Texas State goes up against reigning co-champion Louisiana

Among Texas State’s issues during the 2021 season, there are two that are the most glaring to head coach Jake Spavital: execution and physicality.

The Bobcats exhibited their struggles in both areas during last week’s game at Georgia State. The Panthers registered nine tackles for loss. The maroon and gold only tallied one.

Heading into the game, 75% of the team’s scores inside the red zone were touchdowns. But after making three trips inside the 20-yard line on Saturday, Texas State only crossed the goal line once, kicking field goals on its other two trips instead.

Trailing 28-16 early in the fourth quarter, the Bobcats marched 46 yards down the field and were knocking on the red zone door again at GSU’s 29-yard line. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brady McBride threw a deep ball toward the left sideline where he expected junior wide receiver Marcell Barbee to be. But Barbee broke to his right and the Panthers intercepted the ball to end the visitors’ comeback attempt.

“That's miscommunication,” Spavital said. “There was a lot of things that are just self-imposed that we've got to clean up. And in order for us to win these games, we've got to play cleaner football in critical moments. And that's kind of what's showing up the most right now. I've always been in here and I talked about how hard we play and we get complimented all the time by that. But like, that's not enough right now. We've got to be able to make these plays. We're in position and we gotta just execute it. And I think once we start getting more of the execution and more of the consistency right, that's when you close these games out.”

Spavital said he was displeased with the way Georgia State consistently established the line of scrimmage in the trenches. Texas State failed to wrap up in a few key moments, too.

On one play earlier in the third quarter, senior running back Tucker Gregg took a handoff on 4th and 1 and was hit in the backfield by a Bobcat defender. But Gregg broke free and picked up 14 yards for the first down. The Panthers went on to score a touchdown later in the drive that gave them an eight-point lead.

“To me, it just came down to the physical part of the game upfront. And then the big one, I think, was tackling, especially in critical downs,” defensive coordinator Zac Spavital said. “That was probably the disappointing thing from the game. You know, obviously, we gotta find a way to be better on third down in the second half. And then when we get to a situation in the fourth quarter, we gotta get that ball back. We gotta do a little better job in the four-minute (drill) and not let that offense drain the clock. And we gotta somehow find a way to get our offense back on the field.”

But why, more than halfway through the year, are the maroon and gold still struggling with execution and physicality?

“That's a good question,” head coach Jake Spavital said. “You know I think, too, when you get to this side of the season, defensively speaking, with like missed tackles, a lot has to do with fatigue and where they're currently at at that moment. You know like, you sit there and you watch the cut-ups of the kids and they're in the right position. We just gotta make those plays. Of course, there's going to be some tough play-calls at times, they're (not always) going to be the right play calls and we gotta do a better job at times of putting them in those situations … And like you're halfway through the season and you know, I've seen these kids make those plays. And I'm expecting them to go and make it this Saturday.”

Texas State (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) will have to be on top of both issues this week when it travels to play reigning co-Sun Belt champion Louisiana (6-1, 4-0). The Ragin’s Cajuns are currently on a six-game winning streak and received 32 points in the most recent AP Top 25 poll.

Louisiana ranks as the No. 4 offense in the Sun Belt, averaging 425.1 yard per game, and the No. 5 defense in the conference, allowing 380.0 yards per game. Jake Spavital noted the Cajuns are especially gifted at executing in the right moments — four of their games this season have been decided by one score, but the team has come out on top every time.

The team took advantage of the eligibility freeze ,returning 21 starters from 2020’s roster. The one hole the team had to fill was at running back, after leading rushers Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas made their way to the NFL. Louisiana hasn’t missed a beat, though, relying on the trio of Chris Smith, Montrell Johnson and Emani Bailey in the backfield, each running back averaging over six yards per carry.

The two sides will square off in Lafayette, La., on Saturday at 11 a.m., the game airing on ESPNU.

“When you play teams like this, you have an opportunity to play against a team that has been winning at a high level and has got a lot of national eyes on them right now,” Jake Spavital said. “And it's a great opportunity for us to try to put together a complete game and play together and see what we're capable of doing.”