Troy Throttles South Alabama to Retain the “Battle for the Belt”

Wednesday, October 16

Troy, Ala.

7 p.m.

Troy University

3-3 , 1-1

South Alabama

1-6 , 0-3

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Alabama

Troy

Troy Throttles South Alabama to Retain the “Battle for the Belt”

10/17/2019 12:36:00 AM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Notes (PDF)Chip Lindsey Quotes South Alabama Quotes Players Press Conference Chip Lindsey Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2 Photo Gallery 3

By: Troy Athletics Communications

TROY, Ala. – Troy forced three turnovers and dominated the second half in a 37-13 victory over rival South Alabama in the annual Drive Safe Alabama "Battle for the Belt" Wednesday night at The Vet.

The Trojans (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) held the Jaguars (1-6, 0-3) to just three points and 161 yards in the second half as Troy outscored South Alabama 21-3 after the break. The Trojans have allowed just 22 second half points over their last four games – 5.5 points per game.

Kaylon Geiger caught a pair of touchdown passes in the game with his second extending a 6-point Troy halftime lead out to 23-10 midway through the third quarter. Geiger finished with four catches for 29 yards and his first career multi-touchdown game through the air.

Troy's defense was the story from the start with a pair of goal line stands in the opening half. The Trojans stuffed two straight South Alabama rushes from the 1-yard line and the Jags settled for a field goal. In the second quarter, Troy stopped South Alabama twice from the 3-yard line and twice from the 1-yard line to keep the Jags out of the end zone.

Will Sunderland put the final stamp on the game for Troy with a 29-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter. It was Troy's first defensive touchdown of the season and was Sunderland's second pick of the game.

South Alabama sustained only one scoring drive of more than 22 yards in the game with its other 10 points coming on short fields thanks to Troy turnovers.

Carlton Martial forced his fifth career fumble and finished with 10 tackles along with fellow linebacker Justin Whisenhunt.

Kaleb Barker completed 20-of-30 passes for 194 yards and a pair of touchdowns and DK Billingsley added his third 100-yard rushing game of the season with 100 yards on 20 carries.

Tra Minter led the Jags on offense with 86 yards on 17 carries while Cephus Johnson completed 20-of-38 passes for 183 yards.

Quotable – Troy Head Coach Chip Lindsey
This was a good win for us. It was good to keep the belt here in Troy which I know was a point of emphasis this week. Sometimes in these rivalry games you never know what kind of performance you're going to get from your team, so I'm really proud of our team. Tonight, was a total team effort, and I'm extremely proud of the defense as they were the key to the game.

Sound Smart with Your Friends
Troy is 15-3 in its last 18 Sun Belt Conference games, 17-5 in its last 22 home games and 20-6 in its last 26 games overall. The Trojans have won 76 Sun Belt Conference games since joining the league in 2004, which is the most in the conference.

Notable
• Troy rushed for 220 yards in the game for its third 200-yard rushing game this season; the Trojans are 3-0 when rushing for 200-plus yards in a game.
• Troy did not allow a sack for the second straight season against South Alabama.
• Carlton Martial forced his fifth career fumble in the game; his 0.28 forced fumbles per game rank second among active players nationally.
• After allowing just three points in the second half against South Alabama, Troy's defense has allowed just 20 points in the second half over its last four games -- an average of five points per game (Troy's offense allowed a second half safety as well).

Up Next
Troy hits the road to take on Georgia State on Saturday, Oct. 26, in Atlanta. The Trojans lead the all-time series with the Panthers 5-1.