2023 Texas State Football
Game #7
 
Texas State (4-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) vs. ULM (2-3, 0-2 Sun Belt)
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023
Bobcat Stadium | San Marcos, Texas
Kickoff: 6 PM
TV: ESPN+
            Brant Freeman (Play-by-play)
            Keith Moreland (Analyst)
            Koral Riggs (Sideline reporter)
Radio: KTSW 89.9 & Varsity Network (free app)
            Clint Shields (Play-by-play)
            Geff Gandy (Analyst)
X/Twitter Updates: @TXSTATEFOOTBALL
Live Stats
 
 
SETTING THE TABLE
Texas State returns home for the first of three straight games at Bobcat Stadium and it will face Sun Belt West Division foe ULM on Saturday at 6 pm (ESPN+, Varsity Network, KTSW 89.9 FM).
 
The Bobcats fell at Louisiana last week, 34-30, to snap their three-game winning streak, but they still hold their best record at the halfway point of a season since 2011.
 
Texas State boasts one of the nation's top offenses as it enters this week against the Warhawks ranked 8th in the nation with 41.2 points per game. The Bobcats have scored 35+ points in both of their home games this season and are 4-0 in all games this year when they score 35 or more.
 
ULM won its first two games of the year, both at home, but it has lost three straight coming into this weekend. The Warhawks narrowly lost to App State at home, 41-40, on Sept. 30 and then lost against South Alabama, 55-7, last week.
 
This Saturday will be ULM's second road game of the year and first since Sept. 16 (L, 47-3 at Texas A&M).
 
Texas State trails in the all-time series against ULM, 13-6, but it has won two of the last three meetings.
 
 
HALFWAY POINT

• Texas State enters Saturday against ULM with its best record at the halfway point of a season in the last 12 years.
• The last time Texas State was 4-2 was in 2011 when the Bobcats were in their last year of playing at the FCS level.
• This is the first time the Bobcats are 4-2 halfway through a regular season in their FBS history (since 2012).
• Texas State has been 4-2 in a season 7 times in the last 40 years: 1984, 1991, 1992, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2023.

 
WELCOME HOME

• The Bobcats are returning to Bobcat Stadium this Saturday where they have won 6 of their last 8 games.
• The Bobcats are 2-0 at home this year, beating Jackson State and Nevada in back-to-back weeks on Sept. 16 and 23, respectively.
• Texas State finished the 2022 season with a 4-2 record at home.
• The Bobcats are aiming to go 3-0 at home to start a season for the second year in a row. Last year, Texas State beat FIU, HCU and App State to start its home slate.
• Since 1970, Texas State has gone 3-0 to start its home schedule 17 times.
• This is the best 8-home game stretch for the Bobcats since 2012-13 (Oct. 13, 2012-Oct. 26, 2013).

 
HOME NUMBERS

• Through 2 home games this year, Texas State's offense has lit up the scoreboard by averaging 56.0 points per game.
• The Bobcats have outscored their opponents, 112-58, at home.
• Texas State is averaging 623.0 yards of offense at home while its defense has held opponents to 376.5 yards of offense.
• In both home games, Texas State has 275+ team rushing yards. It had a season-high 399 against Jackson State and then 276 against Nevada.
• The Bobcats are averaging 8.8 yards per rush at home.
• They are also averaging 9.4 yards per offensive play at home.

 
TEXAS STATE AT HOME IN 2023
Through 2 home games
Stat                                        Home              Overall
Points Per Game                    56.0                 41.2
Total Offense                         623.0               497.8
Rush Yards Per Game            331.5               205.2
Yards Per Rush Attempt        8.8                   5.5
Pass Yards Per Game             291.5               292.7
Yards Per Play                        9.4                   7.4
Punts Per Game                     0.5                   2.7
Sacks Per Game                     3.5                   3.2
TFLs Per Game                       10.0                 9.0
 
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD

• Texas State's offense is not limited to only putting up big points at home as it enters this week ranked 8th in the nation in scoring offense with 41.2 points per game.
• Texas State has scored 247 points this season, which means they only need 6 more points to match last season's output of 253 points in 12 games (21.8/game).
• Texas State is one of 12 teams entering this week averaging 40 or more points in a game this season.
• The Bobcats have scored 30+ points in 5 of the 6 games so far. It is the first time since 2020 that they have 5 games of 30+ points.
• The last time Texas State had 6 or more games of 30+ points in a season was 2014 (7).

 
SCORING OFFENSE, TXST'S FBS HISTORY
Top seasons since 2012
Rk        School            Points              Games
1.         2014               406                  12
2.         2012               343                  12
3.         2020               332                  12
4.         2015               323                  12
5.         2013               287                  12
6.         2021               277                  12
7.         2022               253                  12
8.         2023               247                  6
 
NATIONAL LEADERS IN SCORING OFFENSE
Through Week 6 (Oct. 7)
Rk      School                   Points/Game
1.        USC                        51.8
2.        Oregon                  51.6
3.        Washington           46.0
4.        Oklahoma              45.2
5.        LSU                        44.8
6.        Florida State          42.4
7.        Ole Miss                41.7
8.        Texas State           41.2
9.        Toledo                   40.8
10.      Georgia                 40.7
 
TOTALLY OFFENSIVE

• Texas State has 500+ yards of offense in each of its last 4 games, which is the longest such streak in the program's FBS history.
• Texas State is 10th in the country in total offense with 495.8 yards per game.
• In the last 4 games, the Bobcats are averaging 576.0 yards of offense (2,304 total yards). They are also averaging 8.3 yards per play over that span.
• This is the first time in Texas State's FBS history that it has 4 games of 500+ yards in a single-season. The previous best was 3 games (Last: 2015).
• In its FBS history, Texas State is 14-5 when its offense has 500+ yards.
• The Bobcats' offense is 301 total yards ahead of the next closest Sun Belt team (Louisiana: 2,686). Texas State has 2,987 yards.

 
MOST YARDS PER PLAY IN THE NATION
Through Week 6 (Oct. 8)
Rk      School                           Yards/Play
1.        Washington                  8.8
2.        USC                               8.5
3.        Oregon                         8.1
4.        New Mexico State        7.9
5.        LSU                               7.8
6.        Miami (FL)                    7.6
7.        UCF                               7.5
8.        Texas State                   7.4
9.        Liberty                          7.3
10.      Georgia                         7.1
 
IN A RUSH

• Texas State's ground game continues to thrive this year as it enters this week ranked 18th in the country and 3rd in the Sun Belt with 203.2 yards per game.
• The Bobcats have 1,231 rushing yards as a team, which is only 18 yards shy of matching last season's output over 12 games.
• Texas State is 2nd in the Sun Belt in total rushing yards with 1,231.
• It along with Louisiana and App State are the only teams averaging more than 200 rushing yards per game so far this season.
• The Bobcats have not averaged 200+ yards per game in a season since 2014 (238.5) and have not averaged 150+ yards per game since 2015 (187.3).
• Texas State is 16th in the nation in yards per carry with 5.5.
• Texas State has featured 3 different players with 100-yard rushing games this year: Ismail Mahdi (2), Damarius Good (1) and Malik Hornsby (1).

 
ISH IS TAKING OVER

• The central piece to the Texas State run game this year has been running back Ismail Mahdi, who leads the team with 676 rushing yards on 84 carries.
• Mahdi is 6th in the country (2nd in the Sun Belt) in total rushing yards. He is also 7th in the country in rushing yards per game (112.7).
• Mahdi is leading the country in yards per rush attempt for the second week in a row as he has 8.05 yards per rush.
• Mahdi ran for 188 yards on 34 carries against Louisiana last week. The 34 carries were a Texas State FBS record.
• Mahdi has a pair of 100-yard rushing games this year -- both of which were over the last 3 games.
• In the last 3 games, Mahdi is averaging 164.3 yards per game and 7.14 yards per carry on 69 rush attempts. He had 15 carries over the 3 games prior.
• Mahdi's 676 rushing yards are already a career-high. He had 568 yards on 112 attempts over 8 games last year at HCU.
• Mahdi also ranks 1st in the country in all-purpose yards (188.5/game & 1,131 yds).

 
FINDING THE END ZONE

• Ismail Mahdi has not only put up rushing yards but he has also found the end zone as he has 8 rushing touchdowns and 9 total touchdowns this season.
• Mahdi is 3rd in the Sun Belt and 4th in the country in rushing touchdowns.
• His 8 rushing touchdowns are the most by a Bobcat since current Bobcat Jahmyl Jeter had 8 in 2021.
• The last Bobcat to have 9 or more rushing touchdowns in a season was quarterback Tyler Jones who had 10 in 2015. The FBS program record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 12 set by Robert Lowe in 2014.
• Of Mahdi's 8 rushing touchdowns, 6 have been scored on plays of 10+ yards and 5 are from 20+ yards out.

 
MAHDI'S RUSHING TDS in 2023
Down-and-distance plus yardage
Yds     Date                           Opponent                                 Down and Distance
65       Sept. 2                       at Baylor                                   3rd and 3
56       Sept. 16                     Jackson State                            1st and 10
46       Sept. 23                     Nevada                                     2nd and 10
36       Sept. 23                     Nevada                                     1st and 10
23       Sept. 30                     at Southern Miss                      1st and 10
10       Oct. 7                         at Louisiana                              3rd and 5
 
TJ THE QB

• TJ Finley has thrown for 300+ yards in the last 2 games and continues to rank among the nation's best passers.
• Finley enters this week ranked 7th in the country in completion percentage (73.3%), 11th in passing efficiency (175.6) and passing yards (1,719), 16th in passing yards per game (286.5), 17th in passing TDs (12) and 21st in points responsible for (92).
• Finley is the top-ranked QB in the Sun Belt in completion percentage, passing yards and passing TDs.
• According to PFF, Finley is the 7th-ranked player in the country in NFL passer rating.
• Finley is the first Texas State quarterback to have 300-yard passing games in back-to-back contests since Damian Williams in 2017.
• No Bobcat quarterback has thrown for 300+ yards in 3 straight games in the program's FBS history.
• Finley's 12 passing TDs in 6 games this year match his career output over his first 18 career games (2020-22).
• Finley also has career-highs in completions and passing yards.
• His completion percentage so far this year is 11.3 percentage points higher than his previous best of 62% set last year at Auburn.
• The Texas State record for completion percentage in a season is 65.4% (Tyler Jones, 2014).
• In 2 Sun Belt games so far this year, Finley is 49-of-64 passing (76.6%) with 664 yards and 4 TDs against 1 INT.

 
QBs AS MEASURED BY NFL PASSER RATING
According to PFF (min. 150 plays)
Rk      Player                              Team                     Rating
1.        Caleb Williams                 USC                       144.2
2.        Michael Penix Jr.             Washington          136.3
3.        Jayden Daniels                 LSU                        135.6
4.        Bo Nix                              Oregon                  131.9
5.        Dillon Gabriel                  Oklahoma             125.0
6.        Brady Cook                      Missouri                121.8
7.        TJ Finley                          Texas State           121.2
8.        Cameron Ward                Wash. St.               116.7
9.        Sam Hartman                  Notre Dame          115.2
10.      Carson Beck                     Georgia                 114.8
 
JOE DIRT

• One of TJ Finley's favorite targets this season has been Joey Hobert, who leads the team with 38 receptions and 502 receiving yards.
• Hobert had a season-high 132 receiving yards at Louisiana, which was the most by a Bobcat in a single-game since Jeremiah Haydel had 152 receiving yards at ULM on Sept. 19, 2020.
• Hobert had 100+ receiving yards in each of the last 2 games, which made him the first Texas State receiver to have back-to-back 100-yard games since Elijah King in 2017.
• Hobert needs 17 more receiving yards to have 2,000 in his career. He had 223 in 2 years at Washington State (2020-21) and 1,258 last year at Utah Tech.
• Hobert is 2nd in the Sun Belt and 24th in the country in receiving yards.
• He is also 4th in the Sun Belt in both receiving touchdowns (4), receiving yards per game (83.7) and receptions per game (6.3).

 
SHOWING FORCE

• Texas State forced 3 fumbles last week against Louisiana (Louisiana fumbled it 4 times) and recovered 2 of them. The Bobcats remain one of the top teams in generating and recovering fumbles.
• Texas State is tied for 3rd in the country and 1st in the Sun Belt in fumbles recovered this year (7).
• Texas State opponents have fumbled the ball 16 times this season, with the Bobcats forcing 13 of them. The 13 forced fumbles are the most in the nation and 2 more than the next closest team (Notre Dame, 11).
• Last year, Texas State forced 13 fumbles over the entire season, which was tied for the 19th-most in the country.
• The program's FBS record for forced fumbles is 14, last set in 2021.
• Shawn Holton is tied with FIU's Donovan Manuel for the nation's lead in forced fumbles with 4.
• Holton's 4 forced fumbles are the most by a Bobcat in a season since Issiah Nixon had 4 in 2021.
• Kaleb Culp is 2nd in the country and 1st in the Sun Belt with 3 fumble recoveries.
• Culp's 3 fumble recoveries are the most by a Bobcat since Travis Houston had 3 in 2008.

 
BIG PLAY POTENTIAL

• Texas State has maintained its big play potential all season long as it is tied for 9th in the nation in plays of 10+ yards or more (104) and tied for 6th in the country in plays of 20+ yards (43).
• Texas State had a season-low 4 plays of 20+ yards last week against Louisiana, which matched its fewest for the season last set at UTSA on Sept. 9.
• The Bobcats are 4-0 this season when it has 5 or more plays of 20+ yards in a game.
• Texas State is averaging 8.8 plays of 20+ yards in its wins and 4.0 plays in its losses.
• Last year, Texas State had 39 plays of 20+ yards, which was tied for 119th in the country.
• The most plays of 20+ yards in a season in the program's FBS history is 55, which was last set in 2020.

 
MOST PLAYS FROM SCRIMMAGE OF 20+ YARDS
Through Week 6
Rk      School                  Total
1.        LSU                      50
2.        USC                      47
3.        Ole Miss               45
           UCF                      45
5.        Notre Dame         44
6.        Texas State          43
           Washington         43
 
4TH DOWN RATE

• Texas State has gone for it on 4th down at least 2 times in 5 of its 6 games. Last week, it went for it on 4th down 5 times (4-of-5).
• The Bobcats are tied for 10th in the country in 4th down attempts with 17.
• They are 23rd in 4th down conversion percentage (70.6%).

 
FOR THOSE IN ATTENDANCE

• Texas State is averaging 21,688 people at home through 2 games this season.
• The Bobcats are 6th in the Sun Belt in average attendance. App State leads the conference with 38,122 fans through its 2 home games.
• The largest crowd this season so far was 24,118 for the Sept. 16 game against Jackson State. That crowd was the 9th-largest in stadium history.

 
Largest Single-Game Crowds, Bobcat Stadium History
Stadium was expanded to its capacity in 2012
Rk     Date                            Opponent                           Attendance
1.      Sept. 24, 2016             Houston                              33,133
2.      Sept. 8, 2012               Texas Tech                          33,006
3.      Sept. 13, 2014             Navy                                    32,007
4.      Sept. 23, 2017             UTSA                                   31,333
5.      Sept. 19, 2015             Southern Miss                    27,252
6.      Sept. 4, 2021               Baylor                                 26,573
7.      Oct. 8, 2022                App State                            25,613
8.      Sept. 12, 2015             Prarie View A&M                24,561
9.      Sept. 16, 2023             Jackson State                      24,118
10.    Oct. 1, 2016                UIW                                     22,845