SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State football team (1-5, 0-3 Sun Belt) dropped a 15-13 defensive slugfest against the Georgia Southern Eagles (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) Thursday night at Bobcat Stadium in a nationally televised game on ESPNU.

The Texas State defense, five days removed from allowing 327 yards rushing by conference foe Louisiana, stifled a potent Georgia Southern triple-option attack. The Eagles managed just 164 yards on the ground on 52 carries. They entered the game with the nation's No. 7-ranked rushing attack at 275.5 yards rushing per contest. Georgia Southern was held to less than 200 yards rushing and 28 points for just the second time during the 2018 campaign, with the first coming on the road against No. 2 Clemson.
 
Continuing on the defensive side of the football, Bryan London II and Nikolas Daniels each recorded double-figure tackles to pace the Bobcats. London led the way for the fifth-consecutive game with 11 total stops, including seven of the solo variety. He also added the first fumble recovery of his career. Daniels tallied an even 10 tackles, including a team-high seven assists.

The visiting team seized control of the game through the first three quarters of action, scoring the first 15 points of the game. Wesley Fields, the star running back for the Eagles, scored Georgia Southern's lone touchdown at the 11:59 mark of the second quarter. He led the rushing attack for the Eagles, toting the ball 26 times for 96 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. Tyler Bass went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts, the first from 24 yards as the first half expired to give GS a 10-0 lead at the break.

The Eagles scored five points to open the third quarter. Lane Ecton wrapped up Willie Jones III in the end zone for a safety midway through the frame. The play marked the second time this season Texas State has surrendered a safety. Bass added a 43-yard field goal to extend the GS lead to 15-0 with two minutes remaining in the quarter.

In the weekly installment of 'what can Brown do for you?', stud Keenan Brown delivered for the Texas State offense once again just a minute after the Eagles went up by 15. The tight end by trade scampered down the sideline for 61 yards on a jet sweep to put the Bobcats inside the Eagle five-yard line. The play marked Texas State's longest from scrimmage this season. Brown again was called upon just two plays later. He darted around the left end on a carbon-copy of the jet sweep to plunge into the end zone to cut the Eagle advantage down to 15-7.

Tyler Vitt, largely ineffective in the first half, engineered a clutch drive late in the fourth quarter. After multiple stops by the defense, the Bobcats were able to find the endzone culminated by a 29-yard pass to Jeremiah Haydel. With the score standing at 15-13, Texas State called the third and final timeout of the game with 2:20 on the clock to setup a two-point play. Vitt's fade route to T.J. Bedford sailed just over his outstretched arms.

Next up, Texas State will hit the road on Oct. 20 against Sun Belt foe ULM. The game will serve as the Warhawks' homecoming contest with kick scheduled for 6 p.m. CDT at Malone Stadium.

-- TXSTATEBOBCATS.COM --