The annual “Battle for the Belt” between South Alabama and Troy takes place on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy.
The Jaguars enter the game at 1-4 overall and 0-1 in Sun Belt Conference play, having lost four straight games. The host Trojans are 2-2 and will be playing their first conference game of the season.
South Alabama won last year’s meeting 25-9 in Mobile, its first victory in the series since 2017. This year, the Jaguars are going for their first back-to-back “Belt” wins since 2014 and 2015.
Troy won six straight “Belt” games from 2018-2024, and has not lost to South Alabama at “The Vet” since 2017. The Trojans lead the all-time series 9-4.
Here are recaps of each of the 13 games in the series (portions of the following recaps were previously published in 2022 and 2025):
Troy defensive back Brynden Trawick (10) trips up South Alabama running back Demetre Baker (33) in the first quarter Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Press-Register/Mike Kittrell) MPR SPORTS MOMO
1. Troy 31, South Alabama 10 (2012)
Larry Blakeney’s Trojans held Joey Jones’ Jaguars to just 59 yards rushing and overcame three turnovers to win easily at Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Corey Robinson passed for 223 yards and ran for a touchdown for Troy, which improved to 3-2 with the victory. After Trey Fetner’s 7-yard touchdown run pulled South Alabama (1-4) within 10-7 after one quarter, the Trojans scored two straight touchdowns to take control in the second.
Neither team enjoyed a particularly memorable season, as Troy lost five of its final seven games to finish 5-7. South Alabama — playing its first season as a full FBS member — ended up 2-11.
South Alabama head coach Joey Jones and Troy head coach Larry Blakeney meet after an NCAA college football game in Troy, Ala., Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013. Troy won 34-33. (AP Photo/Jay Sailors)AP
2. Troy 34, South Alabama 33 (2013)
The most-closely contested of the 10 meetings between the Jaguars and Trojans was decided on Robinson’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Eric Thomas and Will Scott’s extra point with seven seconds remaining at Troy’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.
South Alabama (2-3) had taken a six-point lead with just 48 seconds left on Ross Metheny’s 65-yard touchdown pass to Jeremé Jones and Metheny’s 2-point pass to Tyrell Pearson, but Troy (3-3) drove 66 yards in five plays for the win.
The Jaguars had one final shot for the victory when Brandon Bridge hit Sharvarez Smith for 50 yards to the Troy 18, but the Trojans’ Keion Payne brought him down to end the game. Both teams finished the year 6-6 and did not make a bowl game despite being eligible.
South Alabama wide receiver Jereme Jones (5) returns a punt in the first half against Troy on Friday, Oct. 24, 2014, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/[email protected])
3. South Alabama 27, Troy 13 (2014)
The Jaguars scored their first victory in the series behind 178 rushing yards from Kendall Houston and 107 more from Xavier Johnson at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
South Alabama (5-2) led just 10-6 midway through the third quarter before Johnson’s 14-yard TD run and Houston’s 41-yarder all but put the game away. Troy (1-7) did not get into the end zone until the one-minute mark of the fourth quarter on Dontreal Pruitt’s 8-yard pass to B.J. Chitty.
The Jaguars went on to finish 6-7 after losing to Bowling Green in the Camellia Bowl, South Alabama’s first postseason trip. The Trojans finished 3-9 in the final season of Blakeney’s hall-of-fame career.
South Alabama offensive lineman Chris May (55) celebrates the 24-18 win over Troy in a Sun Belt Conference football game Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
4. South Alabama 24, Troy 18 (2015)
The student government associations at South Alabama and Troy added a little spice to the rivalry for the 2015 game, dubbing it the “Battle for the Belt” and commissioning a wrestling-style championship belt for each season’s winner.
Cody Clements passed for 205 yards and two touchdowns to Gerald Everett as the Jaguars (3-2) jumped out to a 21-8 lead over the Trojans (1-3) in the first half and held on late for the win. South Alabama’s Akeem Lewis then stopped Troy’s Brandon Burke on fourth-and-1 at the 43-yard line to end the game.
That was the highlight of the season for South Alabama, which lost five of its final seven games to finish 5-7. Troy ended up 4-8 under first-year coach Neal Brown.
Troy players celebrate the 28-21 win over South Alabama with a championship-style belt in a NCAA football game on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
5. Troy 28, South Alabama 21 (2016)
The Trojans scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to win back The Belt on the Jaguars’ home field. Mobile-area native Brandon Silvers threw for 395 yards for Troy, which took its first lead of the game on Jordan Chunn’s 1-yard touchdown run with 1:20 remaining.
South Alabama (3-4) got to the Troy 27-yard line on the final play, but time expired. Chunn ran for 143 yards and two touchdowns for Troy, which improved to 6-1 with the win.
South Alabama finished 6-7, losing 45-21 to Air Force in the Arizona Bowl. Troy wound up 10-3, returning to Ladd-Peebles Stadium to beat Ohio 28-23 in the Dollar General Bowl.
South Alabama’s John Robinson (44) hoists the “Battle for the Belt” trophy after the Jaguars knocked off Troy 19-8 at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017. (Brad Puckett/South Alabama athletics)
6. South Alabama 19, Troy 8 (2017)
The Jaguars beat the Trojans for the third time in four years in a defensive struggle at Veterans Memorial Stadium, a game that came 10 days after Troy stunned LSU in Baton Rouge.
South Alabama forced four turnovers — including two on punts — and recorded a safety in one of its better defensive efforts of the Joey Jones era. The Jaguars (2-4) led 19-0 before Troy (4-2) finally got on the board with a touchdown and two-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter. The Trojans missed two field goals, however, keeping the game out of reach late.
Troy did not lose the rest of the season, however, finishing as Sun Belt Conference champions and at 11-2 with a 50-30 victory over North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl. South Alabama stumbled to 4-8, and Jones was not retained at the end of the season.
Troy offensive lineman Zach Branner (70) celebrates the 38-17 win over South Alabama in a NCAA football game Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
7. Troy 38, South Alabama 17 (2018)
The final “Battle for the Belt” for Troy coach Neal Brown was hardly a contest at all, as Sawyer Smith threw for three touchdowns and ran for another at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Troy (6-2) led 16-7 after the first quarter and 31-10 midway through the second against first-year coach Steve Campbell and South Alabama. Jaguars quarterback Evan Orth threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted three times. B.J. Smith ran for 170 yards and a touchdown for the Trojans, while Damion Willis caught five passes for 132 yards and two scores.
Troy went on to finish 10-3 and won the Dollar General Bowl again, with Brown leaving after the season to take the West Virginia job. South Alabama wound up 3-9, losing four straight before a season-ending win over Coastal Carolina.
Troy coach Chip Lindsey holds up the “Battle for the Belt” trophy after the Trojans beat South Alabama in 2019. (Troy athletics photo)
8. Troy 37, South Alabama 13 (2019)
First-year coach Chip Lindsey’s Trojans scored three second-half touchdowns to win a “Battle for the Belt” blowout for the second straight year at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Troy (3-3) ran for 220 yards, and Kaleb Barker threw for 194 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Kaylon Geiger. Will Sunderland’s 29-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter all but put the game away. South Alabama (1-6) averaged just 2.8 yards per carry on the ground and turned the ball over three times.
The loss was one of nine straight for the Jaguars, who beat Arkansas State at season’s end to finish 2-10. Troy also lost four of its final six to stumble home with a 5-7 record.
Troy offensive linemen celebrate with the championship belt after the 29-0 win over South Alabama in a NCAA football game Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
9. Troy 29, South Alabama 0 (2020)
The lone shutout in the “Battle for the Belt” series came after the game was pushed back from early October to early December due to a COVID outbreak on the South Alabama team. It also spelled the end for Campbell, who was fired the following day after the Jaguars finished 4-7 with losses in five of their final six.
Troy’s Gunnar Watson threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, all in the second quarter, as the Trojans (5-5) built a 27-0 halftime lead at Hancock Whitney Stadium. South Alabama managed just 239 yards of offense, including a paltry 57 on the ground. The Trojans’ defense totaled five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
Troy lost 42-38 to Coastal Carolina the following week, finishing 5-6 and out of bowl contention for the second straight year.
Troy offensive lineman Dylan Bradshaw celebrates with fans after a victory over South Alabama in the “Battle for the Belt” on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy. (Chris Davis/Troy athletics)
10. Troy 31, South Alabama 24 (2021)
This “Battle for the Belt” turned on a first-quarter injury, as Jaguars quarterback Jake Bentley was knocked out with two torn knee ligaments in the midst of leading South Alabama to a game-opening scoring drive.
Troy (5-4) took advantage, jumping out to a 31-10 halftime lead behind three touchdown runs and a KJ Robertson pick-six. First-year coach Kane Wommack’s Jaguars (5-4) began to get back in the game behind backup quarterback Desmond Trotter, who threw two touchdown passes to Terrion Avery to cut the Troy lead to 31-21 after three quarters. Diego Guajardo added a field goal in the fourth, but the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs on their final possession.
South Alabama lost its next three games to end the year at 5-7. Troy lost its last three to also finish 5-7, resulting in Lindsey being fired despite three straight wins over the Jaguars.
Troy cornerback Tye Pouncey celebrates the 10-6 win over South Alabama with the trophy belt in a NCAA football game Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/al.com
11. Troy 10, South Alabama 6 (2022)
The lowest-scoring game in series history turned out to have the most at stake, as the Trojans ground out a 4-point win on their way to the first of two straight Sun Belt championships.
First-year coach Jon Sumrall and Troy (6-2) won despite scoring just one touchdown — DK Billingsley’s 5-yard run in the second quarter — and going 1-for-12 on third down. Brooks Buce’s 51-yard field goal in the fourth quarter gave the Trojans a bit of a cushion after South Alabama (5-2) had pulled within one on the second of two Diego Guajardo field goals.
With star running back La’Damian Webb banged up, the Jaguars managed just 31 yards rushing. South Alabama also missed out on a pair of major touchdown opportunities in the first half, with a long Carter Bradley pass to Brandon Crum called back by holding and another to Devin Voisin overturned via replay. The Jaguars punted the ball with 4:01 to play and the Trojans ran out most of the rest of the clock. Billingsley and Kimani Vidal combined for 150 yards rushing on 36 carries for Troy.
Troy ended up finishing a game ahead of South Alabama in the Sun Belt standings, and beat Coastal Carolina in the conference title game before finishing off an 12-2 season with a Cure Bowl win over Texas-San Antonio. South Alabama finished a program-best 10-3, losing to Western Kentucky in the New Orleans Bowl.
Troy players celebrate winning their sixth straight “Battle for the Belt” over South Alabama on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, in the locker room at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy. (Troy athletics photo)Troy athletics
12. Troy 28, South Alabama 10 (2023)
South Alabama’s Bradley was sidelined due to a knee injury, forcing freshman Gio Lopez to make his first career start at quarterback. The Jaguars took an early 7-0 lead on Webb’s 6-yard touchdown run, but Troy dominated the rest of the way. Gunnar Watson threw three long touchdown passes to Chris Lewis — covering 47, 26 and 29 yards — and Vidal ran for 125 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to put the game away with 3:12 to play.
The Trojans (7-2) limited the Jaguars (4-5) to just 254 total yards, and kept South Alabama out of the end zone early in the fourth quarter to hold onto the lead. The Jaguars kicked a field goal to pull within 14-10 with 11:47 to play, but the Trojans mounted a 16-play scoring drive ending with Vidal’s touchdown for a two-score lead. Troy rolled on to its second straight Sun Belt West title, then pummeled Appalachian State in the championship game before losing to Duke in the Birmingham Bowl and finishing 11-3.
South Alabama won two of its final three games to earn a bowl bid, then beat Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl for its first postseason win and a 7-6 final record. Both teams lost their coaches in the offseason, with Troy’s Sumrall taking the Tulane job and South Alabama’s Kane Wommack heading to Alabama as defensive coordinator.
South Alabama celebrates the 25-9 win over Troy with the trophy belt in a NCAA football game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)
Mike Kittrell/Al.com
13. South Alabama 25, Troy 9 (2024)
In the first “Battle for the Belt” to feature two first-year head coaches, Major Applewhite’s Jaguars dominated Gerad Parker’s Trojans for their first win in the series since 2017 — and first in Mobile since 2014.
The South Alabama defense carried the load, holding Troy (1-6) to 172 yards of offense and intercepting three passes. Gio Lopez threw for one touchdown and ran for another for the Jaguars (3-4), while Laith Marjan kicked three field goals (USA’s other points came on a safety following a bad snap by Troy).
South Alabama jumped out to a 19-0 lead, and did not allow the Trojans to reach the end zone until there was just 2:35 left in the game. South Alabama finished the season 7-6 and beat Eastern Michigan 30-23 in the Salute to Veterans Bowl, while Troy ended up 4-8, though the Trojans did win three of their final four games.
• Kickoff for the 2025 Battle for the Belt is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The game will stream live via ESPN+.
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