Georgia St. dumps Troy behind Grainger, smothering defense

Nov 28, 2022, 06:45 am

ATLANTA -- — Darren Grainger threw for two scores and the defense came up up with a scoop and score and Georgia State overwhelmed Troy 37-10 on Saturday.

Grainger threw a 13-yard touchdown to Aubry Payne with 7:52 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Early in the second he tossed a 26-yard score to Sam Pinckney for a two-score lead before the teams traded field goals to end the half.

Noel Ruiz, who kicked field goals of 43, 49 and 50 yards, booted from 49 shortly after the break and Georgia State (7-5, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference) led 20-3.

The Panthers broke it open on Troy's ensuing drive when Blake Carroll broke through the line and drilled Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson to cause a fumble that Jamil Muhammad returned 72 yards for touchdown and a 24-point advantage.

Watson threw for 287 yards and B.J. Smith scored the Trojans (5-7, 3-5) lone touchdown.

Georgia State is bowl eligible for the third-straight year and is the only FBS team in the nation to play four road games against ranked opponents this season.

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