Bobcats open the season against the Baylor Bears

The G.J. Kinne era will officially be underway as Texas State makes the trip up to Waco, to battle the Baylor Bears to kickoff the 2023 season.

One of the key matchups heading into the game, will be the battle of scheme between the offensive-minded Kinne and the defensive-minded Dave Aranda, the Head Football Coach of Baylor.

With Kinne bringing over an offense that was the best in the FCS, the Bears defense presents a number of challenges.

“They are very big and physical,” Kinne said. “They have played a lot of football and have two great minds in Dave Aranda and Matt Powledge. We’ve tried to watch as much film on them as possible, so it’s going to be a huge challenge for us. But I think we are up for it.”

One of the advantages the Bobcats will have against Baylor is the ability to figure what the defense will give and adjust on the fly.

“We are not sure how they are going to attack us,” Kinne said. “They have shown a couple of different looks but we feel pretty confident in what we are going to get. … The good thing about our offense is that you can figure out pretty quickly how they are going to try to stop you.”

Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich said the Baylor defense is quite solid ,while acknowledging the challenges the Bears will bring.

“They are very sound in what they do,” Leftwich said. “Dave Aranda has a long track record of being a great defensive coach. So they are very sound in their scheme and they are confident in what they do. It just puts pressure on you as an offensive coach to execute at a high level.”

As for the defense, the Bobcats will look to stop the Bears rushing attack that churned up 293 rushing yards on Texas State.

“They want to run that outside zone,” Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Patke said.

“They ran it at a high level last year and they have a quarterback that can push the ball down field. They are a good offense and they have added some good pieces in the portal.”

Texas State will look for their first win against Baylor, as the Bobcats are 0-9 all time against the Bears.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at McLane Stadium in Waco.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc