2023 Texas State Football
Game #6
Texas State (4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) at Louisiana (3-2, 0-1 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023
Cajun Field | Lafayette, La.
Kickoff: 2:30 PM
TV: ESPNU (Stream on ESPN App)
            Roy Philpott (Play-by-play)
            Roddy Jones (Analyst)
            Taylor McGregor (Field reporter)
Radio: KTSW 89.9 & Varsity Network (free app)
            Clint Shields (Play-by-play)
            Geff Gandy (Analyst)
Live Stats
X/Twitter Updates: @TXSTATEFOOTBALL
 
 
SETTING THE TABLE
Texas State is 4-1 for the first time in 18 years and now it will play its second conference road game in as many week as the Bobcats will face off against Louisiana at Cajun Field on Saturday at 2:30 pm on ESPNU. The game can also be heard on the Varsity Network.
 
Texas State opened its conference slate with a 50-36 win at Southern Miss last week, which was its first Sun Belt win on the road since the end of the 2021 season. The Bobcats have now won three games in a row entering Saturday.
 
The 50-point outing by Texas State showcased why it is 9th in the nation in scoring offense and 13th in total offense. The Bobcats had 516 yards of offense against the Golden Eagles, which was the third straight game it has gone over 500 yards.
 
Louisiana is 3-2 entering this week but coming off a loss on the road against Minnesota.
 
Texas State (1st) and Louisiana (3rd) are both top-3 in the Sun Belt in scoring offense this season. The two teams have combined to score 396 points, which is a combined average of 79.2 points per game.
 
Texas State is winless in its 10 all-time meetings against the Ragin' Cajuns, including 0-5 in Lafayette.
 
 
WHAT A START

• Texas State is 4-1 to start a season for the first time in 18 years thanks to a 2-1 road record and home wins against Jackson State and Nevada.
• The last time Texas State started a season 4-1 was 2005. That season, under current special assistant to the head coach David Bailiff, the Bobcats started 6-1 and went on to win a share of the Southland Conference championship and reached the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs (then Division I-AA).
• This is the first time in Texas State's FBS history that it is 4-1. The Bobcats became an FBS program in 2012.
• Texas State won its conference opener for the 4th time in the last 5 years.
• The last time Texas State accumulated its 4th win of the season by Oct. 1 was 1981. That year, Texas State was 4-0 by the first day of October (it won its 4th game on Sept. 26, 1981). It ended that campaign with a 13-1 record and NCAA Division II national championship.
• In its program history, Texas State has won 4 of its first 5 games 32 times, but now only 3 times in the last 40 years (1984-current).

 
Texas State's 4-1 Starts in the Last 40 Years
Year        First 5 Games           6th G Result            Final Rec
2023       4-1                            ?                              ?
2005       4-1                            W                            11-3
2001       4-1                            L                              4-7
 
STORIES FROM THE ROAD

• Texas State takes its 2-1 road record into Louisiana, a place it has not won in 5 previous tries.
• Texas State has road wins at Baylor and Southern Miss. It lost its road game at UTSA in week 2 by a score of 20-13.
• The win at Southern Miss was Texas State's first road conference win since the 2021 season finale at Arkansas State. It snapped a 4-game road losing streak in conference play.
• Texas State is 0-5 all-time at Louisiana and has lost all 5 games by 17 points or more.
• The last time Texas State won 2 conference road games in a season was 2014 (wins at ULM, New Mexico State and Georgia State).
• The 2014 season was also the last time the Bobcats won 3 road games in a season. They finished that year with a 4-2 record on the road.
• Saturday is Texas State's last road game until Nov. 11 at Coastal Carolina. There will be a span of 34 days between the next road game for the Bobcats.
• Texas State plays its next 3 games at home, with an idle week scheduled on Oct. 21.

 
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD

• Texas State's offense started Sun Belt play like it had done throughout its nonconference schedule: scoring lots of points.
• The Bobcats scored 50 points against Southern Miss, which was their most points in a Sun Belt game since Nov. 29, 2014 at Georgia State (W, 54-31).
• The 50 points by Texas State were also the most by a Sun Belt team in a conference game since Nov. 26, 2022 when Georgia Southern scored 51 against App State.
• Texas State enters this week ranked 9th in the country in scoring offense with 43.4 points per game. It is also the highest ranked scoring offense among "Group of 5" teams.
• Texas State leads all Sun Belt teams with 217 points this season. It is the only Sun Belt team so far this year with 200+ points scored.
• The Bobcats have scored 217 points in 5 games in 2023, which is already 36 points shy of last year's total for the entire season. Last year, Texas State scored 253 points in 12 games (21.1 points/game).
• The 217 points are the most by Texas State in the first 5 games of a season in the program's 117-year history. It bests the previous most of 215 that were scored in the first 5 games of 1981.
• This year, Texas State has scored 35 or more points in 4 of its 5 games. It has also scored 42 or more points in 2 of its 3 road games.
• The last time Texas State scored 35 or more points in 4 or more games in a season was 2020 (4).
• Texas State has not scored 35+ points in 5 games in a season since 2014 (7).
• The Bobcats have won 7 straight games, dating back to 2020, when scoring 35+ points.

 
200+ POINTS SCORED IN FIRST 5 GAMES OF A SEASON
Texas State program history
Rk        School Points/Game
1.         2023    217
2.         1981    215
3.         1971    206
4.         1920    201
 
NATIONAL LEADERS IN SCORING OFFENSE
Through Week 5 (Oct. 1)
Rk      School                         Points/Game
1.        USC                              53.6
2.        Oregon                        51.6
3.        Oklahoma                    47.4
4.        Washington                 46.0
5.        Washington State       45.8
6.        Ole Miss                      44.6
7.        LSU                              44.0
8.        Miami (FL)                   43.8
9.        Texas State                 43.4
10.      Florida State                43.2
 
TOTALLY OFFENSIVE

• Texas State has totaled 500+ yards of offense in 3 straight games entering this Saturday, helping it rank among the nation's leaders in total offense.
• Texas State is currently 13th in the nation in total offense with an average of 489.0 yards per game.
• The Bobcats have totaled 2,457 yards of offense this year and are averaging 7.7 yards per play (318 plays).
• Texas State is 7th in the nation in yards per play.
• Texas State averaged 325.2 yards per game and 4.7 yards per play for the entire 2022 season.
• The current 3-game stretch is the first time in Texas State's FBS history (since 2012) that it has have 500+ yards of offense in 3 consecutive games.
• The 3 games of 500+ yards this year is already tied with the 2012, 2014 and 2015 campaigns for the most in a single-season.
• The offensive-yard totals from the last 3 games include: 684 vs. Jackson State, 574 vs. Nevada, and 516 at Southern Miss.

 
MOST YARDS PER PLAY IN THE NATION
Through Week 5 (Oct. 1)
Rk     School                         Yards/Play
1.      USC                             8.9
2.      Washington                8.8
3.      Miami (FL)                   8.2
4.      Oregon                        8.1
5.      New Mexico State      8.1
6.      LSU                              7.8
7.      Texas State                 7.7
8.      UCF                             7.7
9.      Ole Miss                      7.5
10.    Louisville                     7.5
 
GROUND GAME

• The Bobcats have established themselves as one of the top rushing offenses in the country as they are 19th in the nation in that category.
• Texas State is averaging 205.4 yards per game, which is top-20 in the nation and 3rd in the Sun Belt. It trails Louisiana (225.2) and ULM (205.5) for the conference lead.
• The Bobcats have 178 or more rushing yards in each of the last 3 games.
• Ismail Mahdi has led the Bobcats in rushing in 4 of the 5 games this year. Quarterback Malik Hornsby has also led Texas State in rushing in a game this year (Sept. 16 vs. Jackson State).
• The Bobcats are 222 rushing yards away from matching last season's team rushing total for the entire season.

 
IN PASSING

• While Texas State's offense is averaging more than 200 yards per game, the pass offense is among the nation's leaders as well.
• Texas State enters this Saturday 26th in the nation and 2nd in the Sun Belt in passing offense with 286.0 yards per game.
• The Bobcats are also 15th in the country and 1st in the Sun Belt in completion percentage (72.3%).
• In team passing efficiency, the Bobcats are 13th in the country and 1st in the Sun Belt with a rating of 178.10.
• Quarterback TJ Finley is 12th in the country in passing efficiency (181.6), 14th in completion percentage (72.8%), and 22nd in passing yards per game (278.6). In total passing yards, Finley is 21st in the country and 2nd in the Sun Belt with 1,393 yards.
• Finley already has career-highs in passing yards and completions.

 
MAHDI, THE KICK RETURNER

• Ismail Mahdi did something last week that had not been done in 64 years as he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown at Southern Miss.
• Mahdi took the opening kickoff in week 5 100 yards for a touchdown, making him the first Bobcat to return the opening kickoff since Willard Dearing in 1959.
• Mahdi's kick return for a touchdown was the first overall by a Bobcat since Jeremiah Haydel in 2020.
• Mahdi is one of 16 players in FBS this year to have a kick return touchdown and the only one in the Sun Belt.
• The kick return for a touchdown was on Mahdi's 7th career kick return. He had 6 entering last Saturday against Southern Miss and did not return kicks last year at HCU.
• Mahdi's previous long for kick return this season was 34 yards at UTSA on Sept. 9.

 
RETURN GAME

• Texas State's kick return has become one of the best in the country, averaging 29.8 yards per return.
• The Bobcats are 8th in the country and 1st in the Sun Belt in kickoff return average.
• Texas State is 1st in the country in total kick return yards with 529.
• Two Bobcats, Ismail Mahdi and Kole Wilson, are top-10 in the country in kick return average. Kole Wilson is 7th in the nation with 31.3 yards per return while Mahdi is 8th with 31.1 yards per return.
• The Bobcats are the only team in the country with 2 players averaging 30+ yards on kick returns this season.

 
ALL-PURPOSE PLAYER

• Helped by his kick return yardage, Ismail Mahdi enters this week as the nation's top player in all-purpose yards per game.
• Mahdi is averaging 186.80 all-purpose yards per game this year to lead the country.
• He is the only player averaging more than 170 all-purpose yards per game.
• Mahdi had a career-high 316 all-purpose yards last week at Southern Miss as he had 138 kick return yards, 89 rushing yards and 89 receiving yards on 18 touches (14 rush attempts, 1 reception, 3 kick returns).
• Mahdi has had 250+ all-purpose yards in each of his last 2 games. He had 256 (216 rushing, 40 receiving) against Nevada on Sept. 23.
• His 316 all-purpose yards were the second-most in program history, only trailing Claude Mathis' 327 on Nov. 15, 1997 vs. Jacksonville State.
• Mahdi has 934 all-purpose yards this season, which is only 49 yards shy of matching Texas State's season leader Lincoln Pare's total last season (983).
• The last Bobcat with 1,000 all-purpose yards in a season was Jeremiah Haydel (1,095) in 2020.

 
NATIONAL LEADERS IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDS/GAME
Through Week 5
Rk     Total          Player                          Team
1.      186.8         Ismail Mahdi              Texas State
2.      165.4         Ashton Jeanty             Boise State
3.      148.8         Elijah Badger               Arizona State
4.      148.0         Ray Davis                     Kentucky
5.      147.0         Darius Taylor               Minnesota
 
COMPLETE PACKAGE

• All-purpose yards per game is not the only statistical category that Ismail Mahdi is leading the nation. He is also leading the country in rushing yards per carry.
• Mahdi is averaging 9.8 yards per rush attempt this season. He has 488 rushing yards on 50 carries this season.
• Mahdi has 10.1 yards per carry in the last 3 games.
• Over the last 3 games, he has 382 rushing yards on 38 attempts. He also has 6 rushing touchdowns over that same stretch.
• His 488 rushing yards this season are 16th in the country and 4th in the Sun Belt.
• Of the top-20 in the country in rushing yards this season, Mahdi is the only player with less than 65 rush attempts.
• His 97.6 rushing yards per game is 18th in the nation and 5th in the Sun Belt.
• Mahdi is tied with Ray Davis of Kentucky with the most plays of 20+ yards in the nation this season among running backs. Mahdi has 11 rushing plays of 20+ yards and 1 receiving play.

 
SCORING MACHINE

• The all-around performer Ismail Mahdi has also been a scoring machine for the Bobcats this year. He has 9 total touchdowns: 7 rushing, 1 receiving and 1 kick return.
• Mahdi is 3rd in the country in total touchdowns this season.
• Mahdi is also 3rd in points scored (54) and 4th in points per game (10.4).
• His 24 points scored last week were the most by a Sun Belt player this year.
• His 7 rushing touchdowns are 8th in the nation and 3rd in the Sun Belt.
• Mahdi has a rushing touchdown in 3 straight games entering this weekend.
• Mahdi's 9 total touchdowns this season are the most by a Bobcat in a season since 2020 when Marcell Barbee had 10 receiving touchdowns.
• The last Bobcats with 11 or more total touchdowns in a season were Robert Lowe (13) and Terrence Franks (12) in 2014.
• Mahdi is the first Bobcat to have a rushing, receiving and kick return touchdown in the same since Karrington Bush in 2008.

 
BIG PLAY POTENTIAL

• Texas State has become explosive this season compared to last as it has 88 plays of 10+ yards, which are tied for the 15th-most in the country.
• Texas State is tied for the 6th in the country in number of plays of 20+ yards this year with 39.
• Last year, Texas State had 39 plays of 20+ yards in 12 games (3.3/game).
• The Bobcats have 27 plays of 20+ yards in the last 3 weeks after having a season-low of 4 at UTSA on Sept. 9.
• Texas State is averaging 17.6 plays of 10+ yards per game this season and 7.8 plays of 20+ yards.

 
MOST PLAYS FROM SCRIMMAGE OF 20+ YARDS
Through Week 5
Rk     School                     Total
1.      Washington            43
2.      Ole Miss                  42
3.      LSU                          40
         Notre Dame            40
         UCF                         40
6.      Texas State             39
         USC                         39
 
USING THE FORCE

• Shawn Holton, a first-year transfer from UIW, has been a ball hawk as a Bobcat as he leads the country in forced fumbles.
• Holton has 4 forced fumbles this season. He had 0 forced fumbles in 4 seasons at UIW.
• Holton's 4 forced fumbles are the most in a season by a Bobcat since Issiah Nixon had 4 in 2021.
• The 4 forced fumbles are also tied for 8th-most in a season in program history. The program record is 7 set by Sterling Rogers in 2001.
• Holton had 2 forced fumbles on Sept. 23 against Nevada, which matched the program record for most in a single game.

 
RUSH AND COVER

• The Texas State defense remains among the nation's leaders in getting after the ball behind the line of scrimmage.
• The Bobcats are 1st in the country in team tackles for loss (9.8/game).
• They are also 11th in the nation in team sacks (3.4/game).
• There have been 22 different Bobcats with at least 0.5 TFL this year.
• There have been 12 different Bobcats with at least 0.5 sack this season.