Dec. 3, 2005

Final Stats |  Notes

SAN MARCOS - Douglas Sherman rushed for a career-high 125 yards and one score, and Texas State (11-2) held Cal Poly (9-4) to 263 yards of total offense in a 14-7 win Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.

The win advanced Texas State to next week's I-AA semifinal game against Northern Iowa, who went on the road to beat top-ranked New Hampshire 24-21 in Durham. The Bobcats and Panthers will play next Friday, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.

Tickets for Friday's semifinal game against UNI go on sale Sunday at noon, and the Texas State ticket office will stay open until 6 p.m. that night.

Senior quarterback Barrick Nealy threw for 211 yards on 18-of-33 passing, and Markee White caught eight of Nealy's 18 connections for 76 yards, including a five-yard grab in the game's final minute to cement the seven-point win.

The Bobcats also forced a pair of drive-stopping turnovers, including a Jeremy Castillo fumble recovery at the goal line that halted a potential Mustang touchdown run in the first half. Cal Poly evened the turnover margin with a pair of interceptions, but the Mustangs were unable to capitalize on any of the Bobcat miscues in the quarterfinal loss.

Castillo led Texas State's defense with 13 tackles and Jamarqus O'Neal reeled in the quarterback interception, while Cal Poly's defense was topped by Kyle Shotwell's 20 stops from the middle linebacker spot.

Both teams punted to start the game, and after moving the ball 70 yards in 15 plays on its second drive, Texas State missed its first scoring opportunity when a 27-yard Stan Jones field-goal attempt sailed to the left of the upright, leaving the game scoreless with 4:47 to play in the first quarter.

After Texas State forced a second-consecutive Mustang three-and-out, Nealy capped a six-play, 53-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run that put Texas State up 7-0 but looked doomed in the beginning.

Nealy was hammered by Cal Poly's Chris White in the backfield, but quickly bounced off the hit and sprinted through the defensive front, finding the end zone after breaking two more tackles in the Mustang backfield.

The Bobcats forced Cal Poly into a third three-and-out to begin the second quarter, paving the way for another Bobcat march down the field. Texas State moved the ball into Mustang territory, but the drive was halted when Cal Poly's Kenny Chicoine intercepted Nealy's pass at the Mustang 15.

The Mustangs were unable to find points on the turnover, punting the ball back to the `Cats after moving the chains once, and Sherman opened the Bobcats' next drive with a 21-yard run to the Cal Poly 48. On the next play, Nealy hit Dameon Williams on a 19-yard pass that put the ball at the Mustang 29.

The `Cats were forced into a 4th-and-13 after a Mustang sack and two missed passes, and on fourth down Jones again came up short on a 48-yard attempt, leaving the score at 7-0 with 6:47 to go in the half.

Cal Poly took control and moved the chains with an 11-yard James Noble run, and seven plays later after moving the football to the one-inch line, Mustang quarterback Matt Brennan put the ball on the turf where it was scooped up by Castillo at the two.

The fumble deflated Cal Poly's first scoring chance with 3:15 to play in the second quarter, and Texas State went to halftime up 7-0 after draining the clock in six plays.

Like the first half, both teams punted to open the third quarter, but Texas State took advantage of good field position to force Cal Poly to start deep in its own territory.

After Cory Elolf pinned Cal Poly at the one, Brennan found Tredale Tolver on the Mustangs' first play for 34 yards to the Mustang 35.

Four plays later, Fred Evans slammed Brennan into the turf to force a 3rd-and-10 from, and Brennan's third-down offering skipped across the hash marks to bring on the Mustang punt unit with 4:15 on the third-quarter clock.

Texas State took over at the Bobcat 41, and ten plays later, Sherman ripped through the Mustang defense for a five-yard score that put the `Cats up 14-0 with 2:23 to play in the frame, capping the 59-yard, four-minute drive.

Cal Poly got within seven late in the game, scoring on an eight-yard Noble touchdown run, topping a nine-play, 79-yard drive that took less than three minutes, but Texas State would chew the final minutes off the clock, starting at its own 35 after the Cal Poly kick sailed out of bounds with just over four minutes to play.

Daniel Jolly rushed for 26 yards on six carries in the game-ending drive, and Nealy connected with White for eight yards on a 4th-and-5 in the final minute to seal the seven-point win.

The win also represented Texas State's third-most attended game, as 15,411 fans saw the Bobcats advance to the I-AA semifinals. Two Bobcat Stadium crowds have been larger, but neither were attended under the current policies set forth by the NCAA in post-season play.