Nov. 15, 2008

Final Stats

Game Stats in PDF Format

San Marcos, Texas - In a season in which they have struggled in home games, the Texas State football took advantage of a pair of Nicholls State fumbles and a short punt to win their first Southland Conference home game of the season with a 34-10 victory over the Colonels Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.

The Bobcats trailed 3-0 after the first quarter when Ross Schexnayder kicked a 40-yard field goal to cap a 53-yard, 13-play drive that used over seven minutes on the clock.

Texas State tied the score at 3-3 when Andrew Ireland kicked a 19-yard field goal to cap a 16-play, 74-yard drive with 11:39 left to play in the first half.

On the Colonels' next drive, Texas State's Travis Houston recovered a fumble by Marlin Meeks at the Nicholls 34-yard line to set up the first touchdown in the game.

The Bobcats took advantage when Alvin Canady rushed 19 yards and Bradley George threw a 26-yard touchdown to Cameron Luke to give Texas State a 10-3 lead.

The Bobcat defense forced another turnover on Nicholls next drive when Houston recovered another fumble at the Nicholls 18-yard line. After George gained five yards on a first-down run, senior running back Stan Zwinggi ran the remaining 13 yards in the next three plays, scoring on a five-yard TD run with 1:50 left to play in the half to give the Bobcats a 17-3 lead.

After Nicholls State was forced to punt on its next drive a 24-yard punt by Patrick Dolan gave Texas State the ball at the Nicholls 46 yard line.

George completed a 12-yard pass to Luke to give the Bobcats the ball at the 34. Then Nicholls State was called for an offside penalty. On the first and five play, George hit Karrington Bush out of the backfield for a 29-yard TD pass that gave the Bobcats a 24-3 halftime lead.

Texas State began the second half with a seven-play, 51-yard drive that ended when senior tight end John Gilley scored the first touchdown of his career on a 14-yard pass from George with 10:49 left in the third quarter.

Nicholls State scored their only touchdown of the game with a 13-yard pass from Vincent Montgomery to Antonio Robinson to cap a seven-play 79-yard drive with 7:25 left to play in the third quarter.

The Bobcats closed out the scoring with a 21-yard field goal by Ireland with 14:52 left in the game.

The game also marked the final home game for Jeff Bowen, Blake Burton, Morris Crosby, Wellington Deshield, John Gilley, Corey Hickerson, Andrew Ireland, Donovan King, Cameron Luke, Freddy Paige, Brian Quackenbush, Michael Rutledge, Courtney Smith, Adrian Thomas, Clint Toon, Jamal Williams and Stan Zwinggi.

Zwinggi led the Bobcats in rushing with 73 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Canady finished with 54 yards on nine carries and Bush gained 43 yards on nine carries.

George ended the day completing 10 of his 14 passes for 136 yards and three touchdowns despite the fact that the game was played with a wind of 24-miles per hour.

Luke led the Bobcat receivers with 64 yards and a touchdown catch on five receptions and Bush ended the day catching three passes for 51 yards, including the 29-yard touchdown grab.

The victory gives the Bobcats a 7-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in the Southland Conference standings heading into next Saturday's game at Sam Houston State.