Troy and Duke both enter the Birmingham Bowl in between coaching regimes
Newly-hired Duke head football coach Manny Diaz, left, is introduced to the home crowd with Athletic Director Nina King, right, during an NCAA college basketball game against Charlotte in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Credit: AP/Ben McKeown
Birmingham Bowl: Troy (11-2, Sun Belt) vs Duke (7-5, ACC), Dec. 23, noon Eastern (ABC).
Line: Troy by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Duke leads 2-0.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Led by interim head coaches, both teams are trying to finish the season strong. The Trojans claimed their second straight Sun Belt Conference championship and are riding a 10-game winning streak. Coach Jon Sumrall left to take over the Tulane program, and Greg Gasparato is interim coach. Duke's Mike Elko left for Texas A&M, with assistant Trooper Taylor handling interim duties. Duke has already hired Manny Diaz and Troy turned to Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker.
KEY MATCHUP
Duke's offense against Troy's aggressive defense, which has already set the Sun Belt Conference record with 45 sacks. The Blue Devils' former starting quarterback Riley Leonard has announced plans to transfer to Notre Dame after an injury-shortened season. The Trojans rank sixth nationally in sacks, 10th in scoring and rushing defense and 15th in total defense. Javon Solomon leads the nation with 16 sacks, including 10 over the last four games.
Then-Purdue interim coach Gerad Parker stands with players before the team's NCAA college football game against Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb., Oct. 22, 2016. Troy hired Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker to be its next head coach on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Parker, 42, will replace Jon Sumrall, who left Troy earlier this month after two successful seasons to become head coach at Tulane. Credit: AP/Nati Harnik
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Troy: RB Kimani Vidal has run for 1,582 yards and 14 touchdowns. The program's career rushing leader ran for 233 yards and five TDs in the Sun Belt title game against Appalachian State. He's the league's offensive player of the year and a third-team AP All-American.
Duke: QB Grayson Loftis has taken over for Leonard, and had success. The freshman has completed 53.7% of his passes for 823 yards and eight touchdowns while throwing three interceptions.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Jon Sumrall, right, the new head NCAA college football coach at Tulane, is introduced by athletic director David Harris, left, during a ceremony at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. Credit: AP/David Grunfeld
Duke has hired Manny Diaz as head coach while Troy turned to Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker. ... Troy is the first Sun Belt team to face a Power Five opponent in a bowl game. ... The Trojans have won 23 games the past two seasons, tied for fourth-most nationally. ... Both teams are riding bowl winning streaks. The Trojans' five straight bowl wins are tied with Georgia for the second-longest active streak, one behind Minnesota. Duke has won four straight in the postseason. ... Troy receiver Chris Lewis is averaging 23 yards a catch, second-highest nationally. ... LB Tre Freeman needs three tackles to become the first Duke player with 100 tackles in a season since Koby Quansah in 2019.
