TROY, Ala. — Troy scored the game’s final 14 points to beat South Alabama 37-13 in the Battle for the Belt, as the Jaguars came away with only one touchdown despite forcing three turnovers and reaching the Trojans’ goal line on two first-half possessions.
The loss dropped South Alabama to 1-6 overall and 0-3 in Sun Belt Conference play. Troy improved to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the league.
Goal-Line Stands Define First Half
Troy opened the scoring with a field goal, and South Alabama answered with a long drive that reached the 1-yard line. Running back Jared Wilson and quarterback Cephus Johnson were each stopped short on consecutive plays, and head coach Steve Campbell sent out the field goal unit. A 17-yard field goal tied the game at 3.
Troy took the lead on its next possession, finishing a methodical drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass toward the front pylon.
South Alabama’s following drive stalled at the Troy 35, and Frankie Onate converted a 51-yard field goal. A Troy personal foul for roughing the kicker, however, took the points off the board and gave the Jaguars a first down at the Troy 20. Senior running back Tra Minter carried on back-to-back plays to set up first-and-goal at the 3 and then gained 2 more yards, but Troy stopped Minter twice more near the goal line. On third down, Johnson took a shotgun snap and was dropped for a 2-yard loss under pressure up the middle. After a timeout, Johnson’s fourth-down throw to Jalen Tolbert, who was double-covered, sailed high, and Troy took over on downs.
Turnovers Keep Jaguars Close
Three plays later, Troy quarterback Kaleb Barker lost control of the ball, and South Alabama recovered at the Troy 3-yard line. A.J. DeShazor was credited with the fumble recovery. Kawaan Baker scored on a jet sweep on the next play for what would be South Alabama’s only touchdown of the night.
Travis Reed intercepted Barker at the South Alabama 22 on Troy’s next series, but Johnson was picked off at the Troy 43 two plays later, and the Trojans converted that turnover into a field goal and a 13-10 lead.
South Alabama got the ball back at its own 25 with 1:08 left in the half. Two incomplete passes and a 1-yard run up the middle forced a punt after only 21 seconds had come off the clock, and Jack Brooks’ kick went off the side of his foot for 24 yards. Barker moved Troy quickly into range, and the Trojans added a field goal as the half expired to lead 16-10 at the break.
Troy Takes Control After Halftime
The Jaguars picked up two first downs to open the third quarter before punting. Brooks pinned Troy at its own 13, but Barker led the Trojans the length of the field with a mix of runs and completions, capping the drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kaylon Geiger for a 23-10 lead.
Minter answered with a 45-yard kickoff return to the South Alabama 47. After a 1-yard jet sweep, the Jaguars threw on eight consecutive plays, and a potential touchdown pass to Jalen Wayne in the end zone fell incomplete. Onate’s 45-yard field goal attempt then missed wide right.
Reed intercepted Barker for the second time two plays later, and South Alabama drove to the Troy 14 before Onate made a 31-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 23-13. Troy then missed a 36-yard field goal attempt, giving the Jaguars the ball at their own 20 with a chance to make it a one-score game.
Instead, Johnson threw a pass that was intercepted and returned 29 yards for a Troy touchdown at the 14:02 mark of the fourth quarter. After South Alabama failed to convert on fourth-and-1 on its next possession, Troy took over at its own 31 and ran the ball on 13 consecutive plays, four of which gained 10 yards or more, for a 69-yard touchdown drive that set the final score.
By the Numbers
Troy held the edge in nearly every statistical category except turnovers:
- Total yards: Troy 432, South Alabama 271
- Passing yards: Troy 212, South Alabama 183
- Rushing yards: Troy 220, South Alabama 91
- First downs: Troy 28, South Alabama 20
- Third-down conversions: Troy 10 of 17, South Alabama 3 of 12
- Fourth-down conversions: Troy 1 of 1, South Alabama 1 of 3
- Total plays: Troy 81, South Alabama 72
- Time of possession: Troy 34:57, South Alabama 25:03
South Alabama’s 20 first downs were a sharp increase from the four it recorded in its previous game against Georgia Southern. Ten of the Jaguars’ 13 points came after Troy turnovers: Reed’s two interceptions and DeShazor’s fumble recovery.
Minter finished with 200 all-purpose yards, including 78 on kickoff returns, a team-high 86 rushing yards on 17 carries and a team-high six receptions for 36 yards. Baker ran four times for 15 yards and the touchdown and caught five passes for 42 yards. Davyn Flenord caught four passes for 33 yards, and Tolbert had two catches for 48 yards, including a 34-yard reception that was the Jaguars’ longest offensive play.
Johnson completed 20 of 38 passes for 183 yards and was sacked twice. Brooks punted twice for a 27-yard average, with his second kick landing inside the Troy 15.
Campbell, Minter React
“I’m very disappointed in the loss,” Campbell said to open his postgame news conference. “I thought the kids gave a good effort, but we obviously came up short in a game like this. We need to go back to work, keep improving and find a way to win a game like this; we had opportunities.”
Asked what he told the team in the locker room, Campbell said the Jaguars needed to make more plays.
“There are some calls I wish I could have made differently, and there are some things that we can definitely do better to put ourselves in a position to win,” Campbell said. “This game hurts and those players in the locker room are hurting. Let’s get back to work. No defeat is ever final and no victory is ever final.”
Minter was asked about the team’s inability to score on its short-yardage chances near the goal line.
“We probably could have run the ball outside a little bit more, but the coaches made good play calls,” Minter said. “We just need to execute them as players.”
Up Next: Appalachian State
South Alabama has extra time to prepare for its homecoming game against Sun Belt leader Appalachian State on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. The Mountaineers are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play, with wins over North Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette, and host Louisiana-Monroe for their own homecoming this Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C.
Kickoff against Appalachian State is set for 11 a.m. on ESPNU. Radio coverage is available locally on 99.5 FM The Jag and 96.1 FM and worldwide on the iHeartRadio app.
The Jaguars are still seeking their first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season.
