Texas State was back on the field in preparation for their road trip against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks.
The Bobcats and Head Coach G.J. Kinne will prepare for a tough challenge from the Warhawks, who are just one win away from bowl eligibility.
“It was really good practice today,” Kinne said. “Guys are flying around, and I think the weather helped with that. We are going to need it [having] a really good opponent this week.”
Texas State has hit a midseason slump following back-toback losses against Old Dominion and Louisiana last Tuesday.
As the Bobcats look forward to their showdown with the Warhawks, the team continues to focus on their one game mentality as well as matching the energy against a ULM team looking to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2018.
“You have to regroup and learn from [the loss],” Kinne said. “At the end of the day, you can look at the big picture and say, ‘We can do this, win this many games.’ But for us, it’s all about this week. [ULM] is sitting at five wins just like us last year. … For us we have to match their energy.
“It’s a big game for them at home, and I know they’re counting on this one. We got to go take it from them and see how we respond. Based on today’s practice, it was pretty good.”
Key focus for the Bobcats this week is turning around the offense, which has failed to score more than 20 points in the last two games despite their offensive production after averaging 38.2 points per game in the previous six games.
Against the Cajuns, the Bobcats gained 378 yards of offense against the Louisiana defense and drove inside the ten-yard line four times. But the Bobcats could only score one touchdown and kick three field goals.
Kinne acknowledged the offense struggles while noting some positives.
“Obviously, the last two weeks are not up to our standard,” Kinne said. “We have to look at ourselves as coaches, look at ourselves as players and figure out what we can [do to] get better. We are still doing a lot of really good things.”
One position group Kinne mentioned that has continued to perform consistently is the offensive line.
“The O-Line is playing exceptional, so that’s a good sign,” Kinne said. “It’s a bad feeling when you can’t block or pass protect, so we got that part figured out.”
While the Bobcats will make some changes to solve their redzone woes, Texas State continues to prepare as they have all season.
“We have to keep doing what we are doing as far as the work and preparation,” Kinne said. “Not to give away too much on what we are changing and all, but hopefully we’ll get some better results this week.”
The Bobcats battle ULM Saturday Nov. 9 in Monroe, Louisiana. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. with the game being broadcast on ESPNU.
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