South Alabama reclaimed the Battle for the Belt on Saturday, beating Troy 27-14 in front of a cheering Mobile crowd. The win ends a three‑game losing streak for the Jags and improves their record to 5‑5, keeping them in contention for a bowl invitation.
Running back Trae’von Dunbar delivered a career‑high performance, rushing for 153 yards on 14 carries and scoring two touchdowns. He broke free for a 46‑yard touchdown run early in the first quarter and added a 44‑yard score on the final drive of that quarter. Dunbar said the victory was personal, noting, “Tonight’s game came from my Aunt May passing away. I did that really for her and my other family members. It felt good to help my team.”
South Alabama’s defense set the tone early, forcing a three‑and‑out on Troy’s opening drive and stopping the Trojans on fourth down during their second possession. Troy quarterback Goose Crowder managed a 45‑yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but the Jags shut out Troy in the first and third quarters.
In his second start of the season, Troy quarterback Bishop Davenport threw for 122 yards and ran for a 28‑yard touchdown in the third quarter, marking his first win since the season opener. Davenport reflected, “It feels great and like you said I haven’t played in a while, haven’t gotten a win in a while so it’s a blessing man. I’ve been through a lot this season so for me to get a chance to play last week and this week it’s been a blessing, every game is a blessing to me.”
South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite praised the team’s preparation, saying, “Talking to T.O. throughout the week I was excited because I was like what do you think about the gameplan… it was like oh so we’re going to be aggressive.” Safety Camen Upshaw added, “It was a good one. We needed that one bad. We started off the year so good; we went through a rocky part but it’s big to win a rivalry game in that fashion. This is how we should be playing, this is how we can play, this is how we’re capable of playing so if we can keep that up sky’s the limit.”
The Jags will travel to Southern Miss next week, aiming to secure the wins needed for bowl eligibility.
Sources: fox10tv.com
