SAN MARCOS, Texas — After playing five road games in 49 days, the Texas State football team plays its annual Homecoming Game this Saturday night, Oct. 31, when the Bobcats host Louisiana at Bobcat Stadium. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPNU and heard on KTSW (89.9 FM in San Marcos) or the TuneIn App.
LOOKING AT THE BOBCATS
Texas State (1-6, 1-2 in the Sun Belt) enters Saturday's game leading the Sun Belt Conference in punt returns with an average of 20.2 per return. The Bobcats have returned eight punts for 162 yards and a touchdown this season.
Texas State has 141 total first downs (rush – 56, pass – 68, penalty – 17) in its first seven games. Only Arkansas State (149) has recorded more among SBC teams. The Bobcats also rank third in first down by rush, trailing only Georgia Southern (62) and Coastal Carolina (57).
The Bobcats are the only Sun Belt team with two players ranked in the top seven individual leaders in tackles for loss as
Nico Ezidore (8.0) and
Gavin Graham (7.0) are second and third, respectively.
With eight total passes defended in seven games this season,
Jarron Morris is second among Sun Belt leaders and is only one shy of the top mark.
Marcell Barbee ranks fifth in the country and second in the SBC with six touchdown receptions after catching two TD passes at BYU last Saturday.
Calvin Hill is listed on the Freshman All-America Watch List this season. Hill leads the Bobcats with 368 yards rushing and is tied for the team lead with three TD runs. Texas State has surpassed last season's rushing total in just seven games this season.
SCOUTING THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Louisiana (4-1, 2-1 in the Sun Belt) enters Saturday tied among Sun Belt Conference teams in turnover margin with a +0.80. The Ragin' Cajuns have forced eight turnovers while giving the ball away only four times.
Louisiana ranks ninth in the FBS in tackles for loss allowed per game with 4.00. That also is second among Sun Belt teams behind Georgia Southern's 3.60.
Levi Lewis is the only player to throw a pass for the Ragin' Cajuns this season and has completed 79-of-135 passes for 1,052 yards and seven touchdowns with four interceptions.
Lewis has also rushed for 137 yards, which is the fourth-highest total on the team.
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Lorenzo McCaskill is leading the Louisiana defense with 51 tackles, including 26 solo stops. He is tied with Ferrod Gardner with 2.0 sacks.
In the secondary, Bralen Trahan leads Louisiana with two interceptions and joins Percy Butler for the team lead with five break-ups.
Louisiana has not scored fewer than 20 points in a game all season. The Ragin' Cajun opened the season with a 31-14 win at Iowa State, then reeled off a 34-31 win at Georgia State and a 20-18 victory against Georgia Southern before falling against Coastal Carolina, 30-27, on Oct. 14. UL picked up its fourth win on the season on Oct. 23 with a 24-20 victory at UAB.
The Ragin' Cajuns have allowed the second-fewest passing yards in the Sun Belt Conference with just 181.6 yards per game. They are only 1.3 yards per game behind ULM for the top spot.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisiana enters Saturday's game with a 6-0 advantage in the series that began on Oct. 5, 2013, after the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin' Cajuns won the last time the two teams played in San Marcos, 42-27, on Oct. 6, 2018. Last season, Louisiana knocked off Texas State, 31-3 on Nov. 2 in Lafayette, La.
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