DALLAS – The Texas State football team (0-3) could not contain the rushing attack of the SMU Mustangs (3-0) in a 47-17 loss on Saturday night at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The Bobcats fall to 0-3 for the first time since the 1995 season.

BOX SCORE
- SMU tallied 390 yards rushing on 56 carries. Freshman tailback TJ McDaniel led the Mustangs on the ground with 159 yards on eight carries and a trio of touchdowns in his collegiate debut. Senior running back Xavier Jones added 108 yards on 20 carries and a score. The game marked the second time this season the TXST defense has yielded two 100-yard rushers in the same contest.
- Texas State failed to establish the running game for the third consecutive game to open the 2019 season. The Cats carried the ball 29 times for 16 yards. SMU sacked the Bobcat quarterbacks five times to contribute 38 yards lost to the TXST rushing total.  
- Junior quarterback Shane Buechele finished the night with 216 passing yards on 14-of-18 completions for the home team. The Texas transfer tossed a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions. Junior quarterback Gresch Jensen threw for 185 yards on 22-of-37 with one score and one pick.
- Senior linebacker Bryan London II led the Bobcat defense with 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Five of his tackles came on solo stops. Senior defensive back Jalen Smith charted eight tackles and an interception. For SMU, senior linebacker Patrick Nelson racked up 3.0 sacks.

KEY MOMENTS
- SMU marched down the field to score the first touchdown of the contest. After the Bobcats won the toss and deferred the choice of possession to the second half, the Mustangs went 74 yards on seven plays to find the endzone. The scoring play came on a fly sweep touchdown pass from Buechele to senior wide receiver James Proche from four yards out.
- Sophomore cornerback Jarron Morris charted his second career interception on a screen pass in the first frame. The big defensive play enabled the Texas State offense to work with a short field. The Bobcat offense stalled and had to settle for a 27-yard field goal off the foot of senior kicker Joshua Rowland. The kick made the score 7-3 in favor of the home team.
- After a quick defensive stand to open the second half, SMU moved quickly down the field via the right arm of Buechele. The drive culminated in a one-yard TD plunge from Jones. The touchdown run was the seventh of the season for Jones.
- Texas State added a pair of second-half scoring drives. The first came in the third quarter when senior running back Anthony D. Taylor hauled in a 10-yard screen pass from Jensen. The final scoring play of the game for the Bobcats came via a 35-yard wheel route out of the backfield from junior running back Caleb Twyford. The scoring strike came from sophomore quarterback Tyler Vitt.

NOTABLES
- Texas State is 7-8 against opponents from the state of Texas outside of conference play since joining the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2012. The Bobcats hold a record of 7-5 in games against non-Power 5 Conference opponents in the state during the same time frame.
- The Bobcats have amassed a record of 6-10 against teams currently in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). TXST is 0-2 all-time against SMU.
- The first quarter field goal made by Rowland was the first successful try for a Bobcat field goal kicker since James Sherman connected on a 21-yarder on Sept. 15, 2018 at South Alabama.
- Smith recorded his first interception in a Bobcat uniform in the second quarter. The pick was the second of the game for TXST and the fourth of the season for the defense.
- Senior linebacker Frankie Griffin blocked a PAT attempt from SMU. The blocked kick was the first of his career, and the first for Texas State this season.

QUOTES FROM THE SIDELINE
- "I thought our offense struggled tonight," head coach Jake Spavital said. "They struggled all night and put our defense in bad positions. I thought the defense played really well in the first half, but they were gassed in the second."

UP NEXT
- Texas State will begin a three-game homestand at Bobcat Stadium with a clash against Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia State. Kick is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 21. The game will be available for stream via ESPN+.

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