TROY, Ala. — South Alabama will try to end a five-game losing streak against Troy when the in-state rivals meet Thursday night in the Battle for the Belt at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally. South Alabama (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) is a 6.5-point underdog to Troy (6-2, 3-1 SBC).
Series History
Troy leads the all-time series 8-3, with its five straight wins accounting for the margin. South Alabama’s most recent victory was a 19-8 win in 2017, in Joey Jones’ final season as head coach, when current head coach Kane Wommack was the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator. Last year’s meeting was also low-scoring, a 10-6 Troy win.
The Jaguars are on a short week after a 33-20 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday in which they committed five turnovers and allowed five sacks. Earlier this season, South Alabama followed back-to-back losses to Central Michigan and James Madison with consecutive wins in which it averaged 55 points.
Bradley’s Status Uncertain
Quarterback Carter Bradley was hurt on the final offensive play against Louisiana-Lafayette, a two-point conversion attempt, when he was tackled from behind just after releasing the ball. Coaches said Monday that Bradley has had a lingering issue with his left knee for several weeks.
Asked whether he would play Thursday, Bradley said, “You’ll find out on Thursday.”
“I kind of tweaked it a little bit during the week of practice, I just landed on it weird, nothing crazy,” Bradley said.
Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite said Bradley’s rehabilitation is going well and that all of the quarterbacks would get practice repetitions.
“He moved around pretty good out at practice [Monday],” Applewhite said. “We’re going to rep all of them. Dez has played in that game before and we feel comfortable with him running the offense and Gio has gotten some reps throughout the year. He’s still young in his development but he’s come a long way and he’s doing great things as well.”
Desmond Trotter was South Alabama’s starter in 2020 and has filled in as a starter over the past two seasons. True freshman Gio Lopez has appeared in three games and is the only player other than Bradley with passing statistics this season.
Applewhite said quarterbacks must keep both hands on the ball when on the move. Bradley said he needs to do a better job of recognizing backside pressure.
South Alabama Offense
The Jaguars average 33.5 points (31st nationally), 454.3 total yards (20th), 285.5 passing yards (25th) and 168.8 rushing yards (50th) per game. They have converted 52 of 108 third downs and 9 of 16 fourth-down attempts. South Alabama has scored on 28 of 30 red-zone trips, 23 of them touchdowns, after its perfect red-zone streak ended against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Bradley has completed 167 of 254 passes (65.8 percent) for 2,156 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Lopez is 10 of 15 for 128 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 55 catches for 957 yards and six touchdowns and ranks second nationally in receiving yards, 24 yards behind LSU’s Malik Nabers. Jamaal Pritchett, coming off a career game against Louisiana-Lafayette, has 35 catches for 541 yards and three touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik, DJ Thomas-Jones, Kentrel Bullock and La’Damian Webb each have more than 100 receiving yards.
Webb leads the rushing attack with 674 yards on 119 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. His 13 rushing touchdowns tie the program’s single-season record and tie for the national lead. Bullock has 375 yards and three touchdowns, and Marco Lee Jr. has 186 yards and two scores.
South Alabama Defense and Special Teams
The Jaguars allow 21.13 points (tied for 38th nationally), 316.9 total yards (22nd), 191.5 passing yards (22nd) and 125.4 rushing yards (40th) per game. Opponents have converted 35.9 percent of third downs and have scored on 17 of 22 red-zone trips, 10 of them touchdowns. South Alabama is minus-2 in turnover margin.
James Miller leads the team with 51 tackles. Quentin Wilfawn, coming off a career game, has 50 tackles and a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss, and Trey Kiser has 46 tackles and six tackles for loss. Brock Higdon leads with three sacks, and Jaden Voisin has two interceptions.
Kicker Diego Guajardo has made 9 of 12 field goals and 30 of 32 extra points. Punter Jack Martin averages 39.41 yards on 22 punts.
The Jaguars average 7.1 penalties for 62.6 yards per game, compared with 5.9 penalties for 50.9 yards by their opponents.
Troy Offense
Troy averages 27.13 points, 441.8 total yards, 275.9 passing yards and 165.9 rushing yards per game. The Trojans have scored on 29 of 30 red-zone trips, 15 of them touchdowns, and are plus-2 in turnover margin.
Quarterback Gunnar Watson has completed 149 of 247 passes (60.3 percent) for 2,158 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. Jabre Barber leads the receivers with 39 catches for 615 yards, followed by Chris Lewis (18 catches, 415 yards, four touchdowns), Deshon Stoudemire (27 catches, 381 yards) and Devonte Ross (22 catches, 243 yards).
Running back Kimani Vidal has 994 rushing yards on 172 carries with six touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Kamien Taylor has 247 yards.
Troy Defense and Special Teams
Troy’s defense allows 16.88 points per game (17th nationally), 301 total yards (14th), 193.9 passing yards (28th) and 107.1 rushing yards (20th). Opponents have converted 31.8 percent of third downs.
Jayden McDonald leads the Trojans with 52 tackles and seven tackles for loss, and Dell Pettus has 43 tackles. Javon Solomon has six sacks and seven tackles for loss, and Richard Jibunor has 4.5 sacks.
Kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe has made 16 of 19 field goals, with all three misses from 40 yards or longer. Punter Robert Cole averages 39.71 yards.
