SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State Bobcats (1-5, 0-2 SBC) dropped their fifth consecutive contest at the hands of the ULM Warhawks (3-2, 3-0 SBC) by a score of 45-27 at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday afternoon, October 7.
 
Texas State used a strong start and jumped out to an early 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, but were unable to sustain the momentum throughout the remainder of the game.
 
ULM won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick.  The Warhawks proceeded to take the ball down the field to the tune of a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.  The scoring drive was capped off by a 20-yard TD pass from Caleb Evans to Brian Williams.

Texas State immediately answered with a seven-play scoring drive covering 73 yards.  The big plays of the drive came on a 34-yard completion from Damian Williams to Jeremiah Haydel, followed by a 26-yard burst from Anthony D. Taylor on the next play.  Williams finished off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak.  The Bobcats chose to attempt to score two points following the touchdown, but James Sherman's pass was intercepted by Caleb Tucker and returned for a defensive two points for the Warhawks, giving them a 9-6 advantage.

One the next drive, ULM wasted no time finding the end zone, scoring on a one-yard run from running back Ben Luckett.  The play was setup by a 64-yard catch and run by Xavier Brown.  The scoring drive took just 19 seconds off the clock and put ULM ahead, 16-6.
Once again, the Bobcats were up to answer ULM with another long scoring drive that covered 86 yards in seven plays.  Williams hit Elijah King on a pair of completions, one for 18 yards then another for 16, as well as a 20-yard strike to Hutch White.  Williams finished off the drive with a beautiful ball down the left side to a streaking Tyler Watts on a wheel route for a 25-yard score. That brought the Bobcats within a field goal at 16-13 after Foster Hilborn's PAT. 

Texas State's defense was the first to make a stand, forcing the Warhawks into a 24-yard field goal attempt.  Craig Ford split the uprights to extending ULM's lead to six.  However, Texas State's offensive staff dialed up the tricks, throwing a lateral pass to Hutch White, who then found Anthony D. Taylor darting down the right hash.  White's pass found Taylor in stride for a 47-yard touchdown.  The play gave the Bobcats a 20-19 lead with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter.

The fireworks in the first quarter slowed down in the second, as both defensive units settled in.  ULM regained the lead when Evans completed a 34-yard pass to R.J. Turner for the touchdown with just under 10 minutes in the half. The score remained at 26-20 heading into the halftime break.

ULM tacked on 10 more points in the third quarter to make the score 35-20. Evans began the scoring in the second half with a 10-yard run on a read option play.  Ford added a 35-yard field goal near the end of the quarter.

For Texas State, Williams added his second rushing score of the game early in the fourth quarter when the graduate QB kept the ball on an option play and walked into the end zone from three yards out.  His score cut the lead to a one-score, 35-27.

However, ULM answered quickly when two plays later, Evans found Macus Green on a dig route.  Green slipped a tackle and scampered into the end zone for a 67-yard TD reception.  A Ford field goal from 20 yards away with five minutes left in the game closed out the scoring and gave ULM its third straight Sun Belt Conference victory, 45-27.

Taylor provided a spark for the offense, notching the first 100-yard rushing performance for a Bobcat player this season.  In total, the sophomore registered 15 carries for 102 yards.  He also added three receptions for 52 yards and a score.  Taylor led the team in rushing attempts, rushing yards, receptions (tied) and receiving yards.

Williams was very efficient in the first half, completing 9-of-11 passes for 142 yards and a score.  He finished the game with 13 completions on 24 attempts for 158 yards and one TD. He also notched a pair of scores on the ground. 

Defensively, Dila Rosemond led the way with a career- best 10 tackles, six of them solo stops.  He becomes the fourth different Bobcat to record 10 tackles in a game this season. A.J. Krawczyk also tallied a career-best nine tackles, including a team-high eight solo stops.  Easy Anyama carded his third sack of the season, dropping Evans for a seven-yard loss and led the team with three quarterback hurries. 

The Bobcats have a short week next week to prepare for their next game when they travel to Louisiana for a Thursday night clash of Sun Belt foes.  Kick is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start time at Cajun Field and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.