Well-rested Georgia Southern faces suddenly hot Troy on the road

STATESBORO -- Georgia Southern returns to action Saturday after a 16-day layoff, and what once looked like another stroll in the park now looks like a battle.

The Eagles (6-2, 4-1 Sun Belt Conference) last played on Oct. 29 when they pinned a 37-13 beating on Texas State, and they will meet up with Troy (3-6, 2-3) at 3:30 p.m. in Troy, Alabama in a Sun Belt Conference game.

What looked to be an impossibility for Troy's football team three weeks ago has now become a possibility.

Following a 19-16 Homecoming loss to Idaho, the floundering Trojans' football season looked to be dead in the water. At that point, they were 1-5, 0-2 in the conference, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

In just a three-game span Troy's future has taken on a different look.

After last Saturday's 51-14 win over Louisiana-Monroe, the Trojans, who led 48-14 at the half, can become bowl eligible by winning their final three games of the season. Troy will play Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette, two very winnable games, after facing Georgia Southern.

After the disappointing loss to the Vandals, the Trojans went on the road and blasted New Mexico State, 52-7, followed by a 44-41 triple-overtime loss at Appalachian State, a week after the Mountaineers manhandled Georgia Southern. Then came last Saturday's romp against ULM to set the stages for having something to play for other than pride.

"Troy is going to be a super challenge for us," Georgia Southern head coach Willie Fritz said. "They've gotten better every week, and the quarterback is an accurate passer with a strong arm. You've got to respect that.

"He can make all the throws. He can make the out throw, which makes you defend all the field, horizontally as well as vertically, which is tough to do.

"This is Division I football, and every single week, you've got to play well. Troy does a good job of playing at a quick pace, and they'll attack you downfield. It's a very diverse offense."

The quarterback Fritz was referring to might be the main Troy is suddenly playing so well, sophomore Brandon Silvers.

In his past three games, Silvers has put up some impressive numbers, throwing for 879 yards and 10 touchdowns while completing 72-of-111 passes with only one interception.

"We played good enough to win the game at App," first-year head coach Neal Brown said. "We're playing good offensive football. Our quarterback is healthy. When we've not played well, he hasn't played.

"We've gotten better because of our quarterback. He's a good player, and he's throwing the ball well. We feel we're capable of finishing the year out strong."

Thanks to the extended break, Georgia Southern will be the healthiest it has been in some time, Fritz said.

The Eagles are rested and healed up, he said, noting that senior safety Matt Dobson is back in the lineup after missing the past two games with an ankle sprain.

Brown is in his first year at Troy, having succeeded longtime head coach Larry Blakeney, who retired last year after 24 seasons. The 35-year-old Brown, the second-youngest head coach in FBS, came to Troy from Kentucky where he was the offensive coordinator. He was at Troy from 2005-09 seasons and was the coordinator his final two years with the Trojans.

The current Trojans bear little resemblance to the team which struggled in losses to Idaho and South Alabama (24-18).

The three conference losses have come by a total of 12 points.

This story was originally published November 11, 2015 at 10:03 PM.