SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Texas State football team (1-7, 1-3 in Sun Belt) looks to get back on the winning track when the Bobcats host Appalachian State (4-1, 2-0 in Sun Belt) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Bobcat Stadium.
ESPN+ will broadcast the game with
Brant Freeman serving as the play-by-play announcer and Steve Foster serving as an analyst. Fans can listen to the game on KTSW (89.9 FM in San Marcos) or the TuneIn App with
Clint Shields,
Geff Gandy, and
Koral Riggs on the airwaves.
LOOKING AT THE BOBCATS
Jarron Morris has three interceptions, and that total ties him for the NCAA and Sun Belt Conference lead after picking off a pass by Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis last Saturday night.
Marcell Barbee continued his 2020 hot streak catching his seventh touchdown pass against Louisiana. Barbee ranks fifth among FBS receivers and second in the Sun Belt.
Brock Sturges rushed for a career-high 128 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries against Louisiana last Saturday. Sturges' 128 rushing yards were the most by a Texas State player since
Caleb Twyford had 137 against Georgia State on Sept. 21, 2019. Sturges also became the first Bobcat to rush for two touchdowns in a game since Anthony Taylor crossed the goal line twice against the Panthers in 2019.
With his touchdown strike to Barbee, quarterback
Brady McBride has now thrown a touchdown pass in each of his six games at Texas State. His nine touchdown passes this season ranks fifth among Sun Belt players.
Jeremiah Haydel ranks second nationally and leads the Sun Belt Conference with 18.4 yards per punt return. Only Kansas State's Phillip Brooks has a higher punt return average of 25.1 yards.
Texas State has rushed for 1,152 yards in eight games this season. That total is 232 more yards than the Bobcats ran for in 12 games during the 2019 season. The last time TXST rushed for 1,000-or-more yards in a season came in 2018 when the Bobcats rushed for 1,777 yards.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Appalachian State brings the Sun Belt Conference's best scoring defense this weekend after allowing only 11 total touchdowns, four field goals, eight extra points, and one two-point conversion in five games this season.
The Mountaineers are the only Sun Belt team to have not surrendered 100 points (88) this season.
Appalachian State statistically has the best offense in the conference. The Mountaineers average a conference-high 482.4 offensive yards per game and have amassed 2,412 offensive yards and 23 touchdowns on just 358 offensive snaps.
The Mountaineers lead the Sun Belt in rushing offense with 288.2 rushing yards per game. On 239 attempts, Appalachian State has run for 1,441 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. The 15 TDs tie Coastal Carolina for the top spot in the Sun Belt.
Shemar Jean-Charles leads the NCAA, and Sun Belt Conference with 2.4 passes defended per game. Ryan Huff ties the NCAA and SBC lead with three total interceptions.
Junior running back Daetrich Harrington leads App State with seven touchdown runs and has rushed for 482 yards on 88 attempts.
Senior Zac Thomas was the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year and has completed 77 of 118 passes for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. Malik Williams has a team-high 20 receptions.
Among the 103 FBS teams ranked, Appalachian State ranks eighth in the nation and second among the SBC teams in converting third-down attempts at a 54.1 percent clip. The Mountaineers are ranked eighth in the country and lead the conference in pass interceptions with eight.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's meeting between the two teams will mark the sixth time Texas State and Appalachian State have faced off on the gridiron, and the Mountaineers have won the previous five contests.
When Texas State traveled to Boone, N.C. for last season's matchup, Appalachian State was ranked No. 24 in the nation to mark the first time in series history that either team was ranked heading into a game.
@TXSTATEFOOTBALL
For all the latest information on Texas State football, be sure to follow the team at @TXSTATEFOOTBALL on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
