Football | 10/14/2016 10:02:00 PM

Texas State was the last team in the Sun Belt to play in a conference game, and by the looks of the way the game started last week in Atlanta, it appeared the Bobcats were eager to face some Sun Belt competition.  Texas State scored on its first two possessions of the game and defensively forced punts on Georgia State's first two possessions as the Bobcats jumped out to a 14-0 lead.  It was a refreshing start for the Bobcats who had been outscored in the first quarter 43-0 in the first four games of the season.
 
But the tide turned in Georgia State's favor thanks in part to two key plays.  The first was a potential 77-yard punt return touchdown by Brandon McDowell that was called back due to a holding penalty, wiping out what could have been a back-breaking play as the Panthers, a team playing for its first win of the season last Saturday, would've been staring down the barrel of a 21-0 deficit.  Instead, the Bobcats punted on the ensuing possession and GSU drove for their first touchdown of the game to pull within 14-7. 
 
The second key play happened just a few moments later.  Protecting (and looking to add to) a seven-point lead, the Bobcats turned the ball over on their own 46-yard line on an interception thrown by Tyler Jones.  Seven plays later, the Panthers were in the end zone again and just like that, the game was tied at 14-14.  Texas State never seemed to recover and couldn't quite revert to the team that looked so in sync in the first quarter.  There were moments for the Bobcats, including an impressive 11-play, 78-yard drive in the third quarter.  The defense did its part to give the offense more opportunities, forcing and recovering three straight fumbles bridging the third and fourth quarters on the Panthers' side of the field. 
 
However, the offense failed to cash in on any of those turnovers, making for a frustrating end to the game which resulted in a 41-21 loss.  Last Saturday showed us what the Bobcats are capable of when things are going well and also how much work this team has in order to become a consistent winner. 
 
As the Bobcats prepare for the second round of their season-long 12-round title fight, Texas State head coach Everett Withers has said the team needs to focus and finish.  They'll need to do both if they're going to beat a ULM team that's played better than its 1-4 record shows.  Here's five things you should know about the game.
 
1) ULM Is 0-2 In Conference Play But Could Easily Be 2-0
The Warhawks have four losses this season, two coming in lopsided defeats to Power 5 programs Oklahoma and Auburn, and the other two coming in conference play by a combined total of five points. 
 
ULM's first Sun Belt Conference loss came at Georgia Southern on September 17. Georgia Southern hasn't lost a Sun Belt game in Statesboro since joining the league in 2014.  The Warhawks jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and while Georgia Southern made its expected comeback, ULM was still in a position to win the game.  With 1:16 left, Warhawks kicker Craig Ford lined up for a potential 42-yard field goal but the kick was blocked as Georgia Southern held on for a 23-21 win.
 
ULM played its second conference game this past Saturday against Idaho and again a fast start and field goal factored into the result.  The Warhawks stumbled early, turning the ball over on their first two possessions and had a punt blocked for a touchdown on their third as the Vandals stormed out to a 16-0 lead.  ULM shook off the bad start and closed to within three points by halftime and the Warhawks pieced together a late drive in the fourth quarter to tie the game with just 2:28 left to play.  However, ULM could only watch as Idaho's Austin Rehkow drilled a 27-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Vandals a 34-31 win.
 
That's two tightly contested games by ULM and if a play or two breaks the Warhawks' way, we're talking about a 3-2 team sitting in a tie with Troy and Appalachian State for first place in the Sun Belt.  Instead ULM is at the bottom of the Sun Belt standings but has been far more competitive than its record, or preseason prediction (last) would indicate.
 
2) ULM's Starting Quarterback, Garrett Smith, Is From Texas
Smith happens to be one of 35 native Texans on ULM's roster and he also happens to be a pretty good quarterback.  As a freshman last year, Smith was thrown right into the fire, starting his first career game at Georgia and held his own, completing 23 of 29 passes for over 200 yards and two touchdowns.  Smith has firmly been the Warhawks' starting quarterback ever since and in 15 career starts, he's amassed over 3,700 yards of offense and 31 total touchdowns.  His record as a starter leaves something to be desired though, Smith is just 2-13, both wins coming over FCS programs (Nicholls State last year, Southern University this season).

He actually played his high school football about 40 minutes outside of San Marcos at Smithson Valley where he was a District MVP as a senior after guiding the Rangers to an undefeated regular season.  Coincidentally, his final high school game was a playoff game at Bobcat Stadium in 2013.  He drew the attention of former ULM Head Coach Todd Berry and has remained as the quarterback of choice for new head coach Matt Viator. He has played well five games into his sophomore season and is second in the Sun Belt in total offense per game, averaging just under 300 yards.  He also is ULM's leading rusher and the seventh overall leading rusher in the Sun Belt with 286 yards on the ground.
 
Smith has struggled protecting the football; he's thrown seven interceptions already this season, second-most in the Sun Belt.  That's an encouraging figure for a Bobcat defense which only has one interception through five games this season.  Hopefully they can add to that total, and Smith's, this Saturday at Malone Stadium.
 
3) The 'Cats And 'Hawks Have Played In Low Scoring Games
The scoreboard operators haven't had much to do when Texas State has played ULM over the past three years.  In 2013, the Bobcats' first in the Sun Belt, ULM scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and won the game 21-14.  Two years ago in Texas State's last trip to Monroe, the Bobcats dug out of a 15-0 third quarter deficit to beat the Warhawks 22-18.  Last season the Bobcats beat ULM on a Thursday night in San Marcos 16-3.
 
That's a total of 94 points in three games, or 16 less than Texas State and Ohio combined to score in the season opener back on September 3.  It's also just 16 points more than Michigan scored last Saturday against Rutgers.
 
Speaking of fun with numbers, in the three games the Bobcats have played against the Warhawks the past three season, Texas State has surrendered a grand total of two offensive touchdowns to the Warhawks.  That might be a difficult trend for the defense to keep up but the Bobcats' offense might be able to put a few more points on the board on Saturday as well.  ULM's defense is giving up a nation-leading 297 rushing yards per game and 39 points per game, the third highest total in the Sun Belt.  The Warhawks probably feel good about their offensive chances as well, as Texas State is giving up more than 43 points per game and over 520 yards per game, both numbers the second highest in the nation. 
 
Bottom line: 16-3 almost definitely won't be the final score on Saturday.
 
4) Whoever Wins The Field Position Battle Probably Wins The Game
This is most likely the case for any game, but it's worth highlighting just how important field position has been for both teams so far this season.  Besides, it's an excuse for me to put together a chart and that's an opportunity I can't pass up. 
 
Texas State Offensive Starting Field Position Breakdown

Position	# of Possessions	Touchdowns	TD %
Own 35 or better	16x	5	31%
Behind 35 or further	56x	10	18%

 
ULM Field Offensive Starting Field Position Breakdown

Position	# of Possessions	Touchdowns	TD %
Own 35 or better	12x	5	42%
Behind 35 or further	54x	9	17%

 
It sounds simple but it's so important: the closer to the end zone a team is when their drive starts, the easier it is to score.  Winning the field position battle isn't paramount to winning the game, remember the Bobcats had three straight drives start in Panther territory last week and didn't score, but it goes a long way. 
 
Field position is especially crucial for a team that doesn't hit a lot of "home runs" as the Bobcats have struggled to do.  Texas State has just 19 plays this season of 20 yards or more (about four per game) and just four plays of 40 yards or more.  ULM has had a tad more success executing explosive plays with 26 of them (about five per game) and eight of the Warhawks' 15 touchdowns have been scored off of plays of 20 yards or more. 
 
Whether its short fields or explosive plays, whichever team has to "work" the least for its points on Saturday could be the one that wins the game.
 
5) Stedman Mayberry Has Been A Workhorse For The Bobcats
Mayberry emerged as one of the Bobcats' better players following fall camp and earned the starting nod in the backfield which was commendable considering there was no clear-cut candidate to win the job.  Mayberry was on equal footing along with Tyler Siudzinski, Tyler Tutt and Jericho Worrell when camp opened but had separated himself from the pack by the time camp wound down.  Five games into the season, Mayberry remains Texas State's lead running back and has looked the part with 288 yards rushing, good for sixth in the Sun Belt. 
 
However, the coaching staff wants to award more opportunities to the other running backs for a few reasons.  The first is to obviously see what they are made of and continue the evaluation process but also to keep Mayberry from wearing down.  In addition to his team leading rushing total, Mayberry is also tied for the team lead in receptions with 20.  In the past two games, Texas State's sophomore running back has 56 touches for 246 yards.  Of the 116 carries by Bobcat running backs this season, Mayberry has 80 of them, 69%.  He's played well, but that's a lot of wear and tear.
 
Mayberry could be in line for a big day against ULM given the Warhawks' (referenced above) struggles to stop the run this season but that also means that this could be the ideal game to get some other players involved in the running game.  Coach Withers has said he wants to have a run-oriented offense, and having multiple running backs involved would go a long way in that regard.
 
And those are just five things you should know about Saturday's game.  Eat 'Em Up!