The Battle for the Belt is an American college football rivalry game between two public universities in the U.S. state of Alabama, University of South Alabama Jaguars and the Troy University Trojans.[2][3][4] Troy leads the all-time series at 9–4.[5]
| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | September 29, 2012 Troy 31, South Alabama 10 |
| Latest meeting | October 15, 2024 South Alabama 25, Troy 9 |
| Next meeting | 2025 |
| Trophy | The Belt[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 13 |
| All-time series | Troy leads, 9–4 |
| Trophy series | Troy leads, 7–3 |
| Largest victory | Troy, 29–0 (2020) |
| Longest win streak | Troy, 6 (2018–2023) |
| Current win streak | South Alabama, 1 (2024–present) |
History
editThe South Alabama Jaguars were co-founding members of the Sun Belt Conference in 1976. Troy joined the conference in 2004 as a football-only member. In 2005, the Trojans transitioned the rest of their sports to the Sun Belt, and South Alabama and Troy began facing each other in sports other than football, since at that time, South Alabama did not have a football team.
On December 6, 2007, South Alabama's Board of Trustees approved the addition of football to the intercollegiate athletics program. The team began play in 2009 with a planned full transition to the FBS (Division I-A) by 2013.[6]
In 2012, South Alabama's football team officially joined the school's other sports in the Sun Belt Conference and started to face the conference members in a full conference schedule.
In 2015, the Student Government Associations of each school came together to officially dub the rivalry the "Battle for the Belt," with a wrestling-style belt going to the winner of the rivalry annually. According to then South Alabama Student Government Association President Ravi Rajendra, "The introduction of the trophy to the rivalry will offer a new way for Jag Nation to connect with our football program. The concept behind the Belt stemmed from our student body and was accompanied by insight from our football team; the football team really liked the concept of a wrestling belt, and the Belt also plays off of the Sun Belt Conference of which both Troy and USA are members."[7]
In 2017, the Sun Belt Conference announced to split its football member schools to two divisions starting for the 2018 season.[8][9][10] Despite the close proximity of South Alabama and Troy, the conference separated the two, Troy in the East division and South Alabama in the West. In two separate divisions this could alter the annual series between schools. A year before the 2018 football season, the conference athletic directors at that time voted in favor of having South Alabama and Troy to play every season despite not being in the same division. This rivalry became the only protected cross-divisional series in the conference until in 2022, Troy was moved to the West Division to accommodate the addition of new members Southern Miss, James Madison, Old Dominion, and Marshall. With this move, South Alabama and Troy is now an intra-divisional matchup.[11]
Game results
edit| South Alabama victories | Troy victories | Tie games |
| No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 29, 2012 | Mobile | Troy | 31–10 | ||||
| 2 | October 5, 2013 | Troy | Troy | 34–33 | ||||
| 3 | October 24, 2014 | Mobile | South Alabama | 27–13 | ||||
| 4 | October 3, 2015 | Troy | South Alabama | 24–18 | ||||
| 5 | October 20, 2016 | Mobile | Troy | 28–21 | ||||
| 6 | October 11, 2017 | Troy | South Alabama | 19–8 | ||||
| 7 | October 23, 2018 | Mobile | Troy | 38–17 | ||||
| 8 | October 16, 2019 | Troy | Troy | 37–13 | ||||
| 9 | December 5, 2020 | Mobile | Troy | 29–0 | ||||
| 10 | November 6, 2021 | Troy | Troy | 31–24 | ||||
| 11 | October 20, 2022 | Mobile | Troy | 10–6 | ||||
| 12 | November 2, 2023 | Troy | Troy | 28–10 | ||||
| 13 | October 15, 2024 | Mobile | South Alabama | 25–9 | ||||
| Series: Troy leads 9–4 | ||||||||
Game 1 (2012)
editThe South Alabama – Troy football rivalry officially began on a rain-soaked[12] Saturday, September 29, 2012, at historic Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, where Troy defeated the Jaguars 31–10.[13]
Game 2 (2013)
editThe second meeting between the teams was a thriller.[14] In a game where South Alabama dominated the stats, the Jags suffered a one-point loss in a battle that featured two lead changes in the final minutes, including a game-winning Troy touchdown with 7 seconds left on the clock.
Game 3 (2014)
editThe Jaguars claimed their first victory in the series with a convincing 27–13 win,[15] and the rivalry was truly born.
Game 4 (2015)
editThe 4th game of the series took place in Troy. Troy had a bye week the week before giving them 2 weeks to build the hype. Troy had a huge pep rally with a bonfire on campus (in which Jaguar merchandise was burned) the Thursday night before the game. A car spray painted red, white, and blue (South Alabama's colors) was on campus and hammers were used to smash the car. This game was a "Blackout" game. All fans were encouraged to wear black. The first 10,000 fans into the stadium were given a free black T-shirt. A DJ was provided for the game for the students. South Alabama rolled to a 24–18 victory.[16]
Game 5 (2016)
editThe 5th game of the series took place in Mobile. South Alabama jumped out to an early lead and had a 21–13 lead going into the 4th quarter. This lead would not hold however as Troy would score twice in the 4th quarter and win 28–21. The game winning touchdown was scored with 1:20 left in the game and Troy successfully ended their two-game losing streak to South Alabama. [17]
Game 6 (2017)
editIn the 6th game of the series the location was once again Troy. South Alabama came in and faced a Troy team that had recently upset LSU in Baton Rouge so Troy was the favorite to win the game. However, South Alabama pulled off an upset of their own by forcing four turnovers and defeating Troy 19–8. Troy missed two field goals and barely avoided the first shutout in the series by scoring a touchdown and two point conversion with 6:16 left in the game.[18]
Game 7 (2018)
editThe 7th game of the series saw Troy come to Mobile trying to avenge their shocking loss to South Alabama a year prior. Troy led 31–17 at the end of the first half due to big plays by their offense. Neither team was able to score any points in the second half until a South Alabama interception set up Troy's offense at the South Alabama 11 yard line. Troy would have a total of six plays of 30 yards or more and force 4 turnovers as they went on to win 38–17.[19]
Game 8 (2019)
editThe 8th game in the series took place once again in Troy with Troy trying to be the first team to retain the belt for more than one year. South Alabama stayed with Troy through the first half and were only down 16–10 at half. Troy was able to pull away in the second half despite committing three turnovers throughout the game by holding South Alabama without a touchdown and forcing a pick six. Troy would go on to win 37–13, become the first team to hold the belt for two consecutive years, and the first team to win the belt at home.[20]
Game 9 (2020)
editIn the first game of the series to take place in South Alabama's new Hancock Whitney stadium, Troy shut out the Jaguars 29–0. Troy jumped out to a 27–0 halftime lead and held South Alabama without a trip to the red zone. A blocked South Alabama punt for a safety were the only points scored in the second half as Troy cruised to an easy victory and retained the Belt for the third straight year.[21] This was also the last game coached by then South Alabama head coach Steve Campbell, as he was fired the next day.[22]
Game 10 (2021)
editThe series returned to Troy in a game that saw both teams play the majority of the game with their backup quarterbacks. South Alabama got an early 7–0 lead but lost their starting quarterback on the opening possession to injury. Troy would then score 31 unanswered points before South Alabama scored just before halftime to make it 31–14 at the break. Troy lost their starting quarterback in the 2nd quarter and struggled to generate offense in the second half. South Alabama would attempt to make a comeback by holding Troy scoreless for the remainder of the game but would come up just short and lose 31–24 to give Troy their 4th consecutive victory in the series.[23]
Game 11 (2022)
editThe game with the highest stakes in the rivalry so far also was the most defensive. With the lead in the West Division on the line both defenses came to play in Mobile. Troy scored the lone touchdown of the game in the 2nd quarter and South Alabama added a field goal as the quarter ended to make the score 7–3 at halftime. Both sides would score a field goal in the 2nd half as South Alabama held Troy to just 1 third down conversion in the entire game but Troy limited the Jaguars to just one red zone trip. With this strong defense Troy got the 10–6 win, their fifth consecutive in the series.[24]
Game 12 (2023)
editThe teams met in Troy on two very different trajectories. Troy were 6–2 and in firm control of the Sun Belt West. Meanwhile, South Alabama entered the game 4–4 and looking to make a late-season push for bowl eligibility. South Alabama would get on the board first, scoring a short-yardage rushing touchdown early in the 1st quarter. However, Troy would respond with two passing touchdowns in the 2nd quarter to take a 14–7 lead into the half. After a scoreless 3rd quarter, South Alabama hit a 29-yard field goal early in the 4th quarter to cut the deficit to four. Troy, however, would take over offensively once more, scoring two more touchdowns late in the quarter to secure a 28–10 win and their sixth consecutive win of the series.[25]
Game 13 (2024)
editSouth Alabama came into this matchup looking to finally end their 6-game losing streak to Troy. The 1st quarter of the game was all defense, with South holding a 3-0 lead at the end of it. However, the Jaguars would take over in the 2nd quarter by scoring a passing touchdown, their first touchdown against Troy in Hancock Whitney Stadium, a safety, and a rushing touchdown. Troy would add a late field goal to make the score 19-3 at halftime. South Alabama only scored two field goals in the 2nd half but forced 3 turnovers throughout the game and held Troy without a touchdown until late in the 4th quarter. The Jaguars would win 25-9, their first win in the series since 2017, their 2nd ever win over Troy in Mobile, and their 1st win over Troy in Hancock Whitney Stadium.[26]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "LOOK: Troy and South Alabama will play for a championship belt". CBSSports.com. September 29, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "South Alabama's 2018 football schedule includes Tuesday night battle with Troy". AL.com. February 28, 2018.
"The Jaguars host Troy in the annual rivalry game on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The "Battle for the Belt" will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
- ^ "Intensity rising for 'Battle for the Belt' rivalry between South Alabama, Troy". AL.com. September 30, 2015.
As the annual game between the state's two Sun Belt programs builds into more of a rivalry, the student government associations of the two schools got together and created a trophy of sorts for the game -- a belt reminiscent of those won by boxers or wrestlers in prize fights. Its oversized buckle proclaims the bearer the "Battle for the Belt Champion.
- ^ "South Alabama and Troy Create Awesome New Trophy for "Battle for the Belt" Rivalry". Athlon Sports. September 29, 2015.
The South Alabama-Troy rivalry is officially the "Battle for the Belt," and the winner of the annual meeting will take home a championship belt, similar to the ones in boxing or wrestling.
- ^ "South Alabama Game by Game against Opponents". cfbdatawarehouse.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
- ^ "BOARD OF TRUSTEES VOTES TO ADD NCAA FOOTBALL - University of South Alabama". University of South Alabama. December 6, 2007.
- ^ "Troy & South Alabama to "Battle For the Belt" Saturday - Troy University". Troy University.
- ^ AP (May 23, 2017). "Sun Belt announces divisions starting in 2018 football season". ESPN. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Tom Fornelli (May 23, 2017). "Sun Belt announces football divisions for 2018, new collaborative replay system". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Creg Stephenson (May 23, 2017). "Sun Belt football will split into divisions with addition of championship game in 2018". AL.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (March 1, 2022). "Troy football schedule includes move to Sun Belt West". al.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
- ^ "Rainy day for South Alabama-Troy in Mobile". September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Troy holds South Alabama to 51 second-half yards in 31–10 win". September 30, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Amazing finish: Troy comeback tops South Alabama's comeback in 34–33 win". October 6, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ "Live updates: FINAL SCORE: South Alabama Jaguars 27, Troy Trojans 13". October 25, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
- ^ Herndon, Mike (October 3, 2015). "South Alabama rides defense to win over Troy in Battle for the Belt". Press-Register. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
- ^ "Troy sores in final 1:20, beats South Alabama 28-21" Pensacola News Journal
- ^ "South Alabama shocks Troy 19-8 in 'Battle for the Belt'" AL.com
- ^ "Troy routs South Alabama 38-17 in 'Battle for the Belt'" AL.com
- ^ "Troy Pulls Away for 37-13 Victory over South Alabama in 'Battle for the Belt'" AL.com
- ^ "South Alabama's season ends with 29-0 loss to Troy in 'Battle for the Belt'" AL.com
- ^ "Steve Campbell out after 3 seasons at South Alabama" AL.com
- ^ "Troy claims 4th straight 'Battle for the Belt' over South Alabama, 31-24" AL.com
- ^ "Troy grinds out 10-6 victory over South Alabama, wins 5th straight 'Battle for the Belt'" AL.com
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (November 3, 2023). "Troy pulls away late for 28-10 win over South Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ Stephenson, Creg (October 15, 2024). "South Alabama brings "Belt" back to Mobile with 25-9 victory over Troy". AL.com. Retrieved October 16, 2024.