Oct. 14, 2006

Final Stats |  Notes

LAKE CHARLES, La. - The Texas State defense forced six turnovers and Bradley George found Chase Wasson in the end zone on each of the Bobcats' first two possessions to spoil McNeese State's homecoming with a 27-17 road victory Saturday night in a game televised by Fox Sports.

Texas State (2-4, 1-1) earned its first conference win of the season and snapped a four game losing streak while McNeese fell to 2-4 overall on the season and 0-1 in the Southland.

George finished the game 12-23 for 201 yards and three touchdowns, including 160 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Stan Zwinggi led the Bobcats in rushing with 23 carries for 95 yards, 81 of which came in the first half, and Morris Crosby led Texas State receivers with three catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Walter Musgrove and Daniel Varvel each picked off two passes and Shola Obafemi intercepted another. Gary Sheppard also forced and recovered a fumble, and Mark Washington recorded two sacks for the Bobcats.

For McNeese State, Derrick Fourroux completed 16 of 27 passes for 186 and two touchdowns with three interceptions. Jamie Leonard rushed nine times for 72 yards, and Carlese Franklin led all receivers with seven catches for 95 yards.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead after an impressive opening drive. Texas State started from its own five yard line after a penalty on the kickoff return, but a screen pass to Stan Zwinggi to convert a tough third and six and a 47-yard reception by Morris Crosby kept the drive alive. Wasson then capped things off with a 12-yard touchdown pass from George with 9:55 left in the first quarter. The nine-play, 95-yard drive took 5:05 from the clock and was the longest scoring drive of the season for the Bobcats.

McNeese State answered with a 13-play, 65-yard drive of its own that took 5:07 off the game clock. Carlese Franklin caught a 26-yard pass from Fourroux to move the ball to the Texas State 12-yard line, but a pair of runs for minimal gains and an incomplete pass forced the Cowboys to settle for a Blake Bercegeay 25-yard field goal to cut the Bobcat lead to 7-3 at the 4:48 mark.

The `Cats then took the ball on their next possession and drove 80 yards in six plays, 34 of which came on a George completion to Alex Darley, to go up 14-3 before the end of the first quarter. Wasson finished the drive by catching a 10-yard touchdown with 1:16 remaining in the first, his second touchdown reception of the quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Musgrove intercepted Franklin in the end zone on a wide receiver pass. It was the second interception in as many games for the senior. Texas State was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but the defense responded with another turnover when Varvel recorded his first interception of the season.

The Bobcats scored again right before half time on a drive that consumed nearly half of the second quarter. The 15-play, 85-yard drive took 7:28 off the clock and ended with an Andrew Ireland 18-yard field goal that gave the Bobcats a 17-3 lead 12 seconds before half time.

McNeese got the ball first to start the second half trying to cut into the Bobcat lead, but Shepard stripped Toddrick Pendland and recovered the fumble at the Cowboy 48. Penalties caused the Bobcats' possession to stall, and Texas State had to punt.

McNeese got the ball back at the Texas State 36 with 10: when Steven Whitehead returned Chris MacDonald's punt 48 yards. After Mike Rutledge broke up a key pass on third down, the Cowboys tried but failed to convert a fourth-and-7 at the Bobcat 33.

Texas State took over on downs with 8:51 remaining and made the most of the possession. George hit Morris Crosby on a 20-yard touchdown pass, his third of the game, with 5:52 left in the third. The play capped a seven-play, 68-yard drive that consumed 2:59 and extended the Texas State lead to 24-3.

Whitehead had his second big special teams play on the ensuing kickoff, scampering 60 yards on the return to give McNeese State great starting field position at the Bobcat 40. Two plays later, Quinten Lawrence scored the first Cowboy touchdown of the game on a 30-yard reception from Fourroux to make it a 24-10 game with 4:30 left in the third.

Texas State went three and out on its next possession, and Whitehead again made the Bobcats pay with a 35-yard punt return to put the Cowboys in Texas State territory at the 45 to begin their drive. The Cowboy return man finished the game with 228 return yards on eight returns, a 28.5 yard average. A 26-yard reception by Franklin on third-and-20 kept the drive alive, and Franklin got 16 more yards on an end around on the next play to move the ball inside the Texas State 10.

McNeese would get no closer though when on third-and-goal Obafemi intercepted Fourroux at the goal line and returned it 85 yards to the McNeese 15. Andrew Ireland kicked his second field goal of the game, this time from 34 yards out, to make it a three-possession game at 27-10 with 12:53 left on the game clock.

McNeese marched down the field on the next possession, finding paydirt on an eight-play, 75-yard drive that took 3:13. Fourroux threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Wesley Mangan to make it a 27-17 game with 9:27 remaining in the fourth.

The Bobcats went three plays and out on their next possession, giving McNeese the ball back at midfield with 7:23 left. The Cowboys moved downfield to the Bobcat 21, but Fourroux threw his third interception of the game and second to Daniel Varvel with 5:07 left in the game to give the Bobcats possession.

Texas State then held off any late rally by the Cowboys, highlighted by Musgrove recording his second interception off a Mark Fontenot pass that was deflected. The interception was the fifth of the game for the Bobcat defense, one short of the school record of six that was set twice, once against Lamar in 1982 and again the next year in a game with Abilene Christian.

The Bobcats will now return home to face Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday, Oct. 21, while McNeese State will travel to play Stephen F. Austin. Texas State's game against Southeastern Louisiana will also double as homecoming for the Bobcats. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.