Troy defeats Southern Miss 28-18, heads to the Sun Belt Championship Game

Troy quarterback Goose Crowder threw three touchdown passes to lead the Trojans to a 28-18 victory over Southern Miss, which propels Troy to the Sun Belt Championship Game.

Crowder’s 7-yard touchdown pass to RaRa Thomas capped an 11-play, 85 yard drive that chewed up about five minutes and stretched the Trojans’ lead to 21-10 with 6:58 remaining in the fourth quarter. The pair also connected on a 75-yard touchdown with 3:16 to play.

Crowder completed 24 of 34 passes for 285 yards. He also had a 16-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Higgins just before halftime. Thomas finished with five catches for 118 yards. Tae Meadows added 94 yards rushing on 21 carries that included a short-yardage TD run in the first quarter.

Braylon Braxton was 20-of-35 passing for 209 yards with a touchdown pass and interception for Southern Miss. Carl Chester had four receptions for 76 yards and a 10-yard touchdown catch. Tight end Kadinn Morris recovered Jeffery Pittman’s fumbled ball in the end zone late in the third quarter that pulled the Golden Eagles to 14-10.

Troy (8-4, 6-2) ends the regular season with consecutive wins while Southern Miss (7-5, 5-3) ends its with three straight losses.

The Trojans, who won the Sun Belt Western Division, will play at Eastern Division champion James Madison Friday, December 5, at 6:00PM CST in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The game will be on ESPN.

(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)