NEW ORLEANS – Appearing in Bowl Season for the third time over the past four seasons following a Sun Belt West Division championship, Troy fell to in-state rival Jacksonville State, 17-13, in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. 
 
The Trojans—who were part of the Sun Belt’s 10-team bowl contingent that leads all non-autonomy conferences for the fourth-straight season—dropped to 6-5 in 11 all-time bowl appearances. 
 
On the final play of the game, junior quarterback Tucker Kilcrease’s 44-yard Hail Mary attempt reached the end zone, was tipped and was nearly hauled in by junior wide receiver DJ Epps for a would-be game-winning touchdown. Instead, the ball fell to the turf to preserve a Jacksonville State win. 
 
Troy carried a 13-7 lead into the break, with their lone touchdown coming on the defensive side of the ball. After Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Year redshirt junior punter Evan Crenshaw pinned Jacksonville State deep in their own territory with a 49-yard punt, redshirt junior linebacker TJ Thompson sniffed out an attempted flea flicker by the Gamecocks on the first play of the ensuing drive. Thompson got to the Jacksonville State quarterback for a strip sack, with the fumble being recovered in the end zone by senior defensive lineman Luis Medina for a Trojans score. The Trojans reached the red zone on their final two possessions of the first half, but were forced to settle for back-to-back field goals from senior kicker Scott Taylor Renfroe.  
 
Jacksonville State tacked on a 51-yard field goal of its own in the third quarter, before taking advantage of the first of two Kilcrease interceptions to produce the final 17-13 margin. 
 
Troy’s defense held the nation’s No. 4 rushing offense to just 100 yards on the ground and 273 yards overall, carding seven tackles for loss and five sacks in the process. Senior linebacker Jordan Stringer paced the unit with 16 tackles and added a half sack. 
 
Epps carded 158 all-purpose yards—with 140 coming on kickoff returns—while senior wideout RaRa Thomas was the top offensive contributor with 52 yards on five receptions. The Trojans were held without an offensive touchdown and were held scoreless in the second half.
 
With the loss, Troy concludes the season 8-6.