MOBILE, Ala. -- Justin Lucas could have easily turned down the opportunity to sign with Troy when he was looking for a place to transfer to out of Eastern Mississippi, where he had won two junior college national titles.

Late Friday night, the senior linebacker had no regrets about his decision.

He and his teammates were savoring not only the thrill of a 28-23 win over Ohio in the Dollar General Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, but the joy of going from winning only four games last year to nailing down 10 wins this season.

Troy was 4-8 a year ago.

"It's special," Lucas said. "Troy had been down and when I came here, they were coming off a 3-9 season and I had gone 24-0 and won two championships. I believed in the process and I'm very blessed to be in this situation."

Troy (10-3) rolled up 322 yards and won a bowl game for the first time since 2010, when, interestingly enough, it defeated the Bobcats 48-21 in the New Orleans Bowl

"I am extremely proud of our guys," second-year head coach Neal Brown said. "We've had a tremendous season. It's a big win for us. It's the first time we've won 10 games."

The defining moment on this warm December night came midway through the third.

Poised to extend its 21-17 lead, Troy's third-down conversion opportunity was stifled as Brandon Silvers' pass fell incomplete. Silvers was 24-of-41 for 235 yards.

Despite having to start their ensuing drive at their own 1-yard line after the punt, the Bobcats (8-6) were energized.

That energy fizzled out thanks to a big break from an unlikely source.

Trevon Sanders, a 315-pound sophomore nose guard, had a tipped ball fall into his hands. The sophomore backup fell to the ground and then jumped up and celebrated with his teammates.

It was of five turnovers the Trojans forced, and arguably, the biggest.

"The one thing that stands out is the five turnovers," Ohio head coach Frank Solich said. "We felt we needed to win that battle to win this game and we lost it (5-2). If there is one turnover we could have back, it's that one."

Jordan Chunn, the offensive MVP, capitalized on the miscue, running into the end zone with ease on a 4-yard run to stretch the lead to 28-17.

Louie Zervos nailed a 48-yard field goal with 3:28 left in the third to cut Troy's lead to 28-20.

Close games are nothing new to the Bobcats, who played in 10 games decided by 10 points or less in the regular season, five resulting in losses.

So they didn't blink in the face of adversity, fighting until the end.

Greg Windham connected with Jordan Reid on a 34-yard pass play that pushed the ball past midfield. Ohio soon found itself facing third-and-3 at the Troy 30 with 10:43 left.

Windham (23-of-47, 315 yards) was stopped short of a first down on the next play and Zervos missed a field goal from 46 yards away, igniting a celebration on the Troy sideline.

Even that didn't pound the fight out of the Bobcats, who used a late drive to get inside the 30 and came away with a 37-yard field goal by Zervos, trimming Troy's lead to 28-23 with 4:01 to go.

Pressure by Troy on Ohio's final drive with two minutes left led to desperation passes by Windham, who was unable to throw for a first down. Ohio tallied 393 yards.

"We felt all along we could win it," Solich said. "We put ourselves in a position to come back but didn't finish."

Chunn highlighted the first half for Troy, helping to give the Trojans to a 21-17 lead at halftime.

Chunn scored on a pair of short touchdown runs, his first from 1 yard out that gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead and put him in first place all-time on the school's career rushing list with 35 TDs. He entered the night tied with Joe Jackson.

Chunn's second score nudged the Trojans in front 14-7 with 1:14 to go.

Defense stole the show at times, with the two teams combining for six turnovers in the opening half -- including four interceptions in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Toran Davis recorded two picks for the Bobcats while Cedarius Rookard and Kris Weatherspoon each had an interception for the Trojans.

Davis' first pick set the stage for a seven-play, 99-yard scoring drive that ended with a wide-open Papi White snagging a 45-yard scoring strike to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:19 remaining in the first.

It served as a bright spot for an Ohio team that struggled early. Windham was sacked on third down on the Bobcats' opening drive and Rookard's interception snuffed out Ohio's second drive.

Ohio trimmed Troy's lead to 14-10 with 13:20 to go in the half, with Zervos making a 33-yard kick.

Ryan Kay tried to extend the Trojan's lead but missed a field goal from 20 yards out with 9:35 to play in the half.

Lucas, who tallied five tackles, wiped out a scoring opportunity for Ohio in the second quarter, picking off a pass with under seven minutes left.

It set the stage for Silvers' first touchdown pass. He connected with Emmanuel Sanders, who slipped under the defense and made a grab for a 21-10 lead.

Ohio refused to fold and used a flurry of big plays to battle back.

Maleek Irons caught a 21-yard pass that put the Bobcats at the 10-yard line of the Trojans and Sebastian Smith gained 5 yards on a reverse. Windham then dropped back and hit Reid on a 5-yard scoring strike in the left corner of the end zone, slicing Troy's lead to 21-17 at halftime.

"I felt like this game was a microcosm of our season," Brown said. "We've won games in a lot of different ways. It wasn't always pretty but we found a way tonight."

NOTES: Troy is making its sixth bowl appearance in program history, including its first trip since that win over the Bobcats six years ago. ... Ohio is appearing in its 10th bowl game. The Bobcats have played in seven bowl games since 2007. ... The Bobcats are averaging 392.2 yards per game. ... Ohio K Louie Zervos set an NCAA record for field goals made by a freshman, making 26. ... CB Blace Brown has helped fuel Troy's defense, racking up six interceptions, which ties him for fifth in the nation in that category.