SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State football team (2-3, 1-0 in Sun Belt) overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter and won 33-31 in four overtimes against South Alabama (3-2, 0-2 in Sun Belt) at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday night.
The victory was the second win of the season for the Bobcats, who have won both games in overtime and improved Texas State's record to 2-3 overall and 1-0 in Sun Belt Conference play.
The win marks the third straight year that Texas State has begun their Sun Belt Conference schedule with a victory.
How It Happened
The first half proved to be a rollercoaster ride for Texas State quarterback
Brady McBride. McBride began the game throwing a 57-yard touchdown pass to
Javen Banks on the third play from scrimmage to give the Bobcats an early 7-0 lead after
Seth Keller added the extra point. The play was the longest pass of the season for the Bobcats.
But he threw three interceptions in the opening half to help South Alabama score 17 points in the second quarter and take a 17-7 lead into halftime.
"I was proud of our kids fighting," said Texas State head coach
Jake Spavital. "It was a little sloppy in the first half with some unfortunate bounces. But that is why we have installed a three-second reset for a reason. When something unfortunate happens out on the field, the players have three seconds to react to it before they have to forget about it and go on to the next play."
After Keller kicked a 43-yard field goal to pull the Bobcats back to within 17-10 with 3:54 left to play in the third quarter, McBride used that logic to help lead Texas State's comeback in the second half.
"The interceptions didn't really get to me until the third one," McBride said. "Then everyone came around, and that kind of picked me back up. That meant the world to me."
McBride bounced back to lead Texas State's comeback in the fourth quarter. First, he threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Marcell Barbee with 7:17 left to play to pull Texas State back to within 24-17. Then, he ran 12 yards to set up the Bobcats with a first-and-goal play at the two-yard line with less than a minute left. Texas State scored a touchdown on a one-yard plunge by
Jahmyl Jeter with 17 seconds left in regulation. Keller added the extra point to tie the score and send the game into overtime.
South Alabama scored a touchdown on a pass play from Jake Bentley to Jalen Tolbert, and Diego Guajardo added the extra point to give the Jaguars a 31-24 lead. The Bobcats came back to tie the score at 31-31 on a four-yard touchdown run by
Brock Sturges and Keller's extra point.
Keller missed a 25-yard field goal in the second overtime when the ball hit the right upright, but the Bobcat defense answered when
Markeveon Coleman forced a fumble.
Sione Tupou recovered the ball, forcing a third overtime period using the new rules using a two-point conversion to decide the outcome.
After both teams missed their first two-point try in the third overtime, Texas State took a 33-31 lead when McBride ran two yards into the end zone. Bentley's pass attempt failed, giving Texas State the victory.
UP NEXT
Texas State will play its second straight Sun Belt Conference home game on October 16 when the Bobcats host Troy at Bobcat Stadium. The Trojans are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference games following a 27-24 victory over Georgia Southern on October 9.
