SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Texas State football team (1-8, 1-4 in the Sun Belt) plays its final road game in the 2020 season when the Bobcats travel to Statesboro, Ga., and play Georgia Southern (5-2, 3-2) at 2:30 p.m. CT / 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Paulson Stadium.
ESPN3 will broadcast the matchup with Matt Stewart and Danny Waugh calling the action, while KTSW (89.9 FM in San Marcos) and the TuneIn App will air the radio broadcast with
Clint Shields,
Geff Gandy, and
Koral Riggs describing the game.
LOOKING AT THE BOBCATS
Jahmyl Jeter's 135- yard rushing performance against Appalachian State marks the first time since 2015 that Texas State had back-to-back individual 100- yard rushing games. In that 2015 season,
Robert Lowe rushed for 104 against Prairie View A&M, before
Tyler Jones went for 160 against Southern Mississippi.
Jeter became the third different Texas State player to have rushed for 100-or-more yards in a game this season. It marks the first time the Bobcats have three or more players rush for 100 yards in different games since 2015 when
Robert Lowe,
Tyler Jones, and Tyler Siudzinski accomplished the feat.
With his 201 passing yards against Appalachian State,
Tyler Vitt has thrown for 3,568 yards during his Texas State career. That total moves him into ninth all-time in school history after he passed James Duncan (1968-71) for the spot.
Vitt's 75-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Mountaineers was the 25th touchdown pass of his career, which breaks a tie with Jesse Perkins (1964-67) and Spergon Wynn (1998-99) for eighth place on Texas State all-time career list. Vitt finished the game with two touchdown passes to increase his career total to 26, which is one shy of seventh all time.
Receiver
Marcell Barbee enters Saturday's game against Georgia Southern with eight receiving touchdowns on the season, which ranks as the third most among FBS players and ties him for first place in the Sun Belt Conference. Only North Texas' Jaelon Darden (10) and LSU's Terrance Marshall, Jr., (9) have more than the Texas State junior.
Barbee's eight touchdown receptions this season ties him with Da'Marcus Griggs (2009), Billy Dunk (1978), and Johnny Parker (1969) for Texas State's fourth-highest total in a single season. His eight TD receptions are also the most by a TXST player since Griggs had eight during the 2009 season.
Among 113 FBS ranked teams, Texas State comes in at 17th in turnovers gained. The Bobcats have gained 12 turnovers through nine games this season. Syracuse holds the top spot in the country with 17, whereas Georgia State is atop the Sun Belt with 14.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Georgia Southern freshman cornerback Derrick Canteen leads the FBS with four interceptions this season.
Eagles quarterback Shai Werts needs only seven rushing yards to set the Sun Belt Conference career rushing record for a quarterback. Werts will pass former Louisiana quarterback Michael Desormeaux (2,843; 2005-08) when he accomplishes the feat.
Under head coach Chad Lunsford, Georgia Southern is 9-0 when the Eagle defense holds its opponents to 14-or-fewer points.
Georgia Southern has 11 different players who have attempted at least one rush this season. J.D. King tops the team with 625 rushing yards on 116 attempts, while Werts has 474 yards on just 90 carries.
Werts has completed 57 of his 98 passes for 738 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. He is averaging 105.43 passing yards through seven games this season.
Georgia Southern boasts one of the best red zone defenses in the country after allowing only 15 scoring plays on 23 trips inside the red zone. The 65.2 conversion rate ranks 10th in the nation and is also the top mark by any team playing seven-or-more games this season.
SERIES HISTORY
The two teams will resume the series after taking a one-year break in 2019 after playing in San Marcos on Oct. 11, 2018.
Georgia Southern holds an all-time 1-3 record against Texas State, with the Bobcats' lone win coming on Nov. 26, 2005, when TXST knocked off the Eagles, 50-35, in the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.
Since joining the Sun Belt in 2013, Texas State has yet to pick up a conference victory over Georgia Southern in matchups during 2014, 2015, and 2018.
In the only game in series history played in Statesboro, Ga., Texas State fell to the Eagles, 37-13, on Oct. 29, 2015.
Texas State has a 1-1 record against Georgia Southern in games played in November after winning on Nov. 26, 2005, before being upended, 28-25, on Nov. 8, 2014, in San Marcos.
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