Birmingham Bowl: Duke Hang On For 17-10 Win Over Troy

It wasn't a long trip to Birmingham for the Troy Trojans as they faced the Duke Blue Devils. The Trojans' comeback attempt came up short in the closing minutes. Duke will head back to Durham with a 17-10 win and their fifth bowl win in as many attempts.

Both teams played the game under the direction of interim head coaches. Trooper Taylor led the Blue Devils as their interim head coach, while the Trojans had defensive coordinator Greg Gasparato. 

Troy end the season with an 11-3 record with their first loss in a bowl game since 2009.

Down With The Sickness

An unfortunate hiccup in Troy's bowl preparation was a stomach virus that affected multiple players. Notably, quarterback Gunnar Watson was having symptoms that he tried to play through, but looked noticeably off. Watson ended the day with 21 completions on 36 attempts for 230 yards. Watson threw an interception on on Troy's final possession as they tried to tie the game up.

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Defensive Battle

The low score of the game points to how well both defenses played. The Troy defense forced two turnovers, but somehow only managed two sacks against a Duke offensive line that was full of inexperienced players. Richard Jibunor was arguably the most disruptive with two tackles for loss and a sack. The Duke defense also had two sacks in addition to ten pass breakups.

A Tough Day For Vidal

Troy's Kimani Vidal entered the season as the nation's second leading rusher. Unfortunately for him and the Trojans, the Duke defense had an answer for him. Vidal carried 17 times for 79 yards. Vidal had at least one rushing touchdown in each of his last three previous games, including five in the Sun Belt Championship.