Order Restored – Troy Downs South Alabama in OT in “The Battle for the Belt”

TROY, Ala. – Tucker Kilcrease turned in probably the most full performances of his profession, and Troy walked away with the Belt but once more. The junior quarterback threw for 203 yards, rushed for 102 and accounted for 3 touchdowns as Troy outlasted in-state rival South Alabama, 31-24, in extra time Saturday evening earlier than 28,035 followers at The Vet.

The victory marked Troy’s (3-2, 1-0 SBC) seventh within the final eight conferences in opposition to the Jaguars and its first extra time win since 2013. It additionally got here in entrance of one of many largest dwelling crowds in program historical past – the seventh-highest attendance ever at The Vet and the second-largest for a Sun Belt sport.

Kilcrease set the tone early, main an 82-yard opening drive capped by his personal 34-yard landing run – the longest rush of his profession. After South Alabama (1-5, 0-2) pulled even later within the first quarter, Kilcrease struck once more late within the first half, connecting with RaRa Thomas for a 25-yard landing to provide Troy a 14-7 lead on the break.

The Jaguars grabbed transient momentum within the third quarter, taking a 17-14 lead on a 56-yard keeper by quarterback Bishop Davenport. Kilcrease rapidly answered, engineering a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard landing move to DJ Epps – the primary rating of Epps’ profession. Epps completed with profession highs in receptions (5) and yards (59).

Scott Taylor Renfroe’s 28-yard area purpose within the fourth quarter pushed Troy forward 24-17, however South Alabama tied it within the closing two minutes to drive extra time. In the additional interval, Troy’s offensive line paved the way in which for working again Tae Meadows, who powered in from 3 yards out to seal the win and ship the house crowd right into a frenzy.

Kilcrease grew to become solely the second Troy quarterback since 1995 to throw for greater than 200 yards and rush for greater than 100 in a single sport, becoming a member of Deon Anthony, who did so in 2012. His efficiency helped Troy submit its second 200-yard speeding effort of the season, bettering the Trojans to 53-2 since becoming a member of the Sun Belt in 2004 when hitting that benchmark.

Meadows added 79 yards on 17 carries, whereas Tray Taylor’s 48-yard seize – Troy’s longest of the season – arrange Epps’ landing within the third. The Trojans completed with 420 whole yards, together with 217 on the bottom, and didn’t enable a sack per week after giving up seven.

Defensively, Troy once more relied on its bodily entrance. Spear Devin Lafayette recorded a career-high 19 tackles, essentially the most by a Trojan not named Carlton Martial since 2011, whereas Donnie Smith, Jaquez White, D.J. Jackson Jr. and Jamel Fils-Aime every registered sacks.

The Trojans restricted South Alabama to simply 104 passing yards and compelled 4 three-and-outs, together with three straight within the second quarter.

With the win, Troy improved to 10-4 all-time in opposition to South Alabama and 102-60 general in Sun Belt Conference play – essentially the most league victories in convention historical past.

Up Next
Troy travels to San Marcos, Texas, for a closing matchup with Texas State earlier than the Bobcats depart the Sun Belt Conference for the Pac-12. Kickoff is ready for 7 p.m.

Quotable – Troy Head Coach Gerad Parker
“Looking again finally 12 months, I needed us to open up these wounds and research this sport. We needed to see why issues occurred within the sport final 12 months and notice what it was going to take for us to win the sport. I feel it’s important to speak about these wounds with a purpose to construct them again up.

“Tonight, in extra time, when the most effective was required, our protection gave their greatest and had an enormous fourth-down cease. They bought an enormous tackle-for-loss early in that sequence, which created the third-and-long. I could not be happier for these guys.

Notable
• Troy improved to 10-4 all-time in opposition to South Alabama and 5-2 all-time at dwelling in opposition to South Alabama.

• Troy has received 4 of its final 5 Sun Belt Conference video games relationship again to final season.

• Tonight’s attendance was 28,035. This marked the seventh-highest attended sport in program historical past, and the second-highest attended Sun Belt Conference sport behind South Alabama in 2023.

• Tonight marked Troy’s first extra time sport since Oct. 31, 2015, in opposition to Appalachian State. Troy misplaced that sport in triple extra time.

• Troy improves to 2-6 all-time in extra time video games; the Trojans’ final extra time victory got here on Aug. 31, 2013, in opposition to UAB (34-31).

• Tucker Kilcrease’s first-quarter 34-yard speeding landing was the longest rush of his profession. It marked the second consecutive sport Kilcrease has scored a speeding landing, following a 6-yard rating in opposition to Buffalo on Sept. 20.

• Tucker Kilcrease rushed for 102 yards on 19 carries; he’s the primary Troy quarterback to hurry for greater than 100 yards since Kaleb Barker rushed for 111 yards on 5 carries in opposition to Georgia State in 2018.

• Tucker Kilcrease grew to become simply the second Troy quarterback since 1995 to move for greater than 200 yards and throw for greater than 100 yards in a sport. He joins Deon Anthony (245 passing yards, 115 speeding yards), who did so in opposition to FIU on Oct. 20, 2012.

• Troy rushed for 217 yards as a crew within the sport, the Trojans’ second 200-yard speeding sport this season. The Trojans improved to 53-2 since 2004 (joined the Sun Belt) when speeding for 200 or extra yards.

• Troy had two speeding touchdowns and two passing touchdowns within the victory; the Trojans have had a speeding and passing landing in every of their final six victories.

• Troy didn’t enable a sack within the sport after permitting seven within the victory at Buffalo; it marked the primary time this season that the Trojans haven’t allowed a sack.

• Troy has received six of its final seven video games when speeding for greater than 100 yards.

• Troy has now scored 30-plus factors in six of its 10 all-time victories over South Alabama.

• Jaquez White’s sack to finish South Alabama’s drive with 2:52 remaining within the first half was the primary sack of his highschool or collegiate profession.

• Devin Lafayette completed the sport with a career-high 19 tackles. It’s tied for the fourth most tackles by a Trojan since 1995 and essentially the most by a Trojan not named Carlton Martial since Brynden Trawick’s 20 tackles in opposition to Western Kentucky in 2011. Martial (the NCAA’s all-time main tackler) had three 19-plus-tackle video games, with one every in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

• Troy pressured South Alabama into 4 three-and-outs, together with three straight within the second quarter, one week after forcing Buffalo into six three-and-outs.

• Troy held South Alabama to 104 passing yards within the sport, the fewest by a crew aside from Army since Marshall had 78 yards on Sept. 9, 2022.

• Troy completed with 4 sacks within the sport, its twenty ninth sport because the begin of the 2022 season with a number of sacks and the fifteenth time with 4 or extra sacks.

• Troy held South Alabama to 369 yards of whole offense; the Trojans have held 33 of their final 40 opponents to lower than 400 yards of offense.

• Peyton Higgins returned 4 punts for a complete of 65 yards, together with a career-long 32-yard return.

• Evan Crenshaw continued his spectacular season as all three of his punts had been downed contained in the 20-yard line — the 3-yard line, the 14-yard line and the 18-yard line. He booted a 58-yarder, his twelfth punt of 50-plus yards this season.