MONTGOMERY – Jax State held its final walkthrough at Cramton Bowl Monday afternoon ahead of the renewal of its rivalry with Troy after a 24-year hiatus in the 12th annual IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl. With preparations complete, head coach Charles Kelly and the Gamecocks now shift their focus to reclaiming the Ol' School Bell Tuesday night in the school's third straight bowl appearance.
The Gamecocks (8-5) aim to halt Troy's seven-game winning streak in a series that dates back to 1924. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., with national television coverage on ESPN.
Jax State leads the all-time series 33-28-2. This will be the second postseason meeting between the former Gulf South Conference rivals, the first coming in the 1948 Paper Bowl in Pensacola, Fla. – a 19-0 Gamecocks' victory.
"I've had an opportunity throughout my career to be in a lot of bowl games," Kelly said. "This has been run as first-class as any I've had a chance to participate in. Our players and our staff have really enjoyed it, and it is an honor to play a very, very good Troy team that is very well-coached."
Both teams enter the bowl match up looking to rebound from losses in their respective conference championship games. Troy (8-5) lost at No. 25 James Madison 31-14 in the Sun Belt title game while the Gamecocks fell at home to Kennesaw State 19-15 in the showdown for the Conference USA championship
"We haven't had a long time (to prepare) like normal games that I've been a part of before," said Kelly, whose team didn't learn its bowl destination until December 7. "But there has been a little bit of time and you worry about the tackling and taking care of the football and the things that it takes to win the game.
"They've worked hard and we haven't had a lot of people missing practice. We've got some injuries just from a long season but we've got a lot of young players ready to play."
The Trojans dropped three of their final five games, but Kelly says they will present a tremendous challenge.
"They've got two quarterbacks who are very capable and they're good up front," said Kelly, whose hometown of Ozark is located just 33 miles from Troy's campus. "They can run the football and defensively they've got big guys up front.
"I think it comes down to protecting the football, creating explosive plays and preventing them from explosive plays."
Tickets remain on sale. Jax State's fan sections are E, F and G. Fans are strongly encouraged to purchase their tickets through the links provided on the official athletics website and social media channels in order to sit with fellow Gamecock supporters.
