South Alabama ended seven years of frustration in emphatic fashion Tuesday night, defeating Troy 25-9 in the “Battle for the Belt” at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
It was the Jaguars’ first victory over the Trojans since 2017, their first in Mobile against their in-state rival since 2014 and their first-ever in the “Battle for the Belt” on campus. South Alabama allowed just 172 total yards and intercepted three passes, keeping Troy out of the end zone until the final three minutes of the game.
“I’m just really excited for our players, for our campus, for our city,” said Major Applewhite, South Alabama’s first-year coach. “This is a big game, a rivalry game where we haven’t been that competitive in recent years. To see our staff, our players and our (fans) working together, it was great. … I’m so happy for our seniors, and so proud of them, to get the Belt back this year.
The victory was indeed a dream come true for the South Alabama seniors, who were all still in high school the last time the Jaguars defeated the Trojans. Defensive tackle Maurice Strong, a seventh-year senior, recalled seeing the Belt trophy at the South Alabama football facility during his official visit in the winter of 2017-18, and then not seeing it up close again until after Tuesday night’s win .
“Words can’t describe it,” Strong said. “It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before. I’m overwhelmed right now.”
South Alabama (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) did most of its offensive damage in the second quarter, scoring 16 points to take a 19-3 halftime lead. Gio Lopez threw for one touchdown and ran for another, finishing the night with 219 yards of total offense.
Troy (1-6, 0-3) played both Tucker Kilcrease and Matthew Caldwell at quarterback, but couldn’t do much offense. The Trojans ran for just 36 yards, and Jaden Voisin, Lardarius Webb and Wesley Miller all recorded interceptions for the Jaguars.
Kilcrease, making his second straight start in place of the injured Goose Crowder, completed just 2 of 6 passes for minus-6 yards with an interception before being pulled in the second quarter. Caldwell went 17-for-30 for 142 yards and a touchdown, but was picked off twice.
“I thought the preparation was really good, but it didn’t translate onto the field,” first-year Troy coach Gerad Parker said. “For the most part it was a complete failure on offense. And that’s my responsibility to fix it and find out why. We didn’t play well at the quarterback position at the beginning of the game and that put us in a tough situation. We have to help him play better sooner and help him.
“But there was basically a breakdown on that side of the ball throughout the entire football game and it put us in a position where we couldn’t even function to score points or gain yards.”
After taking a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter on Laith Marjan’s 36-yard field goal, South Alabama broke the game open in the second. Voisin intercepted Kilcrease on the 22 and set up Lopez’s 24-yard pass to Jeremiah Webb — the Jaguars’ first touchdown against Troy at Hancock Whitney Stadium, which opened in 2020 — for a 10-0 lead at the 9:10 mark.
Voisin soon after dropped Troy’s Mojo Dortch for a 9-yard loss to the 1, leading to a safety and a 12-0 score when a snap got past Kilcrease and out of the end zone. After the free kick, South Alabama drove for another touchdown, Lopez’s 49-yard run straight through the middle of the Trojans’ defense on fourth-and-2.
Lopez scrambled 20 yards on third-and-22 and then burst through the Troy defense for the touchdown on the next play. With 4:34 left in the half, South Alabama led 19-0.
“I didn’t expect this to happen,” said Lopez, South Alabama’s leading rusher in the game with 67 yards on 11 carries. “I had already run the ball the previous game and I was a little tired. I just wanted to gain two meters; that was my intention. But I thought, ‘Okay, I think I’ll get 49.’ Still, I’ll take it.”
Troy had just four total yards on its first three possessions, and Parker pulled Kilcrease for Caldwell. The former walk-on led the Trojans on their best drive of the night to that point, ending in Scott Taylor Renfroe’s 40-yard field goal and a 19-3 South Alabama lead at halftime.
Marjan added a pair of 42-yard field goals in the third quarter, extending South Alabama’s lead to 25-3. Troy finally scored again with 2:35 remaining, when Caldwell hit Devonte Ross for an 11-yard touchdown after a late hit penalty put the ball in the red zone.
The Trojans failed on an offside and the Jaguars ran out the clock for the win. South Alabama only totaled 318 yards and 12 first downs, but that was more than enough to turn back Troy on the night.
“We were sputtering so much offensively all night,” Applewhite said. “For the defense to do what they did is a testament to how they have continued to improve throughout the year. … There are two, maybe three guys on that side that have played a lot of football (before this season), but you’ve seen game after game steadily guys getting better and more confident. … I’m just really proud of those guys.”
Both teams now have an 11-day break before their next match. South Alabama hosts Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 26 at 4 p.m., while Troy travels to Arkansas State the same day at 6 p.m.
