South Alabama has 19 fifth- and sixth-year seniors on its 2023 roster, but none of them has ever been a part of a victory over Troy.

The Jaguars (4-4, 2-2 Sun Belt Conference) try for their first victory over the Trojans (6-2, 3-1) since 2017 in Thursday night’s “Battle for the Belt” at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy. Defensive lineman Charles Coleman is one of a handful of South Alabama players who have seen in action in four games vs. Troy, and he’s frankly ready to come out on the winning side in his last chance.

“I’d really like for it to happen,” Coleman said. “We’ve just got to play better, be better. It’s all about us — whether you’re going to handle it or fold under the pressure. We just have to take advantage of the moment.”

South Alabama has had a few milestone victories in Kane Wommack’s three years as head coach, recording its first-ever win over Georgia Southern and the program’s first wins at Louisiana and Louisiana-Monroe. But left on the checklist is a victory over Troy, which the Jaguars have not accomplished since Wommack was defensive coordinator.

South Alabama beat Troy 19-8 on Oct. 11, 2017, which came in the Trojans’ first game after they had recorded their own milestone win at LSU. The Jaguars came into that game just 1-4, but forced four turnovers to shock the heavily-favored home team.

“I will never forget the feeling in that locker room at Troy, winning that game and celebrating with that belt in our locker room,” Wommack said. “And that is the feeling that I want our players to be able to have, our coaches to have. We’re going to have to earn everything we get. This is a very, very difficult matchup against a team that is absolutely red-hot. They’re playing as good or better than anybody in the Sun Belt.”

The 2023 edition of the “Battle for the Belt” kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy. The game will air live on ESPN2.

• Troy will honor one of the program’s all-time greats with “Carlton Martial Day” on Thursday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The timing of the honor is certainly no coincidence, as Martial is a Mobile native who went 5-0 in his career against his hometown team. Martial finished his Troy career with an FBS-record 578 tackles from his linebacker spot, was a four-time first-team All-Sun Belt pick and was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

“That’s my guy, man,” Troy linebacker Jordan Stringer said. “I got two years with him before he left. He’s a great dude, but he’s also a great player and a great leader. So for him to have a day like that, I don’t think nobody deserves it more than him. He put in the work, he put in the time here. And I’m just grateful I got to experience it with him.”

As part of “Carlton Martial Day,” the first 5,780 fans at Veterans Memorial Stadium will receive a commemorative poster, with the number in honor of his 578 career tackles. He will also lead the team through Trojan Walk and serve as honorary captain for the pre-game coin toss.

• Speaking of special honors, South Alabama wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett received the No. 5 jersey for “Battle for the Belt” week.

The sophomore from Jackson has emerged this season as an excellent complement to veteran receiver Caullin Lacy, who ranks second nationally in receiving yards. A former walk-on, Pritchett has caught 35 passes for 541 yards and three touchdowns, including career-best marks of 11 catches, 168 yards and two scores last week vs. Louisiana.

“It’s so fun to see a guy that walked on to this program continue to battle, continue to work,” Wommack said. “He’s earned everything he’s gotten, including his scholarship, and now he’s being rewarded on game day based off the production that he’s starting to have. … It’s going to be exciting to see what he does on the back end of the season and then going into next year as well. It’s fitting that the 5 jersey goes to one of our hardest workers who’s earned everything he’s got.”

The No. 5 jersey is given to a different South Alabama player each week in honor of Anthony Mostella, a former Jaguars running back who died in a 2010 motorcycle accident. Past recipients this season are wide receiver Devin Voisin (Tulane), linebacker James Miller (Southeastern Louisiana), linebacker Trey Kiser (Oklahoma State), quarterback Desmond Trotter (Central Michigan), wide receiver Caullin Lacy (James Madison), safety Jaden Voisin (Louisiana-Monroe), defensive lineman Wy’Kevious Thomas (Southern Miss) and center Reggie Smith (Louisiana).

• Lacy’s 957 receiving yards rank second among FBS players, just 24 behind LSU’s Malik Nabers.

Because the Jaguars play on Thursday, that means he’s very likely to move into first place nationally at some point vs. Troy. Lacy is also looking to extend his school record of seven straight 100-yard games.

On the Troy side, Kimani Vidal ranks third nationally with 994 rushing yards. He not only needs just six yards for 1,000 this season, but could move past Georgia State’s Marcus Carroll (1,060 yards) and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon (1,087) with a big game on Thursday.

Vidal is also sitting at 3,343 yards in his career, meaning he needs 99 vs. South Alabama to become Troy’s all-time leading rusher. DeWhitt Betterson Sr. currently holds the Trojans’ career record, with 3,441 yards from 2001-04.

• South Alabama and Troy have both publicly revealed their uniform choices for this year’s “Battle for the Belt.”

The Jaguars will go with something of a classic road look — white jerseys with red numbers, blue pants and white helmets with the Jaguar head logo on one side and script “Jaguars” on the other.

Here’s a look:

The Trojans will change things up a bit, going with cardinal jerseys with silver numbers, black pants and cardinal helmets with script “Troy” on either side, rather than the standard “Power T.”

Here’s that combo: