It’s a quick turnaround for both South Alabama and Troy headed into arguably the biggest “Battle for the Belt” in the series’ short history.

The Jaguars (5-1, 2-0 Sun Belt Conference) host the Trojans (5-2, 3-1) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, in a game to be televised by ESPNU. Both teams played just this past Saturday, with South Alabama beating Louisiana-Monroe 41-34 and Troy edging Texas State 17-14.

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“This is an exciting week for our fans,” South Alabama coach Kane Wommack said. “It’s exciting for the conference to have two teams that have positioned themselves to compete at the highest level of our league halfway through the season on a Thursday night in a rivalry game.

“I told the players in this building, there are a number of things to point towards that are potential distractions for us. And they are distractions if we allow them to be, and particularly if we allow them to distract us from the details and the relentless effort that it takes, uh, to be consistent in the things that we’re doing.”

Troy has won four straight, both this season and in the “Belt” series, which the Trojans lead 7-3. This year’s Trojans team lost its opener 28-10 to unbeaten Ole Miss and then fell two weeks later on a last-second Hail Mary at Appalachian State, but has not lost since.

South Alabama is off to the best start in program history, one victory away from bowl-eligibility and in first place in the West Division at the midway point. The Jaguars are 3-0 at home this season, with their lone loss 32-31 on the road against a UCLA team that remains undefeated.

“We’ve got a rivalry game, a short week, a lot to get ready for a very much-improved opponent,” Troy coach Jon Sumrall said. “This team we’re getting ready to play is not the same team they were last year or any year before that, to be quite honest with you. They’re a really good football team. I think a lot of people are talking about them maybe being the best Group of 5 team in college football and going to a New Year’s Six bowl, right now with where they’re ranked. So we’ve got our work cut out for us. They’re really good and it’s going to be a great opportunity to play a high-level opponent in a conference game.”

Troy utilized two quarterbacks vs. Texas State, with Jarret Doege coming off the bench to throw the winning touchdown pass after starter Gunnar Watson left the game after having his helmet knocked off on a hard hit in the third quarter. Sumrall said Monday he anticipates both will be available on Thursday.

South Alabama is banged up at running back, as top rusher La’Damian Webb played just two plays before suffering a hip or rib injury. Braylon McReynolds, the Jaguars’ No. 2 running back much of the season, missed the ULM game after getting hurt Oct. 1 at Louisiana.

“Both had really good checkups here today,” Wommack said. “I think both of them are trending in the right direction to be able to play on (Thursday). It’ll certainly be a game-time decision just because you want to give those guys as much rest as possible. But I think we anticipate both of them (playing).”

Troy’s marquee player is linebacker Carlton Martial, a Mobile native who is 4-0 against his hometown team. A former walk-on who was not recruited by the Jaguars out of McGill-Toolen Catholic School, Martial leads a Troy defense that has 45 tackles for loss in seven games.

The 5-foot-8, 210-pound Martial has 63 tackles this season despite missing one game and half of another with a hamstring injury. He has 505 tackles in his five-year career, putting him on pace to break the all-time FBS record of 545 stops held by former Northwestern linebacker Tim McGarigle.

“We know it’s a big game coming up and we know it has a lot of postseason implications,” Martial said. “But we’re trying to take it day-by-day, game-by-game. They’re looking good on film, but we’re going to be ready to play.

Of course it adds a little juice knowing that a lot of my family members that didn’t get to see me play throughout all the years will be there. This is my last one, so we’re going to try to make it one to remember.”

South Alabama is trying to end four years of frustration against their in-state rivals, having lost 31-24 last year in a game in which starting quarterback Jake Bentley was knocked out in the first quarter with a knee injury. Only a handful of players on the Jaguars’ roster were on the team when they last beat the Trojans, 19-8 in Troy in 2017.

South Alabama received votes in this week’s AP poll for the first time since 2016, but won’t continue to garner positive national attention if they don’t beat Troy on Thursday. The Jaguars continue to have big goals, however, and that starts with the “Battle for the Belt.”

“I think we owe them a whoopin’ from last year,” defensive end Jamie Sheriff said. “I think it’s time we bring the belt back home.”