STATESBORO, Ga. – Senior BJ Johnson III caught a 64-yard pass for the go-ahead touchdown, and the Georgia Southern defense held off a late Trojan drive as the Eagles fought off the Trojans for a 28-24 Sun Belt Conference football victory Saturday afternoon on Senior Day in Paulson Stadium.

Troy called its final timeout facing third down with the ball on the Eagle 8-yard line with 22 seconds left, and Brandon Silvers threw a pass to Josh Anderson in the flat. Jessie Liptrot and a host of Eagles rallied to the ball to make the tackle for no gain, and the clock kept rolling as the officials spotted the ball. The Trojans could not spike the ball because it was fourth down, and Silvers got the snap just as time expired. He tried a pass to Tevaris McCormick in the front of the end zone, but the ball fell incomplete.

Johnson finished with a career-high 129 receiving yards on seven receptions with two touchdowns for Georgia Southern and finished tied for second on the school's career receptions list. Senior Kevin Ellison logged 115 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and completed 10 of 14 passes for 127 yards and two scores. Classmate Matt Breida ran for 66 yards, and redshirt junior Ukeme Eligwe posted a career-high 18 tackles, including 13 solo, and a sack.

Silvers threw for 218 yards and a touchdown for Troy (9-3, 6-2), and Jordan Chunn carried 19 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Emanuel Thompson caught seven passes for 96 yards. The Trojans were looking for a share of the Sun Belt title, but the loss pushes Troy into second in the league standings. 

The story
With the Eagles down 24-21, Ellison connected with Johnson on a slant route, and the receiver caught the ball between two Trojan defenders, shrugged off both and scampered 64 yards for the touchdown and a 28-24 lead with 9:46 to go.

Troy got the ball back for its final possession with 6:22 to play and converted a pair of third downs while moving into GS territory. Facing fourth-and-1 at the Eagle 36-yard line, Silvers threw a screen pass to Thompson for a 5-yard pickup with 1:19 to play and connected with Thompson on a 20-yard pass on the next play to move the ball to the GS 11-yard line, setting up the last defensive stand.

Trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Eagles scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter, and both were delivered by the feet of Ellison. After the opening kickoff of the second half, the Eagles gobbled up 75 yards on the ground in 2:51, and Ellison took the keeper around the left side and reached for the end zone, just putting the ball across the goal line before going out of bounds.

The Eagle defense forced a three-and-out, and Myles Campbell gave GS good field position with a 16-yard punt return. Two plays later, Ellison went around the right side, faked the option pitch and dashed down the sideline for a 54 yard score. Younghoe Koo added the PAT to give the Eagles a 21-10 lead midway through the quarter.  

The Trojans converted a third-and-10 with a 14-yard pickup on a pass from Silvers to Thompson, and hurried back up to the line, creating some confusion in the Eagle defense. Silvers hit a wide-open McCormick down the right sideline for a 16-yard touchdown pass that trimmed the lead to 21-17.

Troy took advantage of a short field after its defense forced an incompletion on a pass attempt from Ellison to Johnson on fourth-and-2 from the GS 48-yard line. The Trojans zipped down the field and retook the lead on a Chunn 4-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Georgia Southern sees its season come to end with a 5-7 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Sun Belt play.

Quotables
Head coach Tyson Summers
"I'm just really excited for our players, and particularly our seniors, to be able to go out and finish the way they did today. A key momentum piece all week was trying to do this for this senior class. I can't say enough about the job these seniors did throughout their career and in the victory today."

Senior quarterback Kevin Ellison
"Our offensive line did a great job getting a push and opening up lanes for all the backs today."

"It's been the best experience of my life - the atmosphere, the fans and all the support we get. It's been a great journey, and I'm blessed to be able to play for Georgia Southern. It's a very special place."
 

Post-Game Notes
• Captains: #4 Kevin Ellison, #12 BJ Johnson III, #18 Ken Butler Jr., #27 Ironhead Gallon

• Georgia Southern won the toss and deferred. It was the ninth time GS won the coin toss in 12 games this season.

• Senior quarterback Kevin Ellison got his first career start at wide receiver in the game and caught a 9-yard pass. Ellison accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) for the first time in his career.

• Senior BJ Johnson III had his first career two touchdown game in his final game. He also went over 100 yards for the second time in his career. He finished his career with 92 receptions, tied for the second most in school history with Monty Sharpe (1983-86). His 1,377 career receiving yards will place him fourth all-time in the annals of Georgia Southern for career receiving yards.

• Junior linebacker Ukeme Eligwe posted 18 tackles (13 solo), the seventh most in program history for a single game.

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