26-32 | 17-28 |
| Pass Yards | 288 | 171 |
| Rush Yards | 153 | 75 |
| Total Yards | 441 | 246 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| 3rd Down | 11-14 | 3-8 |
| Penalties | 11-89 | 4-32 |
| Possession | 38:31 | 21:29 |
Player Leaders
Player Leaders
Play-by-Play
Matthew Caldwell pass incomplete
Damien Taylor run for 3 yds to the TROY 28
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Ethan Conner for 11 yds to the TROY 39 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 2 yds to the TROY 41
Damien Taylor run for 18 yds to the GASO 41 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass incomplete
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Brody Dalton for 11 yds to the GASO 30 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 5 yds to the GASO 25
Troy Penalty, False Start (Raymond Cutts) to the GASO 30
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Landon Parker for 8 yds to the GASO 22
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 5 yds to the GASO 17 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell run for 3 yds to the GASO 14
Matthew Caldwell run for a loss of 3 yards to the GASO 17 Matthew Caldwell fumbled, recovered by TROY Matthew Caldwell M. Caldwell return for 0 yds
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 7 yds to the GASO 10
Scott Taylor Renfroe 24 yd FG MISSED
Jalen White run for 5 yds to the GASO 25
(07:04) FRENCH, JC pass deep to the right incomplete intended for BURGESS JR., Derwin thrown to the TRY40, clock 06:58. PENALTY TRY Pass Interference on GREEN, LJ enforced 15 yards to the GS40 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
JC French pass incomplete
(06:51) WHITE, Jalen rush to the left for a gain of 48 yards to the TRY12 (YANCEY, Damaje), clock 06:40. PENALTY GS Holding on STRONG, Chandler enforced 10 yards from the GS40 to the GS30 [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Troy Penalty, Personal Foul (Luis Medina) to the GASO 45 for a 1ST down
OJ Arnold run for 4 yds to the GASO 49
JC French pass complete to Beau Johnson for 16 yds to the TROY 35 for a 1ST down
OJ Arnold run for 6 yds to the TROY 29
JC French pass incomplete
JC French pass complete to Derwin Burgess Jr. for 11 yds to the TROY 18 for a 1ST down
Jalen White run for 10 yds to the TROY 8 for a 1ST down
Jalen White run for no gain to the TROY 8
JC French sacked by Jordan Stringer for a loss of 9 yards to the TROY 17
(02:07) FRENCH, JC pass deep to the right incomplete intended for BURGESS JR., Derwin thrown to the TRY0, clock 02:00. PENALTY TRY Holding on WELCH, Shemar enforced half the distance from the goal, 9 yards from the TRY17 to the TRY8 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Troy Penalty, Unsportsmanlike Conduct (TEAM) to the TROY 4
Josh Dallas run for 4 yds for a TD (Gavin Stewart KICK)
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 31 yds to the GASO 44 for a 1ST down
Gerald Green run for 33 yds to the GASO 11 for a 1ST down
Gerald Green run for no gain to the GASO 11
Gerald Green run for 5 yds to the GASO 6
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Brody Dalton for 6 yds for a TD (Scott Taylor Renfroe KICK)
JC French pass complete to Dalen Cobb for 8 yds to the GASO 33 Georgia Southern Penalty, Offensive Holding (Derwin Burgess Jr.) to the GASO 18
Jalen White run for a loss of 1 yard to the GASO 17
JC French pass complete to Jalen White for 6 yds to the GASO 23
JC French pass incomplete
Alex Smith punt for 43 yds , Devonte Ross returns for 5 yds to the TROY 39
Matthew Caldwell run for 11 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 15 yds to the GASO 35 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for no gain to the GASO 35
Troy Penalty, False Start (Landon Parker) to the GASO 40
Matthew Caldwell run for a loss of 1 yard to the GASO 41
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 4 yds to the GASO 37
Robert Cole punt for 24 yds, fair catch by Josh Dallas at the GASO 13
Marcus Sanders Jr. run for 1 yd to the GASO 14
David Mbadinga run for 1 yd to the GASO 15
JC French pass incomplete
Alex Smith punt for 45 yds, fair catch by Devonte Ross at the TROY 40
Jordan Lovett run for 3 yds to the TROY 43
Jordan Lovett run for 4 yds to the TROY 47
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Peyton Higgins for 5 yds to the GASO 48 for a 1ST down
Jordan Lovett run for no gain to the GASO 48
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Landon Parker for 11 yds to the GASO 37 for a 1ST down
Troy Penalty, Intentional Grounding (Matthew Caldwell) to the 50 yard line
Matthew Caldwell sacked by Jacob Ferguson for a loss of 5 yards to the TROY 45
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Ethan Conner for 7 yds to the GASO 48
Robert Cole punt for 33 yds, fair catch by Josh Dallas at the GASO 15
David Mbadinga run for 3 yds to the GASO 18
JC French pass complete to David Mbadinga for 6 yds to the GASO 24
OJ Arnold run for 1 yd to the GASO 25 for a 1ST down
JC French pass complete to Josh Dallas for 25 yds to the 50 yard line for a 1ST down
JC French pass complete to OJ Arnold for 5 yds to the TROY 45
JC French pass complete to Josh Dallas for 20 yds to the TROY 25 for a 1ST down
(01:10) FRENCH, JC pass deep to the right incomplete intended for COBB, Dalen thrown to the TRY0, clock 01:05. PENALTY TRY Pass Interference on YANCEY, Damaje enforced half the distance from the goal, 15 yards to the TRY10 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
OJ Arnold run for 7 yds to the TROY 3
JC French pass incomplete
JC French pass incomplete
Gavin Stewart 21 yd FG GOOD
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Jordan Lovett for 7 yds to the TROY 32
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Jordan Lovett for 6 yds to the TROY 38 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Jordan Lovett for 10 yds to the TROY 48 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass incomplete
End of 2nd Quarter
Jalen White run for 3 yds to the GASO 28
JC French pass complete to Dalen Cobb for a loss of 1 yard to the GASO 27
JC French pass incomplete
Alex Smith punt for 44 yds, fair catch by Devonte Ross at the TROY 29
Damien Taylor run for no gain to the TROY 29
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 9 yds to the TROY 38
Damien Taylor run for 1 yd to the TROY 39 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 1 yd to the TROY 40
Matthew Caldwell pass incomplete
Matthew Caldwell run for 15 yds to the GASO 45 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 11 yds to the GASO 34 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 15 yds to the GASO 19 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 14 yds to the GASO 5 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 1 yd to the GASO 4
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 4 yds for a TD (Scott Taylor Renfroe KICK)
JC French pass complete to Derwin Burgess Jr. for 14 yds to the GASO 39 for a 1ST down
JC French pass complete to Dalen Cobb for 23 yds to the TROY 38 for a 1ST down
OJ Arnold run for 8 yds to the TROY 30
JC French pass complete to OJ Arnold for 15 yds to the TROY 15 for a 1ST down
JC French pass complete to Dalen Cobb for 8 yds to the TROY 7
JC French pass complete to Dalen Cobb for a loss of 7 yards to the TROY 14
David Mbadinga run for 10 yds to the TROY 4 for a 1ST down
JC French pass incomplete
Jalen White run for 2 yds to the TROY 2
(02:45) FRENCH, JC pass short up the middle incomplete intended for WALTON, Elijah thrown to the TRY0, clock 02:42. PENALTY TRY Pass Interference on CONERLY-GOODLY, Ian enforced half the distance from the goal, 1 yards to the TRY1 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [NH]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Jalen White run for 1 yd for a TD Troy Penalty, Personal Foul (Devin Lafayette) to the TROY 0 (Gavin Stewart KICK)
Devonte Ross run for a loss of 1 yard to the TROY 24
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Landon Parker for 8 yds to the TROY 32
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Peyton Higgins for 37 yds to the GASO 31 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Ethan Conner for 29 yds to the GASO 2 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell run for 1 yd to the GASO 1
Damien Taylor run for a loss of 1 yard to the GASO 2
Matthew Caldwell run for 2 yds for a TD (Scott Taylor Renfroe KICK)
(13:33) MBADINGA, David rush to the right for a gain of 4 yards to the GS29 (STRINGER, Jordan), clock 13:27. PENALTY TRY Offsides on YANCEY, Damaje enforced 5 yards from the GS25 to the GS30 [NHSG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
JC French pass complete to Josh Dallas for 22 yds to the TROY 48 for a 1ST down
Josh Dallas run for 14 yds to the TROY 34 for a 1ST down
David Mbadinga run for 5 yds to the TROY 29
JC French pass complete to Josh Dallas for 2 yds to the TROY 27
JC French pass incomplete
Gavin Stewart 45 yd FG GOOD
Matthew Caldwell pass incomplete
Jordan Lovett run for 4 yds to the TROY 29
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Landon Parker for 8 yds to the TROY 37 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 4 yds to the TROY 41
Damien Taylor run for 2 yds to the TROY 43
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Peyton Higgins for 6 yds to the TROY 49 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass incomplete
Matthew Caldwell run for 2 yds to the GASO 49
(07:03) CALDWELL, Matthew pass to the right incomplete intended for CONNER, Ethan thrown to the GS40, clock 07:00. PENALTY GS Holding on GAMBLE, Chance enforced 12 yards from the GS49 to the GS37 and results in automatic 1ST DOWN [SG]. NO PLAY (replay the down).
Damien Taylor run for 9 yds to the GASO 28
Damien Taylor run for 2 yds to the GASO 26 for a 1ST down
Damien Taylor run for 9 yds to the GASO 17
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 6 yds to the GASO 11 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Devonte Ross for 3 yds to the GASO 8
Damien Taylor run for 7 yds to the GASO 1 for a 1ST down
Georgia Southern Penalty, Offsides (Latrell Bullard) to the GASO 0 for a 1ST down
Matthew Caldwell run for no gain to the GASO 1
Matthew Caldwell run for 1 yd for a TD (Scott Taylor Renfroe KICK)
JC French pass complete to Jalen White for 3 yds to the GASO 28
JC French pass intercepted Justin Powe return for no gain to the GASO 48
Gerald Green run for 2 yds to the GASO 46
Gerald Green run for 1 yd to the GASO 45
Matthew Caldwell pass complete to Brody Dalton for 23 yds to the GASO 22 for a 1ST down
TEAM run for a loss of 3 yards to the GASO 25