Caldwell accounts for 3 TD to help Troy end skid, beat Coastal Carolina 38-24

TROY, Ala. (AP) — Matthew Caldwell accounted for three touchdowns, Damien Taylor ran for 190 yards and a TD Saturday and Troy beat Coastal Carolina 38-24 to snap a four-game losing streak.

Caldwell finished 9-of-16 passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and his 1-yard touchdown run just before halftime gave the Trojans a 28-7 lead. Gerald Green had 123 yards rushing on 18 carries.

Troy (2-7, 1-4 Sun Belt Conference) won for the first time since it beat Florida A&M 34-12 on Sept. 21.

Vasko finished 18-of-34 passing for 206 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions for the Chanticleers. Jameson Tucker had six receptions for 106 yards and Braydon Bennett added 69 yards rushing and a TD.

Green's 1-yard touchdown run capped a seven-play, 99-yard drive and gave Troy a 7-0 lead with 5 minutes left in the first quarter.

Avyonne Jones blocked a Trojans punt that went out of bounds, the Chanticleers took possession at the Troy 11 and, on the next play, Ethan Vasko scrambled for an TD run that made it 7-7 with a little more than a minute left in the first quarter.

Troy responded with an 11-play, 82-yard drive that took nearly 5 1/2 minutes off the clock and culminated when Caldwell threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Devonte Ross early in the second quarter. Coastal Carolina (4-4, 1-2) went three-and-out on its ensuing possession and Green caught a short pass along the left sideline and ran the rest of the way for an 83-yard TD that gave the Trojans an 21-7 lead with 4:57 to go in the first half.

Caldwell's TD run with 23 seconds left in the second quarter made it a 21-point game.

The Chanticleers opened the second half with a 12-play, 73-yard drive that took 5-plus minutes off the clock but stalled at the 11 and they settled for Kade Hensley's 29-yard field goal that trimmed the deficit to 28-10.

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The Associated Press