SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Texas State football team (0-2) will open Sun Belt Conference play this weekend when the Bobcats travel to Monroe, La., to play ULM (0-1) on Saturday, Sept. 19 with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
Texas State Radio Network – PxP:
Brant Freeman, Analyst: Bill Culhane
89.9 FM KTSW (San Marcos),
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ESPNU – PxP: Roy Philpott, Analyst: Kelly Stouffer
Live Stats – LiveStats
SETTING THE SCENE
- Texas State looks for its first win of the season when the Bobcats travel to ULM. Texas State opened the 2020 season with two hard-fought losses, a 31-24 loss against SMU on Saturday, Sept. 5, and a 51-48 double overtime setback against UTSA on Saturday, Sept. 12.
- The Bobcats have thrown six touchdown passes in the first two games. Against UTSA, junior quarterback Tyler Vitt threw a career-high four touchdowns and 346 yards on 26-of-40 passes, including a game-long 66-yard touchdown strike to running back Brock Sturges. Vitt was responsible for four touchdowns against the Roadrunners, and that is the second-highest single game total by a Sun Belt player this season. His 346 passing yards, 26 passes completions, 40 passing attempts and four passing touchdowns are single-game bests in the Sun Belt this year.
- Tyler Vitt's 350 total offensive yards — 346 passing, 4 rushing — against UTSA were the most by a Sun Belt player in a single game so far this season. South Alabama's Desmond Trotter had the previous high with 340 yards — 299 passing, 41 rushing — when the Jaguars played at Southern Miss on Sept. 3, 2020.
- Both Texas State quarterbacks — Brady McBride and Tyler Vitt — are anchoring the top two positions among Sun Belt players in total offensive plays through this point of the 2020 season. Vitt holds the number one spot having been credited with 51 total offensive plays — 40 passing, 11 rushing — against UTSA, while McBride had 49 — 39 passes, 10 rushing — in the Bobcats' season-opening game against SMU.
- Alan Orona's 47-yard field goal against SMU was the second-longest made field goal by a Sun Belt kicker this season. His 6 made PATs and 7 attempted PATs against UTSA were the top marks in those respective categories.
- Redshirt freshman running back Calvin Hill's 100-yard performance against SMU on Sept. 5, 2020 was the first 100-yard rushing performance for a Sun Belt player this season. He has since been joined by a pair of Appalachian State players and a Georgia Southern player.
- No Sun Belt team has scored more points in a game this season than Texas State's 48 points the Bobcats scored against UTSA last Saturday.
SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS
- ULM has played one game so far this season as the Warhawks fell at Army, 37-7, on Saturday, Sept. 12. ULM's lone touchdown came with 2:12 left in the second quarter when Colby Suits connected with Malik Jackson for a 6-yard touchdown through the air.
- ULM had two players credited with 5-or-more passes thrown against Army last weekend. Suits completed 14-of-19 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown with his longest completion being 54 yards. Jeremy Hunt was 2 of 5 through the air for 15 yards and an interception, while his longest pass was eight yards.
- ULM was held to only 37 rushing yards on 20 attempts with Josh Johnson leading the team with 38 yards on 12 carries. Additionally, Hunt was credited with six net rushing yards on two attempts.
- Travei Webster was the lone ULM player with 10-or-more tackles against Army when he finished the game with 11 total tackles. Behind Webster, Jabari Johnson and Austin Hawley were both credited with nine tackles each, while KeySha Johnson and Hunter Smith had a combined 16 tackles.
- Keilos Swinney was credited with ULM's lone turnover as he forced a fumble on Army's first offensive drive of the second quarter. Mason Husmann was credited with the fumble recovery for the Warhawks.
SERIES HISTORY
- Two teams will meet on the gridiron for the 16 time all time when Saturday arrives. ULM holds the edge in the all-time record with a 12-4 advantage.
- The last time Texas State beat ULM came on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015 when the Bobcats held the Warhawks to only three points in San Marcos as TXST won, 16-3, on ESPNU. TXST held ULM to only 181 total offensive yards on 57 yards, while running up 334 yards on 80 plays itself. After ending the first quarter tied 3-3, Tyler Jones and Lawrence White connected for a touchdown in the second and fourth quarters to extend the Bobcats' lead out to two scores.
- In Jake Spivital's first game against ULM — Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 — Texas State fell to the Warhawks, 24-14, in San Marcos with the game broadcasted on ESPNU.
- Saturday's game will mark the second consecutive year the two teams have played each other on ESPNU. 2019 marked the first time the series has been broadcasted on a national broadcast since playing on ESPNU in San Marcos in 2015.
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