Game #2
Texas State (0-1) vs. FIU (1-0)
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022
Bobcat Stadium | San Marcos, TX
Kickoff: 6 PM CT

TV: ESPN+
            Brant Freeman (Play-by-Play)
            Keith Moreland (Analyst)
            Koral Riggs (Sideline)
Radio: KTSW 89.9 & Varsity Network (free app)
            Clint Shields (Play-by-play)
            Geff Gandy (analyst)
Live Stats
Twitter Updates: @TXSTATEFOOTBALL
 
Tickets & Promotions

• Home Opener presented by H-E-B
• Wear Maroon - All fans are encouraged to wear their Maroon Texas State gear to the game
• Tickets

 
SETTING THE TABLE
In its home opener for the 2022 season, Texas State will host FIU on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Bobcat Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
 
The Bobcats are coming off a season-opening 38-14 loss at Nevada. They trailed 14-7 at halftime, but 3 turnovers over the span of 4 minutes in the third turnover resulted in 21 points for Nevada as the Wolf Pack pulled away with a 24-point third quarter. Texas State still outgained Nevada, 277-274, in the game.
 
FIU enters San Marcos with a 1-0 record after coming back to beat Bryant in overtime, 38-37, at home last week.
 
This is the second year in a row Texas State and FIU will face off as the Bobcats came back to beat the Panthers, 23-17, in overtime in Miami in 2021. After allowing 10 points in the third quarter, Texas State answered with a Brock Sturges touchdown run with 10:09 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game. In overtime, Sturges rushed for an 11-yard touchdown to help capture the victory.
 
FIU outgained Texas State, 400-336, in last year's game but 171 rushing yards, including 72 on 14 carries by Calvin Hill, helped spur the Bobcat offense.
 
The Bobcats are looking to snap a three-game losing streak in home openers.
 
HOME OPENERS

• Texas State will look to snap a three-game losing streak in home openers on Saturday.
• The Bobcats last won their home opener in 2018, topping Texas Southern, 36-20.
• Texas State is 5-5 in its home openers since joining the FBS level in 2012.
• Texas State won 16 consecutive home openers from 1996 to 2011.
• All-time, Texas State is 50-23-1 in home openers (records since 1948).
• The Bobcats have not lost 4 straight home openers since 1985-1989 when they dropped 5 in a row.

 
A RARE WAY TO GO

• Texas State became only the 3rd team in the nation in the last 5 FBS seasons to allow 38+ points but less than 275 total yards of offense in the loss at Nevada.
• It was the first time that has happened since Wisconsin allowed 41 points and 242 yards against Notre Dame on Sept. 25, 2021.
• The only other time since 2018 that has happened was Wake Forest vs. Wisconsin when the Demon Deacons surrendered 42 points and 266 yards of offense.

 
GETTING DEFENSIVE

• Texas State held Nevada to 274 total yards last week, which was the fewest yards allowed by the Bobcat defense since Sept. 28, 2019 against Nicholls (220 yards).
• It was the first time the Bobcats held an FBS opponent to less than 275 yards of total offense since Nov. 17, 2018 at Troy (220 yards). That was also the last time Texas State held an opponent to that threshold in a road game.
• Texas State is 36th in the country in total defense entering the FIU matchup.
• Texas State has held its opponents to 275 total yards or less 12 times in its FBS history and 4 times on the road.
• The Bobcats are 6-6 in games in which they have held opponents to 275 total yards or less since 2012 and 1-4 in the last 5 instances.

 
LAYNE'S CAREER

• Layne Hatcher, in his first year at Texas State after transferring from Arkansas State, was named the starting quarterback the week of Aug. 22.
• Hatcher has played in 33 career games at the collegiate level, including 17 starts, and 1,740 career snaps.
• The Little Rock, Ark. native has thrown for 7,716 yards in his college career, which is 14th among active NCAA Division I FBS quarterbacks.
• He is also T-7th among active Division I quarterbacks in career passing touchdowns (67).
• Hatcher is T-2nd among Sun Belt quarterbacks with 17 games of 200+ passing yards since 2019.
• Hatcher, a Preseason All-Sun Belt pick by Phil Steele and Athlon Sports, enrolled at Texas State in January 2022 and took part in spring practice.

 
LAYNE'S PERFORMANCE

• Layne Hatcher was 33-of-51 with 289 yards and 2 TDs in his Texas State debut last week at Nevada.
• Hatcher's 33 completions were the most by a Texas State quarterback in a single game since Gresch Jensen had 33 on Sept. 7, 2019 vs. Wyoming.
• His 51 pass attempts were also the most by a Texas State quarterback since Jensen in the same 2019 Wyoming contest.
• Hatcher's 33 completions are tied for the 3rd-most by a Bobcat in a single game in Texas State's FBS history (since 2012).
• A Texas State quarterback has completed 30+ passes in back-to-back games only once in the program's FBS history: Damian Williams in 2017 (31 vs. New Mexico State, 35 vs. Georgia State).

 
MOST COMPLETIONS BY A TEXAS STATE PLAYER IN A SINGLE GAME, FBS ERA (SINCE 2012)
            1.         40        Tyler Jones (9/3/16 at Ohio [3 OT])
            2.         35        Damian Williams (11/11/17 vs. Ga. St.)
            3.         33        Gresch Jensen (9/7/19 vs. Wyoming)
                        33        Layne Hatcher (9/3/21 at Nevada)
 
GOING YARD

• Layne Hatcher's 289 passing yards against Nevada were the most for the Bobcats since Nov. 21, 2020 against Arkansas State (443 yards).
• Last year, Texas State's season-high for passing yards in a game was 279 (vs. Troy, 10/6/21).
• It was the 13th time that Hatcher has thrown for 290+ yards in a game and first since Nov. 13, 2021 vs. ULM (444 yards) with Arkansas State.
• The redshirt junior has thrown for 300+ yards 10 times in 33 career games, including 6 times as a redshirt freshman in 2019.

 
10 FOR HAWKINS

• After registering a career-high 10 receptions last week against Nevada, wide receiver Ashtyn Hawkins enters the week 5th in the country in receptions.
• The 10 receptions by Hawkins were the most by a Bobcat since Hutch White on Nov. 9, 2019 vs. South Alabama.
• It was the most by a Bobcat receiver in a nonconference game since Hutch White vs. Wyoming on Sept. 7, 2019.
• Hawkins is only the 5th different Bobcat to have 10+ catches in a game in the program's FBS era (since 2012).
• It was also the most receptions by a Bobcat in a season opener since 2016 (Eric Luna, 10, at Ohio on Sept. 3, 2016).
• He also had 96 receiving yards and 2 touchdown catches.
• Hawkins is the first Bobcat in the program's FBS era to have 10+ catches and 2+ receiving yards in the same game.

 
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS

• In his Bobcat debut, defensive lineman Levi Bell had 10 tackles, 3.0 TFLs and 1.0 sack in 44 defensive snaps against Nevada.
• Bell was rated as the 4th-best interior defensive lineman by PFF grades for the week.
• Bell became the first Bobcat with 10+ tackles and 3.0 TFLs in a single game since Nikolas Daniels on Oct. 26, 2019 at Arkansas State (14 tackles, 3.5 TFLs).
• He was the first Bobcat with 3.0 TFLs in a game since Nico Ezidore had 4.0 on Oct. 17, 2020 at South Alabama.
• Bell's 3.0 TFLs were the most by a Bobcat in their Texas State debut in the program's FBS era (since 2012).
• It was the most tackles by a Bobcat in their Texas State debut since Troy Lefeged, Jr. had 10 against Baylor in the 2021 season opener.

 
AT A LOSS

• With the help of Bell's 3.0 TFLs, the Texas State defense had 7.0 TFLs against Nevada, with six different players contributing at least an assisted tackle for loss.
• Dating back to last season, the Bobcats have 7.0 TFLs in 3 of the last 5 games.
• The Bobcats had 8.0 TFLs last year against Arkansas State (Nov. 27) and ULM (Nov. 6).
• It was the first time Texas State had 7.0+ TFLs against a nonconference opponent since Sept. 12, 2020 against UTSA (8.0). It was their most in a road nonconference game since Sept. 30, 2017 at Wyoming.

 
SIONE, TOO (POU)

• Sione Tupou finished the Nevada game with 10 tackles, matching Levi Bell for the team-high.
• In his last 9 games, Tupou has 10+ tackles in 4 of them.
• Since posting a career-high 14 tackles against South Alabama in 2021, Tupou is averaging 7.1 tackles per game.
• In the 9 games prior to the current stretch, Tupou was averaging 4.2 tackles/game.
• The 10 tackles against the Wolf Pack were his most in a game since Nov. 13, 2021 vs. Georgia Southern.
• Tupou has 5 games of 10+ tackles in his career at both Texas State and UTEP.
• In a Bobcat uniform, Tupou has 144 career tackles since 2020, which trail Nico Ezidore (151) for the most over that stretch and are 4 ahead of Jarron Morris (140).

 
LIMITING THE OTHER SIDE

• In addition to the total yards, Texas State held Nevada to 4.3 yards per play (63 plays, 274 yards).
• It was the lowest yards per play average for the Texas State defense since Sept. 28, 2019 against Nicholls (4.0 yards/play).
• It was the lowest against an FBS opponent since Nov. 17, 2018 at Troy (3.0 yards/play)
• Last year, the Texas State allowed 5.8 yards per play for the entire season and 6.0 yards per play in nonconference action.

 
THE RED ZONE CHANNEL

• Texas State did make the most of its 2 trips to the red zone against Nevada, scoring touchdowns in both instances.
• The Bobcats are coming off a 2021 season in which he scored 31 times in 36 trips to the red zone.
• They were a top-50 team in the red zone last year as they ranked 46th in the country with the 86.1 percent scoring rate.
• Texas State had 22 touchdowns on 36 trips to the red zone in 2021 (61.1 percent).
• The Bobcats have scored in 9 straight trips to the red zone, including 7 times with a touchdown (77.8 percent touchdown rate).
• The streak dates back to Nov. 13, 2021 against Georgia Southern.
• In the game at Nevada, the Bobcats scored both times in the red zone with touchdown passes. It was the first time Texas State culminated a trip to the red zone with a touchdown pass since Oct. 16, 2021 vs. Troy. The Bobcats went 13 trips to the red zone without a passing touchdown until last week.

 
STARTING WITH MR. COOPER

• Dalton Cooper made the start last week at Nevada at left tackle, which was his 25th straight start.
• The Prague, Okla. native's streak of consecutive starts it the longest active on the team and longest by a Bobcat since offensive lineman Reece Jordan made 27 straight starts from 2018 to 2020.
• Cooper has played in 1,696 offensive plays in his Texas State career since 2019, all except 2 have been at left tackle.
• Cooper is one 4 Bobcats entering the FIU game with double-digit consecutive starts: Marcell Barbee (13), Kyle Hergel (13) and Calvin Hill (13).

 
PENALTY BOX

• Texas State committed an uncharacteristic 10 penalties at Nevada last week.
• Last year, the Bobcats averaged 5.83 penalties per game, which was the 57th-best average in the country.
• The 10 penalties were the most in a game for the Bobcats since Oct. 27, 2018 against New Mexico State.
• They also had 97 yards in penalties against Nevada, which were the most in a game since Sept. 1, 2018 at Rutgers (119 yards, 15 penalties).

 
AUSSIE RULES

• On 7 punts at Nevada, Seamus O'Kelly had his best punt average in a game in almost two years.
• His average of 47.6 yards against the Wolf Pack was his best in a game since Nov. 21, 2020 against Arkansas State (3 punts, 153 yards, 51.0 average).
• He also had a 63-yard punt at Nevada, which was the second-longest in his career and best since a 65-yarder on Oct. 10, 2020 against Troy.
• The Australian is currently 5th in program history in total career punt yards (7,487 yards) and career punt attempts (190).

 
EXPERIENCED GROUP

• The Bobcat roster features 51 players who have played in 10+ career games at either the FBS, FCS or Division II level.
• Of those 51, 36 have played in 20+ career games and 6 have played in 40+.
• Sione Tupou, who is in his seventh season of college football, leads the team with 47 career games played. The Allen, Texas product started his career at UTEP.