Adams helps Southern Miss hold on to beat Troy 47-42

TROY, Ala. (AP) Jaylond Adams returned a kickoff 100 yards to help Southern Mississippi thwart Troy's come-back bid and secure a 47-42 victory on Saturday.

Troy's Reggie Todd had just returned a kickoff 69 yards as the Trojans closed to 33-28 with 11:28 remaining in the fourth quarter. Adams answered on the following kickoff to stretch the lead to 40-28. The teams then traded touchdowns until Troy's Kaleb Barker hit Khalil McClain on a 35-yard touchdown toss to close to 47-42 with 2:51 remaining.

The ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Golden Eagles and they ran out the clock.

The teams had played nine times previously but had never faced off in Troy and Southern Mississippi made the most of the opportunity, going ahead 33-21 after Neil McLaurin nailed Jordan Mitchell on a 51-yard scoring strike early in the fourth.

Adams accounted for 322 all-purpose yards, catching 11 passes for 180 yards and returning three kickoffs for 136 yards total. He also had a punt return for five yards and one rush for one yard.

Jack Abraham led the Golden Eagles (2-1), throwing for a career-best 463 yards and two scores. Quez Watkins finished with 209 yards receiving.

Barker threw for a career-high 504 yards and four touchdowns for Troy (1-1).