Game Statistics

The Texas State football team scored 28 unanswered points to win its 15^th straight home-opening game with a 31-17 comeback victory over Southern Arkansas Saturday night on Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. 

The Bobcats looked like they would seize control of the game early when they scored on their first possession as Justin Garelick kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 31-yard drive.   

 

However, Southern Arkansas tied the score at 3-3 after the Bobcats put a goal-line stand with 10:30 left in the second period.

The Muleriders took a surprising 10-3 lead when Brandon Rashad picked off Tyler Arndt's pass at Southern Arkansas's 49-yard line and ran the ball back 51 yards for a touchdown.

 

After Texas State's Frank Reddic fumbled the ensuing kickoff at the 20-yard line, the ball bounced forward 12 yards where Cameron Maser recovered the ball for Southern Arkansas at Texas State's 32 yard line.        

 

The Muleriders extended their lead to 17-3 three plays later when Austin Civita completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Patterson and Noe Cuevas kicked the extra point with 6:32 left in the first half.        

 

The Bobcats ended the half with a pair of touchdowns to tie the score at 17-17. The first touchdown came when the Bobcats drove down the field 64 yards in five plays. Freshman quarterback Tyler Arndt, who made the first start of his career, completed three passes in the drive. The first was a 12 yard pass to Darius Bolden. Then, he threw a 27-yard strike to Daren Dillard, which put the Bobcats at SAU's 26-yard line. Arndt capped off the drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Da'Marcus Griggs.        

 

After a pair of strong defensive stands, the Bobcats took their final possession in the first half at midfield with 40 seconds left. Arndt hit Dillard for a 27-yard pass on the first play to move the ball down to SAU's 23-yard line. After Arndt spiked the ball to stop the clock, he hit Griggs for a nine-yard pass to set up a fourth-and-one play. He gained two yards for the first down at SAU's 12-yard line. After the Muleriders were called for pass interference in the end zone, the Bobcats took over at the two-yard line. Arndt hit Griggs for his second touchdown reception on the final play of the half and Justin Garelick added the extra point to make the halftime score 17-17.  “That touchdown going into halftime was a momentum changer,” said Griggs. “We didn't go into halftime down 17-10 because of it. Tyler made a great throw, and I just came down with it.”  

 

The Bobcats regained the lead on their first possession in the third quarter after Griggs returned Zach Massingill's punt 25 yards and gave Texas State possession at the SAU 32-yard line. Then Arndt hit fullback Eric Gentry for a 14-yard pass. After Southern Arkansas was called for pass interference, Arndt scored on a 13-yard touchdown run and Garelick added the extra point to give Texas State a 24-17 lead.   

 

The Bobcats scored the final points of the game with 1:51 left in the third quarter as Bush ran for a 79-yard touchdown. It was the longest run for Bush, since he had an 80-yard run against Southeastern Louisiana as a freshman in 2007.   

 

“I haven't had a run like that in a while so it felt really good,” Bush said. “When I went through the hole, it was kind of cloudy, but I went outside and broke a few tackles. I saw that I was by myself. It gives me a little confidence going into next week. I hope that I can get a few more runs like that and we get some more wins. “

 

Bush ended the game rushing for 102 yards and the touchdown on 14 carries. Arndt completed 15 of his 29 passes for 205 yards and two TD's. Griggs led Bobcat receivers with five receptions for 64 yards and two TD's.   

 

Defensively, Brian Lilly led the Bobcats with eight tackles, and he intercepted a pass to mark the third straight game in which he has recorded an interception. He also recorded a sack for minus eight yards.   

 

The victory evens Texas State's record at 1-1, while Southern Arkansas fell to 0-2 this season. Texas State will play its second straight home game next Saturday, September 18, when the Bobcats play host to Cal Poly at 6:00 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium.

Watch the post game press conference with Bobcats All-Access (subscription required).