Troy Trojans vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks Prediction - 12/16/2025
Updated July 9, 2026
The Salute to Veterans Bowl on Tuesday night will pit the Troy Trojans and Jacksonville State Gamecocks against one another in Montgomery. Both teams enter this postseason contest with identical 8-5 records following disappointing losses in their respective conference championship games. Before these programs meet for the first time since 2001, you can continue reading to get my Troy vs Jacksonville State prediction in college football.
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Troy’s quarterback situation has been fluid this season, but Tucker Kilcrease has emerged as the primary signal-caller. He has thrown for 1,421 yards with 9 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, while completing nearly 60% of his passes. Kilcrease will be especially important in the passing game for the Trojans without Meadows to rely on in the ground game.
Jacksonville State freshman Caden Creel has thrown for 1,341 yards with 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also rushed for over 1,000 yards this season. Creel’s ability to make plays with his legs complements the Gamecocks’ dominant rushing attack. That rushing attack is led by Cam Cook, who piled up 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground this season.
Score Projection: Troy 24 – Jacksonville State 27
Win Probability: Troy 50%, Jacksonville State 50%
It's bowl season, which means the motivation for both teams is a mystery as usual. But I think that Jax State has a decent shot to win outright as a slight underdog in the Salute to Veterans Bowl. Troy's offense will suffer from the loss of its leading rusher here and I think that will give the Gamecocks the upper hand in this matchup from Montgomery.
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