OP/ED
The long drive back from Houston gave me time to think about what I just witnessed at NRG Stadium where Texas State lost to Sam Houston 40-39.
The Bobcats led 22-0 at the end of the first quarter then led 39-21 only to see the lead evaporate in front of their eyes as Sam Houston made a six minute drive to kick the game winning field goal with just seconds left in the game.
To pour salt in the wound, the Bearkats found a ‘Take Back Texas’ hat after the game and began celebrating over the long-time rivals.
Make no mistake about it. This is the worst loss in the G.J. Kinne era at Texas State. Holding a three possession lead twice in one game only to see your archrival steal the victory is both infuriating and numbing to watch unhold.
To make matters worse, the Bobcats seemingly handed the Bearkats the victory. 11 penalties for 88 yards, one fumble, two failed fourth down conversions and one missed field goal all played a hand in one of the most gutwenching losses in recent history.
Everything that had plagued the Bobcats the previous season came back to haunt Texas State, resulting in the ‘Cats hopes of making the College Football Playoff officially becoming nonexistent.
Now the bigger question remains. Where do the Bobcats go from here?
The Sun Belt conference play starts Thursday night as Texas State goes on the road to Troy in a showdown with the Trojans. In short, there is no rest for the weary.
But in defeat comes forth knowledge, which is that the Bobcats now know the cost of being hunted and the consistent battle to be top program in the conference.
Until this year, the Bobcats have always been the hunters in the FBS. While the majority of the hunts in FBS have been unsuccessful, Texas State has always been the one to knock someone off the perch.
Everything came to fruition in 2023, which resulted in the first eightwin season since 2008 and the program’s first ever bowl game.
While Texas State was an unknown commodity in 2023, the Bobcats soon became the popular kid on the block come 2024.
Nearly every single media outlet picked the Bobcats to be the Group of Five representative in the expanded college football playoff as well as the favorite to win the Sun Belt West Division. All of the sudden, the Bobcats were now the hunted and everyone wanted a piece of Texas State.
The painful lesson for the Bobcats was this. You cannot expect to win while committing numerous turnovers and penalties against good and hungry teams.
Consistency is the name for success in college football, which Texas State has been searching for since 1982 and to an extent since 2005. It is the next step of a program that wants to be the next Houston or Central Florida and being consistent will be the key.
The only good news that comes out of Saturday’s result is the Bobcats are still in the hunt for the conference championship.
How the Bobcats react to such a loss will determine if Texas State is a consistent number one contender or a one-hit wonder.
[email protected] Twitter: @ColtonBMc
Lincoln Pare dives for the endzone in the Bobcats’ game against Sam Houston. Texas State learned a painful lesson against Sam Houston and the cost of being the hunted rather than the hunter. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
