Battle for the Belt 101: The Football Rivalry
This Saturday is the fifth “Battle for the Belt” so here at The Trojan Wall we’re doing Five Stories in Five Days. Our second installment looks at how the football series developed into the rivalry it is today.
College football has some of the greatest, most bizarrely-designed sports trophies in the world, and the strangest come from rivalry games. Notre Dame and USC play for a Jeweled Shillelagh, a bedazzled billy club.
Teams play for a Milk Can, Paul Bunyan’s Axe, Paul Bunyan himself, a Keg of Nails and $5 Bits of Broken Chair. At the FBS level there are eleven cups, eight bells, three cannons and two cans.
Despite this, the Troy-South Belt is one of the most distinctive trophies in college football. It’s also the youngest now that Florida Tech’s program went under.
Though the Troy-South Alabama rivalry itself is not necessarily a young one, the programs’ standing in the FBS is. What’s more, the Belt was not introduced until the teams’ third matchup.
The Catch
The first Troy-South Alabama game was a forgettable rout in the Mobile rain. The Trojans won 31-10, and neither team hit .500 that year.
Troy chose the Jags to be its Homecoming opponent in 2013. The game itself started on a similar track as the previous year—Troy led 24-7 early in the third quarter.
The Jags outscored Troy 18-3, coming within two points with less than three minutes left in the game. South drove 99 yards down the field, taking the lead with 48 seconds left in the game.
Troy took the next drive 66 yards. Eric Thomas made an incredible catch to take back the lead with seven seconds left in the game.
That play was the moment Troy and South officially became rivals. Relive it below.
Alone Together
In a way, the Belt story began when UAB football died. Troy’s previous football rivals (Jacksonville State and Middle Tennessee) either left Troy behind or got stuck at a lower level.
Losing UAB was strike three. Troy was alone in the Sun Belt.
Fortunately, so was South Alabama. The Jaguars had long held Louisiana as their equals on the diamond, a fierce foe they consistently battled for the top of the conference, but the Cajuns are surrounded by competition in their own state.
And despite what Wikipedia tries to tell you, Georgia State is not South’s rival.
Two in-state conference opponents with history mean a rivalry was inevitable. The trophy itself is a product of that momentum, or lack thereof, depending on who you ask.
Lighting A Spark
Troy’s 2014 season was a letdown in nearly every category—attendance, wins, student excitement. The Trojans also lost in Ladd-Peebles Stadium for just the second time ever.
On the other side, South Alabama took down Troy on its way to a 6-6 record and a spot in the brand-new Camellia Bowl. Larry Blakeney’s time ran out at Troy as Joey Jones took the Jags to new heights.
The two Student Government Associations met with different agendas—one attempting to reignite a disinterested student body, the other capitalizing on increasing success. South and Troy workshopped name ideas and trophy designs until they agreed on one.
The Battle for the Belt was born.
Moving Forward
South won the Belt right off the shelf, kicking off a winning streak for the visiting team until Chip Lindsey took over at Troy. From 2013-2017, no game was decided by more than 14 points.
The series slipped deeper into Troy’s favor since Steve Campbell, a Troy State alum, took over the Jags. If anything, his tenure adds to the deep history of the rivalry.
Unlike the UAB or Middle Tennessee rivalry, The Battle for the Belt is less likely to disappear any time soon. South Alabama and Troy are perfectly suited for their place in the strengthening Sun Belt, and pending conference realignment, for each other.
The Battle for the Belt is young, but it’s already etching its place in college football tradition.
Be sure to check out our other #SouthHateWeek stories!
Before the Belt: the Rivalry Across the Years
Mel Lucas: The First Link
The Battle for the Belt Uniform History
Troy Football in Mobile
Reuniting Champions