Troy head football coach Jon Sumrall was still an assistant in 2017, the last time the Trojans lost to South Alabama.

Even with the COVID pandemic having extended players’ college careers by an extra year, no player on Troy’s roster had yet completed high school when the Jaguars won 19-8 at Veterans Memorial Stadium on that Oct. 11 night six years ago. Some of them even were still in middle school.

That’s how long it’s been since Troy lost a “Battle for the Belt.” The professional wrestling-style trophy has taken up semi-permanent residence in the Trojans’ football complex, with five straight victories over their in-state and Sun Belt Conference rival.

“It’s a rivalry game, and it is a big game to a lot of people — rivalries matter,” said Sumrall, in his second season as Troy’s head coach after a stint as an assistant under Neal Brown from 2015-17. “Rivalries makes college football fun and add a lot of value to the fans and the game. And then, I don’t care who we’re playing — I hate losing. … I’ve got a lot of respect for this (South Alabama) group. I think this is maybe the most-talented team we’re going to play all year athletically.”

The 2023 version of Troy vs. South Alabama takes place Thursday at The Vet, with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff and a national television audience on ESPN2. The Trojans (6-2 overall, 3-1 Sun Belt) are trying to hold onto first place in the West Division race, which the Jaguars (4-4, 2-2) are trying to make a jumbled mess.

Troy has won five straight games this season and 12 of 14 overall since last year’s “Belt” game, a 10-6 victory in Mobile. And this year’s Trojans aren’t interested in being the team that disrupts the streak or gets the team knocked out of the driver’s seat in the Sun Belt West.

“It’s huge, it’s huge,” linebacker Jordan Stringer said. “It just goes back to the work we put in together and to get rewarded, but also, we love winning — that’s all it really comes down to. Yeah, we’re playing for the belt, but it’s also just another ‘W’ that we want. So that makes the ‘Belt’ even more important.”

Both teams played Saturday, making for a short week of preparation. While South Alabama lost 33-20 at home to Louisiana to fall out of a tie for first place, Troy dominated the second half in a 31-13 win at Texas State.

The Trojans have been smothering teams defensively this year, having allowed just two offensive touchdowns in their last four games. They’ve also continued to be a second-half team, outscoring opponents 66-6 in the final two quarters during that same stretch.

“We just keep showing up and we know it’s going to be a four-quarter fight no matter who we play,” Stringer said. “So that’s how we’ve got to approach it. … After those first two quarters, you’ve got to realize you’ve got two more quarters, you’ve got to do it for four. It’s all about how you finish.”

Though Troy’s Kimani Vidal ranks third in the country in rushing at 994 yards this season, Texas State limited him to 43 yards on 18 carries. Vidal not only needs six yards for 1,000 this season; he needs 99 to become the Trojans’ all-time leading rusher.

The Bobcats’ focus on Vidal opened things up for Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson, who responded with one of the best games of his career. The senior from Butler, Ga., passed for a career-high 392 yards and accounted for four touchdowns — three passing and one rushing — and on Monday was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.

“When he made the decision to come back for year 6, he could have done a lot of things this year other than play football,” Sumrall said. “I wouldn’t have been mad at him if he rode off into the sunset last year after winning the conference (championship) game, but … he made the decision, he wanted to come do it one more time. I think when you make that kind of decision, you usually commit yourself to giving yourself the chance to be your best.

“He’s made significant improvements off the field, on the field. He’s a ridiculously hard worker, he’s an outstanding teammate. He’s tough as nails, maybe too tough. Sometimes he’s got a little ‘dumb tough’ in him, not ‘smart tough,’ but I love him. I’m proud of him. I was very happy to see the game he played on Saturday.”

Troy enters the game as about a touchdown favorite, though that line may move up if South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley is unable to play or perform at peak level. Bradley left the field late the Jaguars’ loss to Louisiana after he reaggravated a left knee injury, and those around the USA program were being cagey as to his availability for Thursday.

Either senior Desmond Trotter — who replaced an injured Jake Bentley in the first quarter of the Trojans’ 31-24 victory over the Jaguars in Troy two years ago — or freshman Gio Lopez would play quarterback for South Alabama if Bradley is unable to go. Whoever is at quarterback, Sumrall said he’s concerned about the big-play potential of Jaguars receivers Caullin Lacy and Jamaal Pritchett, who have combined for 90 receptions, 1,498 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

“They have great receivers,” Sumrall said. “No. 4 (Lacy) and No. 12 (Pritchett), those two guys are really explosive athletically. They’ve got other players too, but those two guys really jump out. They’ll take a lot of vertical shots, a lot of quick game, trying to get the ball on the perimeter fast.”

TROY VS. SOUTH ALABAMA ALL-TIME SERIES

*— First year with “Battle for the Belt” designation