Jacksonville State Gamecocks wide receiver Deondre Johnson celebrates a first down against the Troy Trojans during the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jacksonville State fends off Troy to win Salute to Veterans Bowl

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Dec 17, 2025 12:50 AM ET

In a battle of two teams from the state of Alabama, Jacksonville State (9-5) held off Troy (8-6) to earn a 17-13 victory in the Salute to Veterans Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.

After a defensive stop, Troy had the football and a chance to take the lead with 3:23 remaining.

However, an interception thrown by QB Tucker Kilcrease gave the ball right back to the Gamecocks, who suddenly had a chance to ice the game.

Troy's defense held strong and gave their offense one final chance to mount a drive to win the game, but a Hail Mary from Kilcrease fell incomplete as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

‼️#EmbraceTheGrind | #AKC pic.twitter.com/sWDSFU274P
— Jax State Football (@JaxStateFB) December 17, 2025

Troy's offense struggled throughout the night, putting up only 217 yards of offense and failing to find the end zone. The Trojans' only touchdown of the night was a defensive score.

Jacksonville State's win ends a seven-game winning streak by Troy in the series between the two schools, and it also ends Troy's streak of winning 79 consecutive games when it led entering the fourth quarter.

Andrew Paul scored the go-ahead TD for Jacksonville State with 10:06 to go.

Troy and Jacksonville State both finished as their conference's runners-up in the Sun Belt and Conference USA, respectively. Tuesday's contest was the first between the two schools since November 2001.

The win gives Charles Kelly a nine-win campaign in his first season at JSU.

If Tuesday's game was any indication, bowl season should be quite entertaining.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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