Will Scott hit a 42-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining and Troy held on to defeat Florida International 38-37 at Veterans Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Deon Anthony, making his first career start in place of an injured Corey Robinson, threw for 245 yards and three touchdown and also rushed for a team-high 115 yards including two more scores.

Troy (4-3, 3-2 Sun Belt Conference) erased a 16-point second half deficit to earn the victory over Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite Florida International (1-7, 0-4).

The Trojans trailed by multiple score for most of the game. Florida International, with a 49-yards pass from quarterback Jake Medlock to Willis Wright, went ahead 21-7 with 1:54 left in the opening quarter.

Following a 7-yard connection from Anthony to Chip Reeves to cut the deficit to 21-14, the Golden Panthers answered with a 21-yard Jack Griffin field goal with less than five minutes left in the second quarter.

“They got a bunch on us early and we sort of caught on and figured some things,” head coach Larry Blakeney said. “We simplified a bit on defense and went to work and started making plays.”

The Trojan defense surrendered 428 yards, but stepped up late in the fourth quarter. Florida International punted twice, lost two fumbles and turned the ball over on downs in its final five possessions.

After the Golden Panthers pinned Troy at its own 6, Anthony completed three of four attempts to get Scott within field goal range. On a third and 19 from the FIU 38, Anthony dumped the ball off to running back Shawn Southward coming out of the backfield. Southward picked up 13 before stepping out of bounds to stop the clock.

“The All-American play was by Shawn Southward to get out of bounds and stop the clock,” Blakeney said. “The kick wasn’t text book, but (Scott) hit it solid.”

Scott, a junior college All-American transfer from Gulf Coast Community College, has made 7 of 10 field goal attempts on the season.

“It wasn’t a pretty kick but it went through,” Scott said. “It was an unbelievable feeling. I can’t even describe the feeling.”

The victory marked the largest second half comeback for Troy since 1995 when the Trojans defeated Central Florida 28-17 after trailing 17-0.

Troy will now turn its attention to a road trip against Florida Atlantic. The game is set for a 4 p.m. kick.