Nov. 13, 2004

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - Texas State University quarterback Barrick Nealy completed 10-of-13 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns Saturday as the Bobcats defeated Nicholls State 35-12.

Nealy, who has been sidelined at times this season by a pair of shoulder injuries, started for the first time in three games. He also ran the ball 14 times for 97 yards and another score.

With the win, the Bobcats evened their record to 5-5 and improved to 3-1 in Southland Conference play. At least a share of an SLC title will be riding on Texas State's final game of the regular season next week when the `Cats travel to Sam Houston State. Texas State is in a three-way tie with Sam Houston State (8-2, 3-1) and Northwestern State (7-3, 3-1) after Northwestern defeated the Bearkats 45-27 in Natchitoches, La., on Saturday. Northwestern State travels to Stephen F. Austin next week.

"I'm just so proud of this football team because all they have done is all that we have asked," said Texas State coach David Bailiff. "Even after we got dominated last Saturday (a 44-7 loss at Northwestern State), all they did was come back with a passion to improve. Every time people say they can't do it, they want to prove people wrong. I think that is a good quality to have in a football team.

"We're starting to have a great attitude. We're starting to have a great chemistry. We're starting to have accountability to each other. When you have those things, you start to become a family and I think that's what is starting to happen to us right now."

Nicholls State dropped to 5-4 and 2-2 heading into its final game of the year next week at McNeese State.

For the first time this season, Texas State scored on its first drive of a game as Nealy engineered a 9-play, 65-yard drive which culminated in a 33-yard touchdown pass to K.R. Carpenter with 11:01 to play in the opening quarter.

Carpenter returned after missing the last three games with an ankle injury to catch three passes for 82 yards.

On the drive, Nealy converted a pair of third-down plays. With the Bobcats facing third-and-4 from the Texas State 31 early in the drive, he completed a 7-yard pass to Ike Chekwa. He also converted on a third-and-2 from the Nicholls 44 with an 11-yard run to set up the touchdown pass.

"For the first time in five weeks you saw the true Barrick Nealy," Bailiff said. "Today he looked at me and said, `Coach, I don't have any pain.' We knew what he was capable of, he just had some physical limitations. Fortunately, he has gotten healthy at the right time."

Texas State would go on to score on its next four series, marking the first time this season the Bobcats had scored touchdowns on five successive series.

After the Bobcats' scored on their opening drive, Nicholls State looked to answer driving the ball from its own 26 to inside the Bobcat 30. Facing third-and-10, Colonel quarterback Yale Vannoy was pressured for a three-yard loss and Nicholls would bring on its field goal team. A low snap would lead to holder Sean Comeaux rolling out and being tackled by Melvin Webber and Jeremy Castillo for a 13-yard loss.

Nicholls State would lose senior running back Colt Colletti on the opening series to a neck stinger and he would not return after a lone carry for five yards. Colletti entered the game averaging 67.6 yards per game.

As a team, the Colonels were held below their season average of 259 yards rushing which ranked seventh nationally and led the league. NSU had 228 rushing yards and 321 yards of total offense on the day.

On Texas State's second offensive series, Nealy would hook up with Carpenter for a 40-yard pickup to the Nicholls 21, and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Nicholls at the end of the play gave the `Cats first down at the 11. Three plays later and facing third-and-five, Nealy would find tight end Randy Moshier open in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown that gave the Bobcats a 14-0 lead with 2:28 to play in the first quarter.

Nicholls State's second series ended with Walter Musgrove intercepting a Vannoy pass in the end zone after the Colonels had moved the ball to the Texas State 20. Musgrove, who was named a Second-Team CoSIDA All-District VI selection earlier in the week, finished the night with six solo tackles and five assists, including one for a loss.

Texas State would go on to score on its next two series of the half to take a 28-0 lead at intermission.

Nealy would give the Bobcats a 21-0 lead on a 39-yard touchdown run with 9:04 to play in the second quarter. He also had a 25-yard run on the drive.

Later in the quarter Nealy would complete a 60-yard touchdown pass to Douglas Sherman. Sherman would also rush for 74 yards.

In the second half, an interference call on a fair catch of a 28-yard Comeaux punt would give Texas State the ball at the NSU 39 for their first offensive series of the second half.

Nealy completed a 9-yard pass to Carpenter and Sherman would rush for two yards before Nealy hooked up with John Tyson for a 21-yard reception. On the following play, Nealy found an open Tyrone Scott in the middle of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass.

Nicholls State's Joseph Robbins would score on touchdown runs of three and one yards in the fourth quarter to account for the Colonels' points.