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It was a long Tuesday night for the Troy Trojans (1-6, 0-3) as they were handed a lopsided defeat to rival South Alabama Jaguars (3-4, 2-1) by a score of 25-9 in the Battle for the Belt.

The Trojan offense was stagnant all night in the nationally televised Sun Belt Conference game, while the Troy defense gave up a number of big plays. The loss snapped a 6-game winning streak the Trojans held in the Battle for the Belt.

Both defenses dominated the first quarter with South’s 36-yard field goal being the only points scored in the period. In the second quarter, things began to unravel for Troy. First Tucker Kilcrease – earning his second start of the season – threw an interception inside the Troy 25-yard line. South’s Gio Lopez then heaved a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Webb with 9:10 left in the first half to extend the Jag lead to 10-0.

On Troy’s next drive, a snap went through Kilcrease’s hands on third-and-long and rolled through the end zone for a safety. South’s lead was extended to 12-0 with 7:40 left in the half. The Jaguars drove into Troy territory on the next drive but the Trojans were able to force a fourth-and-two. Lopez took a simple quarterback dive and raced 49 yards for another Jaguar score. The lead was extended to 19-3 with 4:34 left in the half.

Matt Caldwell entered the game at quarterback after the safety and managed to lead the Trojans down the field, picking up the first first downs of the game for Troy. Scott Taylor Renfroe booted a 36-yard field goal to cut the lead to 19-3 at halftime.

Up until the final drive of the half, Troy had tallied just 10 total yards and zero first downs. The Trojans ended the half with 61 total yards.

South extended its lead to 22-3 with 8:34 left in the third quarter on a 42-yard field goal. South Alabama added a 42-yard field goal as the third quarter came to an end, taking a 25-3 lead into the fourth quarter. A Caldwell interception set up last scoring drive.

Troy finally found the end zone when Caldwell threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Devonte Ross with just 2:35 left. The PAT failed and South’s lead remained 25-9.

Troy mustered just 172 total yards – a season low – in the loss, while South Alabama amassed 318 yards. Troy also earned a season low 36 rushing yards. Troy also turned the ball over three times and gave up a safety.

Troy’s defense gave up some big plays in the loss, which were backbreaking for the Trojans, but played relatively well for much of the game. The Trojan defense recorded a season-high 14 tackles-for-loss and three sacks, but were unable to force any turnovers.

Caldwell completed 17-of-30 passes for 144 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while Devonte Ross caught seven passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Stringer led the Troy defense with 11 tackles and two tackles-for-loss, while Brendan Jackson tallied 10 tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss.

Lopez completed 16-of-21 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown for South Alabama. He also rushed for 67 yards and a score on 11 carries.

Troy is back on the road next Saturday, Oct. 26, at Arkansas State for another Sun Belt game.