FRIDAY FOOTBALL PREVIEW
TXST FOOTBALL
Texas State will make their first trip to Norfolk, Virginia for the Bobcats first ever meeting with the Old Dominion Monarchs this Saturday.
The Bobcats and Head Coach G.J. Kinne will face a challenging Monarchs team who is coming off their first conference win in a 21-14 victory over the Georgia State Panthers.
“This is a quality opponent with an outstanding coaching staff,” Kinne said. “They have a lot of momentum right now. They just had a big conference win, and it’s their homecoming. They are going to be ready, and those guys will be fired up.”
ODU enters Saturday’s game with a 2-4 overall record, beating the Bowling Green Falcons and the aforementioned Panthers.
The Monarchs have seen a transformation on offense with quarterback Colton Joseph taking the lead.
In his first start of the season against Coastal Carolina, Joseph passed for 262 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 68 yards and one touchdown in Old Dominion’s 45-37 loss to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
In the Monarchs win over Georgia State, Joseph passed for 141 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 98 yards on 11 carries.
“He is playing really well,” Kinne said. “He can really run, and he has a strong arm. He is very confident right now and has a lot of swagger to him.”
The defense is led by safety Jahron Manning who leads the team in total tackles with 49 along with a team leading three interceptions.
Linebacker Koa Naotala is second in total tackles with 47 and two sacks followed by linebacker Mario Thompson with 46 total tackles, a teamhigh 26 solo tackles and a team-leading three sacks.
For Kinne, the Bobcat offense must remain on point and consistent in order for Texas State to secure the road win.
“Their style of defense is pretty unique,” Kinne said. “They will challenge you from a schematic standpoint and will challenge you physically. We have to be on top of our stuff and hitting on all cylinders if we want to come out on top on the road.”
It is the first ever matchup between Texas State and Old Dominion following the Monarchs move to the Sun Belt in 2022.
In past years, the Bobcats have had trouble winning on the road against teams from the Sun Belt East Division. The last time Texas State defeated a Sun Belt East Division team on the road came in 2018 when the Bobcats defeated Georgia State at Center Parc Stadium.
Kickoff for Texas State-ODU is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
