Football | 9/22/2017 11:38:00 AM
Texas State Hosts UTSA In H-E-B I-35 Showdown
• Looking to win its second game of the season, the Texas State football team will host UTSA in the H-E-B I-35 Showdown game this Saturday, Sept. 23, on Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday's game is televised on CBS Austin and CW 35 in San Antonio and video streamed on ESPN3.
• The Bobcats enter Saturday's game looking for their second win of the season after nearly upsetting defending Sun Belt Conference champion and preseason favorite Appalachian State at Bobcat Stadium last week. Trailing 20-13 in the game, Texas State forced a fumble on its own one-yard line and drove 98 yards to the Mountaineer's one-yard line. But, time expired before the Bobcats could run another play.
• Texas State, which has a 1-2 overall record this season, enters Saturday night with a 1-1 record in home games after opening the season with a 20-11 victory over Houston Baptist on Sept. 2.
• UTSA is off to its best start since 2012 with a 2-0 record this season after beating Southern, 51-17, last Saturday. The Roadrunners opened their season with a 17-10 victory at Baylor on Sept. 9 after their game against Houston was canceled due to Hurricane Harvey. It was the school's first win against a Power 5 conference team.
SERIES HISTORY
• This marks the second time that Texas State and UTSA have met on the gridiron. The Bobcats fell 38-31 in the only previous meeting on Nov. 12, 2012 at the Alamodome. In that game, the Bobcats trailed 31-14 before scoring 10 points after a pair of interceptions and adding their final touchdown with 1:29 left to play on Shaun Rutherford's TD pass to Brandon Smith. However, the Roadrunners recovered the onside kick to preserve the victory.
THE HEAD COACHES
• Head coach
Everett Withers is in his second season as head coach at Texas State and his fifth season overall as a head coach. Withers enters the UTSA game with a 28-25 career record after the Bobcats opened the 2017 season with a 1-2 mark. A graduate of Appalachian State, Withers played defensive back and served as a team captain for the Mountaineers. He served one season as an interim head coach at North Carolina and coached at James Madison in 2014 and 2015 before coming to Texas State.
• Head coach Frank Wilson is in his second season at UTSA and enters Saturday's game with an 8-7 career record. Wilson went to UTSA after a six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU. He was an associate head coach during his last four years with the Tigers, and coached at Tennessee in 2009, Southern Miss in 2008 and Mississippi from 2005-07.
ABOUT THE BOBCATS
• Texas State enters Saturday's game ranked 12th nationally and leading the Sun Belt Conference in rushing defense after surrendering an average of 88.7 yards per game in the first three contests this season. The Bobcats held Appalachian State to 116 yards rushing after surrendering just 91 yards at Colorado and 59 yards to Houston Baptist.
• Texas State ranks 14th nationally and leads the Sun Belt in blocked kicks after
Easy Anyama blocked an extra-point try against Houston Baptist.
• The Bobcats rank third among Sun Belt Conference teams in scoring and total defense after holding their first three opponents to 22.7 points and 323.7 yards per game. Texas State held Appalachian State to 283 total yards and 20 points in its first Sun Belt Conference game this season. The Bobcats also held Houston Baptist to 258 total yards and 11 points.
• The Bobcats lead the Sun Belt and rank 12th nationally in quarterback sacks with 3.3 sacks per game after recording their 10th sack of the season against Appalachian State. Texas State recorded a season-high six sacks against Houston Baptist and three sacks at Colorado. The six sacks against HBU is the most by the Bobcats since Dec. 1, 2012 when they had six sacks against New Mexico State.
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Hal Vinson became the third Bobcat to record 10 tackles in a game this season when he tallied a career-best 10 stops against Appalachian State. Vinson joins
Gabe Loyd and
Bryan London II after Loyd equaled his career-best of 12 tackles and London added 10 stops against Appalachian State.
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Robert Brown, Jr. rushed for 51 total yards on seven carries against Appalachian State. Brown recorded his two longest runs of his career when he rushed for 22 yards on one carry and 20 yards on another carry against the Mountaineers. Brown leads Texas State in rushing with 124 yards on 29 carries this season. He also ran for 41 yards on 11 carries at Colorado.
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Anthony D. Taylor made his second consecutive start against Appalachian State and has rushed for 110 yards on 26 carries this season. Taylor led Texas State with 66 yards rushing on six carries at Colorado. He had a career-long, 55-yard run on the first play of the game against the Buffaloes.
• Graduate transfer
Damian Williams had his most productive outing of the season when he recorded season highs of 260 yards passing and 46 yards rushing against Appalachian State. Williams completed 23 of 35 passes, threw a 49-yard touchdown pass and had a season-long completion of 55 yards to
Elijah King to set up a field goal.
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Elijah King leads Texas State in receiving yards with 10 receptions for 197 yards after catching six passes for 112 yards against Appalachian State. King caught a career-long 55-yard pass to set up a field goal against the Mountaineers. \
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Thurman Morbley also has 10 receptions with 120 receiving yards after catching five passes for 24 yards against Appalachian State. Morbley led the Bobcats with 119 all-purpose yards and in receiving with five catches for 96 yards at Colorado.
SCOUTING THE ROADRUNNERS
• UTSA enters Saturday's game looking to improve their record to 3-0 for the first time since 2012. The Roadrunners have held their last four opponents under 300 yards of total offense and are ranked sixth nationally after surrendering just 211.5 yards per game this season.
• The Roadrunners also have posted nine sacks this season.
• UTSA's offense registered 502 yards in the 51-17 victory against Southern on Sept. 16 and is averaging 438.5 yards in its first two games. The Roadrunners scored on their first seven possessions and led 48-0 at halftime against the Jaguars.
UP NEXT
• Texas State travels to Laramie, Wyo., for its final non-conference game against Wyoming on Sept. 30. The game kicks off at 3 p.m. and will be televised on Facebook Live.
