The Bobcats found a way to bounce back from a nightmarish start
The first four drives of Saturday’s game between Texas State and Louisiana resulted in two interceptions by Bobcat sophomore quarterback Brady McBride and 14 points for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Texas State head coach Jake Spavital told McBride to shake it off and keep playing. The rest of the team followed suit.
The Bobcats, playing in their first home game in 49 days, stepped back on Jim Wacker Field with their heads up. They drove down to the Louisiana 12-yard line but were stopped on third down. The hosts lined up to take a 29-yard field goal, but instead lateraled the ball to redshirt sophomore kicker Seth Keller, who ran the fake into the end zone to get Texas State on the board.
The maroon and gold defense got the team’s first stop of the evening on the next drive. The offense went three and out with its next possession, but the Ragin’ Cajuns muffed the punt and the Bobcats recovered it on the visitors’ 35. Sophomore running back Jahmyl Jeter punched in a 1-yard touchdown run six plays later to tie the game back up at 14-14 with 42 seconds left in the first quarter. The mistakes made early on were suddenly erased.
Inconsistencies hammered Texas State (1-7, 1-3 Sun Belt) throughout the rest of the game, though. Louisiana (4-1, 2-1) took advantage, earning a 44-34 victory inside Bobcat Stadium.
“When you have a winning culture it's kind of easy to jump in and keep the wave going,” Sturges said. “But changing the culture is a completely different story.”
Many of the Bobcats’ issues coincided with injuries. Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jah’Marae “K-Dot” Sheread was injured in practice Tuesday and did not suit up for the game. Redshirt sophomore tight end Jackson Lanam exited the game with a leg injury and did not return, which Spavital said eliminated all parts of the offense's game plan that involved 11 or 12 personnel. Redshirt senior defensive end Gavin Graham and sophomore wide receiver Marcell Barbee also exited the game early with injuries. Sophomore safety Tory Spears came off the field during an injury timeout but was able to return. Spavital said Spears has been playing through injuries this season and will undergo surgery after the end of the year.
But many of Texas State’s struggles were self-inflicted. McBride posted his lowest passer rating of the season at 78.9 after throwing three interceptions. Spavital said he didn’t feel like the turnovers were strictly McBride’s fault. The head coach said multiple times after the game that the team needed to increase its protection. He also felt like the receivers could have done a better job of fighting for the ball.
“You're always concerned when you throw three picks,” Spavital said. “And you look at yourself — myself — in the mirror and, ‘Am I calling plays that (McBride's) capable of doing? Are his eyes in the right spot? Is he handling the situation correctly?’ Like, I look at that first.”
The hosts overcame multiple times throughout the night. The defense forced three turnovers — forced fumbles by redshirt senior linebacker Hal Vinson and sophomore safety Auston Deason and an interception by junior cornerback Jarron Morris.
Sturges had his best game of the season, rushing for a career-high 128 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Five of his attempts went for at least 10 yards, his longest being a 40-yard gain on the first play of the game.
The big plays didn’t come often enough though, leading to the Louisiana win.
“Obviously we don't like to lose. Nobody likes to lose,” Sturges said. “And I mean, I think — we think it's time to get over the hump. It's gonna come. We just gotta stick to the game plan, keep working hard, keep our head down, not complaining about nothing that's going on because everything we got going on we can control. So, once we get that through our head and understand that we control everything in our destiny, I think we'll be fine.”
McBride finished the game completing 14-of-32 passes for 166 yards and also found Barbee in the end zone for his only touchdown of the game. Barbee caught two balls for a team-high 62 yards receiving. Redshirt freshman running back Calvin Hill trailed only Sturges with 24 yards rushing on six carries.
Junior safety Brendon Luper led the Bobcats with 11 tackles, followed by Spears with nine. Graham made the only tackle for a loss of the night and added a quarterback hurry.
Texas State remains home next Saturday, hosting Appalachian State (4-1, 2-0) inside Bobcat Stadium at 2 p.m.
“We can be competitive with anybody. But our consistency has to be a lot better,” Spavital said. “I know we’re a lot better than what we were last year. That’s what (Louisiana head coach Billy) Napier says, that’s what every coach says to us after our handshake, is ‘You guys are getting a lot better.’ And I get that and we are. But we gotta take the next step somehow.”
