MOBILE, Ala. — The letter T is about to disappear from the University of South Alabama campus, at least for a few days. Starting at 5 p.m. Monday, members of the Student Government Association and other students planned to cover the letter on campus buildings and signs with painter’s tape, carrying the Battle for the Belt rivalry with Troy well beyond the football field ahead of Saturday’s game.
South Alabama (4-5, 2-3 Sun Belt) hosts Troy (4-5, 2-3 Sun Belt) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will be streamed live. For two programs that share a state, a conference and identical records, the stakes are unusually plain: both need to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible, and the loser of Saturday’s game will have no margin left for error.
A rivalry Troy has controlled
The series history explains why the Jaguars are so eager to turn the week into an event. Troy leads the all-time series 10-4 and has won seven of the last eight meetings. Last season, the Trojans won 31-24 in overtime in Troy. South Alabama’s most recent win in the series was a 25-9 victory at Hancock Whitney Stadium in 2024.
That stretch of Troy success is not lost on South Alabama’s coaches. Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, who is experiencing the rivalry from the Jaguars’ sideline, pointed to the closeness of the two programs and the trophy that goes to the winner as reasons the game carries extra weight. He also noted where that trophy currently is not.
Orlando said they have an empty trophy box.
Orlando said he expects the rivalry to bring a jolt of energy to the football building this week, with players putting in extra time and fans getting more involved as Saturday approaches. The rivalry weekend is also taking on a life off the field. As South AL News reported last week, the university’s Black Alumni Society is using the South Alabama-Troy weekend to raise scholarship money for students, with support from the university’s National Alumni Association.
Applewhite: “Play with composure”
Head coach Major Applewhite said the team’s practice schedule will not change because of the opponent, but he acknowledged that rivalry week has a different feel. He said players who have spent time in the program and in the Sun Belt understand what the game means.
Applewhite agreed, saying it’s a rivalry game and that players who have been part of the program and league appreciate, love, and enjoy it.
Applewhite wants his players to enjoy the atmosphere without letting it pull them off course. He said rivalry games tend to be played with extra emotion, and that the Jaguars will need to keep their poise when the pace picks up.
He said to just go play the rivalry part, noting there will be extra intensity and things will happen faster, as in most rivalries, but urged playing with composure.
South Alabama’s priority: Stop the run
The Jaguars have plenty to fix beyond managing emotions. South Alabama has lost three straight games, most recently a 28-26 defeat at Louisiana on Saturday, Nov. 7, that was sealed by an interception with 1:29 remaining. In that game, the Ragin’ Cajuns ran for 312 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry, with JJ Garner breaking a 65-yard touchdown run on the way to 136 rushing yards. Garner also returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a score.
Orlando said improving against the run is at the top of the list this week, especially against a Troy offense he described as physical and explosive, with a particular emphasis on its running game and run-pass option plays.
Orlando said they cannot play championship-level defense without the ability to stop the run game.
The run defense has been a recurring theme for South Alabama in recent weeks. Before the Louisiana trip, Orlando said the Jaguars had been giving up too many explosive plays in a 35-20 Halloween loss to Louisiana Tech, a game in which the defense held the Bulldogs to 315 total yards but could not keep big plays from swinging the outcome.
The quarterback question in Mobile
Quarterback remains a storyline for the Jaguars. Bishop Davenport returned to the starting lineup at Louisiana after missing time with a shoulder injury, and Jared Hollins started during Davenport’s absence. Davenport was productive in his return, completing 16 of 22 passes for 210 yards and running for two touchdowns, including a 45-yard score.
Applewhite said playing time will continue to be decided by health and by which quarterback gives the team the best chance to win. He said Davenport’s time on the sideline was about the injury, not his performance.
Applewhite told Bishop he didn’t lose his job and is playing very well, adding they will play whoever is healthy and gives the team the best chance to win.
Troy searches for answers after a rough week
Troy arrives in Mobile with problems of its own. The Trojans have been one of the Sun Belt’s most unpredictable teams over the past month. On Oct. 24, they lost to Louisiana-Monroe, which had not won a game to that point. Five days later, on Oct. 29, they beat defending conference champion James Madison in overtime on the road.
Then came a hard landing. Last Saturday, Troy lost 41-17 at home to Louisiana Tech, the front-runner in the Sun Belt’s West Division. It was the Trojans’ most lopsided home loss since a 45-7 defeat to Appalachian State in 2021. Troy pulled within 20-17 early in the third quarter, but Louisiana Tech scored the final 21 points of the game.
Turnovers told much of the story. After forcing five turnovers against James Madison, Troy gave the ball away five times against Louisiana Tech, including three times in the second half. Troy coach Gerad Parker said the contrast between the two games showed exactly what his team has to fix.
Parker said that over two consecutive weeks, the team first won the turnover margin by a large amount and won a great road game, but then at home lost the turnover margin by plus 3, did not sustain drives on offense, did not finish drives on defense, and did not affect the game on special teams, losing the turnover margin by that amount; he added that you cannot play winning football against good football teams in that regard, so the team must control that and find ways of better.
An offense still looking for an identity
Troy’s offense has struggled to settle into a consistent identity. Among the Sun Belt’s 14 teams, the Trojans rank 12th in scoring, 12th in total yards per game and 13th in passing yards per game. Troy has generally run the ball well this season, but it managed just 47 yards on 32 carries against Louisiana Tech.
The quarterback situation is also unsettled. Tucker Kilcrease has started Troy’s last two games. Goose Crowder is listed as available, but he has injured his throwing shoulder twice this season. Earlier in the fall, Crowder left a game against Louisiana with a shoulder injury, then started against Louisiana-Monroe before being replaced by Kilcrease in the third quarter. On Monday, Parker said it was too early to tell who would start Saturday.
Parker said there are many factors to consider in finding answers, warning that searching too hard and over-scheming can cause a loss of identity. He said they must evaluate what they’re doing and with whom, and that Monday after a huge letdown is too soon for a fair answer; it’s all hands on deck to figure out how to play better offensive football.
Playing for each other
With conference title hopes all but gone for both teams, Parker framed the final three weeks as a test of his team’s character. He said he believes the Trojans will respond, starting with the rivalry game.
Parker asked whether they have a team that plays for each other, saying that’s what they’re playing for; if not, they don’t represent a true team, but he believes they do.
He continued that he believes with every fiber that the team will show that in the last three weeks, especially this week, and that the team understands and wants to play for the pride of what they represent and how they want to finish, particularly in a rivalry week.
What’s at stake and what comes next
The Sun Belt West race has largely moved past both teams. Louisiana Tech leads the division, and Louisiana became bowl eligible with its win over South Alabama. Going into last weekend, South Alabama, Troy, Arkansas State, Southern Miss and Louisiana-Monroe were bunched together with 2-3 conference records behind the top two teams.
That makes bowl eligibility the realistic goal for both sides. For South Alabama, Saturday’s game opens a three-game closing stretch:
- Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Troy, 6 p.m., Hancock Whitney Stadium (Battle for the Belt)
- Saturday, Nov. 21: at Southern Miss
- Friday, Nov. 27: vs. App State, 2 p.m., Hancock Whitney Stadium
A win Saturday would give the Jaguars a fifth victory, end a three-game losing streak and fill that empty trophy case. A loss would leave South Alabama needing to win both of its remaining games just to reach six wins. Troy faces the same math from the other side.
Fans planning to attend should allow extra time for parking and traffic on campus, as rivalry games and home weekends typically draw larger crowds to the university’s west Mobile campus. Ticket and gameday information is available through South Alabama athletics. For those who cannot make it to the stadium, the game will be streamed live.
