Stage is Set for “Battle for the Belt”; Troy-South Alabama Square Off on “Blackout” Saturday

TROY, Alabama – Although in its infancy, the series between Troy and South Alabama has provided some unforgettable moments and drama. The rivalry is poised to move to a new level this year as the Trojans and Jaguars will lock into a "Battle for the Belt" Saturday night in Veterans Memorial Stadium; kickoff is scheduled for 6:04 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.

A notch in the victory column is still the most important prize on the line for both teams, but an added reward will be a championship belt presented to the winning team. Additionally, the game has been dubbed an official Blackout and the Trojans will debut their new black uniforms and chrome helmets.

"Big game this week, it's rivalry week," Troy head coach Neal Brown said. "It's a game that obviously we've had circled, I'm sure South has had circled too. Not only is it an in-state game, but our first conference game. Our guys are excited about it and being back at home starting Sun Belt play."

The Troy Sports Radio Network will have full coverage of the game beginning with the pregame show at 4 p.m. on the full 16-station network. The pregame show will originate live from the Alumni House and fans can engage on social media using the hashtag #RebuildTheWall.

Fans are encouraged to come to Tailgate Terrace (plaza located at the South end of the stadium) for Trojan Walk, which will begin at 3:45 p.m. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. and the first 10,000 fans will receive a free Blackout T-shirt compliments of Troy Athletics and Guardian Credit Union.

New to Veterans Memorial Stadium for this weekend's game will be additional concessions stands with credit card capabilities, increased signage around the stadium, the ability for Troy students to use their flex dollars to purchase concessions and a pregame DJ for the student section.

Troy has won two of the first three meetings in the series, including the only game in Troy. The Trojans have won five straight and 20 of their last 21 home games against in-state teams.

Both teams have played difficult non-conference slates as Troy (1-2) played games at Wisconsin and NC State, while South Alabama (2-2) traveled to Nebraska and San Diego State in addition to hosting NC State.

Just four weeks into a season, it is rare for teams to share a common opponent, but Brown isn't putting much stock in comparing Troy's 49-21 loss at NC State to South Alabama's 63-13 home loss to the Wolfpack.

"We played them first and there are so many different things going into the first game on both sides," Brown said. "Quite honestly, NC State is just better, I said that after our game and Coach Jones said that after their game, they're better. It's a game that you both look at the video and understand what NC State has. I think in football it's really hard to compare scores."

The Trojans head into the Sun Belt opener for both schools the fresher of the two squads following an off week. Troy practiced three times during its break and used the practice time to focus on fundamentals and heal some bodies.

"Our bye week came at a good time, coming off a tough early schedule playing Wisconsin and North Carolina State," Brown said. "Our guys needed a break. We really focused on ourselves, correcting errors we made in the first three games, focusing on the fundamentals. You don't really get a whole lot of time during game week to focus on those fundamentals because you're in game planning, but we did that last week."

Offensively, the Trojans will look for production out of senior running back Brandon Burks, who is averaging 5.0 yards per carry through the young part of the season. In the passing game, sophomore quarterback Brandon Silvers has picked up right where he left off last season. He enters the game having completed 69.6 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Silvers has his choice of weapons to target as receivers Teddy Ruben, John Johnson, Jarvis Bentley and Ismail Saleem have all come up with big catches this season. A big piece to the offensive puzzle, senior receiver Bryan Holmes, should be back in the lineup Saturday after missing the last two games due to an injury suffered on a touchdown catch at NC State. Holmes caught four passes for 84 yards in the season opener.

Improvement is obvious on the defensive side of the football under new coordinator Vic Koenning. The Trojans are allowing 45.7 fewer yards and 5.2 fewer points per game than a season ago.

Part of the key to the Trojans' early success has been pressure on the quarterback. Troy has registered 6.0 sacks and 18 tackles for loss through three games, the Trojans had 17 sacks and 52 tackles for loss all of last season. Additionally, Troy already has nine quarterback hurries to its credit this year compared to eight all of last season.

Defensive ends Tyler Roberts and Rashad Dillard have been responsible for most of the damage as the duo both have 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss on the year. Linebacker William Lloyd leads the Trojans with 24 tackles and safety Montres Kitchens is close behind with 19 stops.

South Alabama comes into the game averaging 377.2 yards per game, but has struggled to translate those yards into points as the Jags are averaging 22.2 points per game. UAB transfer Cody Clements runs the South Alabama offense and is averaging 231.5 yards per game through the air, while Xavier Johnson is averaging 80.0 yards per game on the ground.

Defensively, South Alabama is allowing 40.2 points and 440.2 yards per game through its first four contests. Cornerback Jeremy Reaves leads the unit with 35 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss, while safety Roman Buchanan has 33 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss; the Jags have 3.0 sacks and 23.0 tackles for loss on the year.

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Players Mentioned

Jarvis Bentley

Brandon Burks

Rashad Dillard

Bryan Holmes

John Johnson

Montres Kitchens

William Lloyd

Tyler Roberts

Teddy Ruben

Ismail Saleem

Brandon Silvers