Sun Belt roundup: Louisiana-Monroe tops Troy on late field goal

Justin Manton knocked home a 29-yard field goal with 2:08 remaining in the game to propel the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (3-1, 2-0) to a 22-20 victory over the Troy Trojans (0-5, 0-1) in a Sun Belt Conference game Saturday night in Monroe, Louisiana.

The field goal was Manton’s third in a tight game that saw four lead changes, including two in the final quarter.

The Warhawks jumped out to a 13-0 lead, but were behind 20-19 midway through the fourth quarter after Brandon Silvers put the Trojans up 20-19 with his third TD pass, a 6-yarder to Chandler Worthy.

Silvers passed for 270 yards but scrambled four times to nurse along a 98-yard drive before halftime, tying the longest scoring drive in Troy’s D-I history.

Louisiana-Monroe’s Pete Thomas passed for 328 yards with two TDs, both to Ajalen Holley – a season-long 64-yarder early and then a 15-yarder to take a 19-14 lead in the third.

Louisiana-Monroe extended its best-in-the-nation active streak of forced turnovers to 30 games.

Texas State 37, Tulsa 34 (3OT): Terrence Franks’ 2-yard TD run in the third overtime carried the Bobcats (2-2, 1-1) to a victory over the Golden Hurricane (1-3, 1-2) in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tulsa rallied for a pair of fourth-quarter TDs – a 17-yard pass from Dane Evans to Conner Floyd and a 1-yard run by Dane Evans – to send the game into overtime.

Tyler Jones passed for 228 yards and two TDs – to Ben Ijah and Jafus Gaines – for Texas State.