South Alabama brings the Belt back to Mobile with a 25-9 win over Troy

South Alabama ended seven years of frustration in impressive fashion Tuesday night by defeating Troy 25-9 in the Battle for the Belt at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

It was the Jaguars' first win over the Trojans since 2017, their first in Mobile against their in-state rival since 2014 and their first win 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 happy for our players, for our campus, for our city,” South Alabama first-year coach Major Applewhite said. “This is a big game, a rivalry game that we haven't been as competitive in the past few years. Seeing our staff, our players and our (fans) pulling together was great. … I’m so happy for our seniors and so proud of them for getting the belt back this year.”

In fact, the win was a dream come true for South Alabama's seniors, all of whom were still in high school the last time the Jaguars beat the Trojans. Defensive tackle Maurice Strong, a seventh-grader, recalled seeing the Belt Trophy during his official visit to the South Alabama football facility in the winter of 2017-18 and 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 and taking a 19-3 halftime lead. Gio Lopez threw for a touchdown and ran for another, finishing the night with 219 total yards of offense.

Troy (1-6, 0-3) played both Tucker Kilcrease and Matthew Caldwell at quarterback but couldn't mount a big offense. The Trojans ran for just 36 yards and Jaden Voisin, Lardarius Webb and Wesley Miller all recorded interceptions for the Jaguars.

Kilcrease, starting for the second straight season in place of the injured Goose Crowder, completed just two of six passes for minus-six yards with one interception before being sent off in the second quarter. Caldwell went 17 of 30 for 142 yards and a touchdown but was picked off twice.

“I thought the preparation was very good, but it didn't translate to the field,” said Troy's first-year coach Gerad Parker. “For the most part, it was a complete failure offensively. And it's my responsibility to fix the problem and find out why. At the beginning of the game we didn't play well at the quarterback position and that put us in a difficult situation. We have to help him play better sooner and help him.

“But there were failures on that side of the ball essentially throughout the entire football game, and that put us in a situation where we weren't even able to score points or gain yards.”

After South Alabama took a 3-0 lead late in the first quarter on Laith Marjan's 36-yard field goal, the game stopped in the second quarter. Voisin intercepted Kilcrease at 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 – to make it 10-0 at 9:10. Guide.

Voisin soon 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 left the end zone. After the free kick, South Alabama drove to another touchdown, Lopez's 49-yard run through the middle of the Trojans' defense on fourth-and-2.

Lopez rushed for 20 yards on third-and-22 and then broke through the Troy defense to score the touchdown on the next play. With 4:34 left, South Alabama led 19-0.

“I didn’t expect that,” said Lopez, South Alabama’s leading rusher in the game with 67 yards on 11 carries. “I had already played the ball in the game before and was a bit tired. I only wanted to make it two yards; that was my intention. But I thought, ‘Okay, I guess I’ll get 49.’ I’ll take it though.”

Troy had just 4 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 with a 40-yard field goal from Scott Taylor Renfroe and a 19-3 South Alabama lead at halftime.

Marjan hit two 42-yard field goals in the third quarter to extend South Alabama's lead to 25-3. Troy finally scored again with 2:35 left 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 an onside kick and the Jaguars ran out of time to get the win. South Alabama only managed 318 total yards and 12 first downs, but that was more than enough to hold Troy back that night.

“We sputtered so much offensively all night,” Applewhite said. “The fact that the defense did what they did is a testament to how they have continued to improve throughout the year. … There are two, maybe three guys on this side who played a lot of football (before this season), but you could see the guys getting better and more confident every game. … I’m just really proud of these guys.”

Both teams now have an 11-day break before their next game. 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.