TROY, Ala. — True freshman Gio Lopez made his first career start at quarterback Thursday night, but Troy receiver Chris Lewis caught three touchdown passes as the Trojans beat South Alabama 28-10 in the Battle for the Belt.
The loss was South Alabama’s sixth straight in the rivalry and dropped the Jaguars to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. Troy improved to 7-2 and 4-1 and extended its lead in the series to 9-3.
Lopez Steps In
Starting quarterback Carter Bradley was injured on the final play of South Alabama’s previous game against Louisiana-Lafayette, a two-point conversion attempt. With a short turnaround from a Saturday game to a Thursday night game, Bradley did not dress, and Lopez got the start.
Lopez completed 17 of 27 passes for 155 yards with an interception and ran for 39 yards on nine carries. The Jaguar offensive line had increasing difficulty protecting him as the game went on.
Early Lead Slips Away
After an exchange of punts, Quentin Wilfawn forced a fumble that Jamall Hickbottom recovered at the Troy 44. La’Damian Webb scored on a 2-yard run a few plays later to give South Alabama a 7-0 lead with 10:13 left in the first quarter.
Troy controlled the second quarter. After Diego Guajardo missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson connected with Lewis on a one-handed 47-yard touchdown catch on the fourth play of the ensuing drive to tie the game. The Trojans then started at their own 4 and put together a 12-play, 96-yard drive that ended with Watson’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Lewis for a 14-7 lead.
Red Zone Struggles
South Alabama opened the fourth quarter facing fourth-and-2 at the Troy 43. Lopez rolled right and got a pass off under heavy pressure to Caullin Lacy for five yards and a first down. On the next play, Lopez escaped two tacklers and threw deep to Jamaal Pritchett, who made the catch going out of bounds at the 3.
A false start pushed South Alabama back, and Lopez ran for seven yards to the 1. On third-and-goal, Webb was stopped for a 10-yard loss, and Guajardo kicked a 29-yard field goal to make it 14-10 with 11:47 remaining.
Troy then put together a long, clock-consuming drive. After three runs from the 1 failed to reach the end zone, Kimani Vidal was ruled to have scored on fourth down for a 21-10 lead. The play was not reviewed.
Trailing by 11 with 3:12 left, South Alabama turned to the passing game. After two incompletions, a Lopez pass intended for Javon Ivory deflected off the receiver’s fingertips and was intercepted by Reddy Steward. Facing fourth-and-7 at the 29, Watson found Lewis for his third touchdown of the night to complete the scoring.
Wommack on the Loss
“I think, when you look at the game, obviously missed execution is really the thing that they did a better job than we did,” South Alabama coach Kane Wommack said. “Situationally, we can’t let them bleed us for two massive drives at very critical moments in the game. Didn’t get off the field some on third down defensively at critical moments and obviously didn’t finish well enough in the red zone.”
By the Numbers
Troy outgained South Alabama 400-252, including 271-155 through the air and 129-97 on the ground. The Jaguars went 0-for-10 on third down, while Troy converted 5 of 14. Troy held the ball for 34:38 to South Alabama’s 24:22.
- Lacy caught nine passes for 89 yards, 77 of them after the catch, and extended his streak of games with a reception to 34. Pritchett had six catches for 59 yards.
- Webb ran for 53 yards on 15 carries. His touchdown was his 14th rushing score of the season, a school single-season record.
- Kentrel Bullock had two carries for five yards before leaving in the first half with a rib contusion. Defensive back Jaden Voisin also left the game and did not return.
- Wilfawn led the defense with 11 tackles, six solo, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Voisin and Trey Kiser had nine tackles each, and Kiser had two tackles for loss.
For Troy, Watson completed 19 of 27 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Lewis caught four passes for 120 yards and three scores, and Deshon Staudemire had six catches for 81 yards. Vidal ran for 125 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries; the Trojans’ other backs combined for four yards on 15 carries. Irshaad Davis had 11 tackles, and Jordan Stringer had 10.
Up Next
South Alabama needs at least two wins in its final three games to become bowl eligible. The Jaguars open a two-game home stand Saturday, Nov. 11, against Arkansas State in Mobile, with kickoff set for 4 p.m.
