TROY, Ala. – Troy scored 23 unanswered points to open the second half, handing Charleston Southern its first loss, 44-16, on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

CSU falls to 1-1, while Troy improves to 1-1 on the season. The loss is CSU's first in September under Jamey Chadwell. The Bucs entered the night 11-0 in August and September under their third-year head coach. 

Brandon Burks had two rushing touchdowns and Teddy Ruben had two touchdown receptions and returned a punt 64 yards for a TD as the Trojans broke open what was 14-7 game in the second quarter.  

"We didn't play well, but took advantage of some opportunities there early and a had a chance to be down seven right there before halftime," Chadwell said. "They just made some nice plays on fourth down that either kept us from scoring or continuing another drive. We weren't able to stop them consistently enough. I was more disappointed in just our execution of things. We gave ourselves a chance, but we didn't execute like you need to when you play teams better than you. We'll learn from it and move on."

Troy was a perfect 4-for-4 in the red zone and Ruben had six catches for 89 yards and two TDs. The execution and key plays from Ruben were the difference in a game that was dead even in total yardage (374-374). 

CSU scored on a TD pass from Austin Brown to Darius Hammond in the first quarter and Kyle Copeland found a streaking Kelan Fraise for a 22-yard touchdown in the closing minutes. CSU added a safety in the second quarter when Aaron Brown pulled down Troy QB Brandon Silvers in the end zone. 

The Bucs held the ball for almost 40 minutes in the game, but couldn't translate the possession into points. CSU piled up 263 yards rushing, led by a career high 161 yards from Hammond. The Trojans countered with three scoring drives under a minute to strike fast and keep CSU on its heels.  

Silvers was 19-for-28 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Andrew Flake added four carries for 68 yards and a 47-yard TD late. 

Copeland and Brown combined on a 10-for-28 night for 111 yards and two TDs. Hammond finished with 23 carries for 161 yards.  

Troy started fast as quarterback Brandon Silvers connected with a streaking Rashad Dillard for 47 yards and a touchdown in the first minute of the game. A four-play, 70-yard drive and the Trojans jumped to a 7-0 lead. 

After holding the Bucs to a three-and-out on their opening possession, Silvers followed just two-and-a-half minutes later with his second TD pass, this one to slotman Teddy Ruben for a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Trojans a 14-0 lead just over three minutes in.

CSU answered back. The Bucs pounced on a botched snap on a punt to set up the sort field. CSU quarterback Kyle Copeland found Darius Hammond for a 3-yard touchdown to cut lead to 14-7 late in the first quarter. 

Troy answered right back, holding the Bucs to a three-and-out and setting up a short field with a 23-yard punt return. Burks scored from a yard out to push the lead to 21-7.