Texas State Athletics

CONWAY, S.C. – Despite scoring two touchdowns in the final four minutes in an attempt to complete a comeback, Texas State could not overcome a three-touchdown deficit in the fourth quarter and lost at Coastal Carolina 31-23 on Saturday at Brooks Stadium.
 
The Bobcats (6-4, 3-3 SBC) were hurt by a season-high 12 penalties for 122 yards as the Chanticleers (7-3, 5-2 SBC) totaled 23 first downs to Texas State's 15. Coastal Carolina had six first downs on penalties and were also 8-of-15 on third downs.
 
Texas State gained 135 of its 280 yards of offense on the final three drives as the Coastal Carolina defense limited the Bobcats for most of the night. Texas State was forced into a season-high five three-and-outs and had a stretch of six straight drives that resulted in punts (4) and turnover on downs (2) through the middle part of the game. The Bobcats had seven yards on 16 plays in the second and third quarters.
 
Coastal Carolina's offense finished with 347 yards, 188 of which was on the ground. It was the second-fewest yards of offense allowed by Texas State this year.
 
Malik Hornsby relieved starting quarterback TJ Finley in the second half and ran for 52 yards and two touchdowns. He piloted the final two scoring drives for Texas State by running for 40 yards and going 3-of-6 passing for 29 yards.
 
Ismail Mahdi led the way for the Bobcats on the ground with 97 yards on 21 carries. He raised his season total to 1,050 rushing yards as he became the 12th Bobcat in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
 
Jahmyl Jeter also had a rushing touchdown as the Bobcats scored all three of their touchdowns on the ground in the drizzly conditions.
 
Texas State was down 21-10 at halftime due in part to seven penalties for 76 yards in the first half. Four of the seven penalties resulted in Coastal Carolina first downs, including two on the Chanticleers' game-tying drive midway through the first quarter.
 
After Jeter scored a touchdown from one yard out to cap a nine-play, 75-yard opening drive for the Bobcats, the Chanticleers answered with a nine-play, 70-yard drive lifted by the two first downs on Texas State penalties. The Chanticleers tied it up when an offsides penalty by the Bobcats moved it from a third-and-six to third-and-one inside the Texas State 10-yard line and then Ethan Vasko found Kendall Karr over the middle on a play-action pass to even it up at 7-7 with 4:39 left in the first.
 
The Chanticleers later took the lead with 8:18 left in the second quarter on a 25-yard pass from Vasko to Sam Pinckney down the left side of the field. Vasko, who left the game earlier in the drive with an injury but returned a few plays later, extended the drive when he connected with Jared Brown for a 28-yard pass on a third-and-17. The Chanticleers were pushed into the third-and-long after a false start, but they successfully converted it into a first down and put the ball into Texas State territory. Two plays later, Vasko and Pinckney connected to make it 14-10 Coastal Carolina.
 
Meanwhile, Texas State's offense was forced into three straight three-and-outs in the second quarter. The Bobcats had 149 of their 151 yards on offense in the first half on their first three drives.
 
Coastal Carolina, though, had two touchdown drives in the second quarter, including the last of the two that made it 21-10 Chanticleers. The 10-play drive was extended on a pass interference penalty on third down and then a third-and-seven was converted into a first down and moved the ball into the red zone when Vasko found Pinckney for a 19-yard pass. Braydon Bennett culminated the drive with a six-yard rushing touchdown with 1:57 to go in the first half.
 
The Chanticleers scored the lone touchdown in the third quarter with a 14-play, 94-yard drive that chewed up 7:32 of the game clock to start the second half. Coastal Carolina fumbled the ball twice on the drive, with the second time being recovered by the Bobcats deep inside their own territory. However, the play was reviewed and overturned to give the ball back to the Chanticleers. On the next play, Texas State's Kaleb Culp was called for targeting on a tackle up the middle and then four plays later, the Chanticleers scored on a fourth-and-goal to give them a 28-10 lead.
 
Texas State's defense got a turnover on downs and blocked a punt after a botched snap by Coastal Carolina late in the third quarter and to start the fourth, but the Bobcat offense was turned away with three-and-outs. The Chanticleers later added a 25-yard field goal with 9:16 to go in the game that made it 31-10.
 
Texas State ended up with nine first downs in the fourth quarter and totaled 124 yards on 30 plays. It had the ball for more than 10 minutes in time of possession in the quarter.
 
 
From Head Coach GJ Kinne
On the quarterbacks…
"TJ is the quarterback. We just felt we needed a spark. He was getting hit too many times in the first half. I thought Malik did a good job."
 
On the Texas State penalties…
"It was definitely different. I'm not sure. It definitely didn't go our way tonight. It wasn't our night. We have to do a better job of being disciplined."
 
On changes in the offense in the second half…
"(Coastal Carolina) did a good job. Give those guys some credit. Malik (Hornsby) has his packages, and I thought he did a good job when he was in there executing. We'll see it on film, but we had a couple guys running open early because of the number of people they were putting in the box. I thought he did a good job of keeping his composure and taking off when he needed to."
 
On the offense in the first half…
"We probably didn't execute well enough, really on both sides of the ball and in special teams. It was one of those things where it wasn't our night. We had the punt return – we had all the momentum, you stop them, and you get the punt return all the way down inside the 10 (yard line) and they call a block in the back. Losing that momentum there. We just didn't do a good enough job tonight to win."
 
On the late rally in the fourth quarter…
"We didn't quit, I know that. We fought all the way until the end. We just got to do better as coaches and we got to play better, everyone involved, the whole program."
 
On the loss of Joey Hobert…
"It alters things. We had to move some guys around. Those guys did a good job at times. Give (Coastal Carolina) credit, too. That's a good team. Anytime you miss a guy like Joey Hobert, it's going to hurt you a little bit. He's an all-conference type player."
 
 
Stats To Know
The 122 penalty yards were the most for Texas State since it had 124 against Navy on Sept. 13, 2014. The 12 penalties were also the most since the 2018 season opener at Rutgers (15).
 
Mahdi is the first 1,000-yard rusher for Texas State since 2014 when Robert Lowe ran for 1,091 yards on 185 carries.
 
Coastal Carolina fumbled the ball three times but recovered it all three times.
 
Mason Shipley was good on his lone field goal attempt as he improved to 12-of-12 in field goals for the season. He is two field goals made shy of tying the program record for most in a season.
 
The 280 yards of offense were the second-fewest by the Bobcats this season (fewest: 242 at UTSA on Sept. 9).
 
Coastal Carolina sacked TJ Finley and Malik Hornsby a combined four times.
 
Texas State's defense had 7.0 TFLs, which raised its season total to 86.0 this season. That is already a program FBS record.
 
 
Texas State's Standout Performers

• QB Malik Hornsby: 4-8, 32 yards; 18 carries, 62 yards, 2 TDs
• RB Ismail Mahdi: 21 carries, 97 yards
• WR Kole Wilson: 4 rec, 35 yards
• LB Brian Holloway: 9 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, FF
• CB Alonzo Edwards Jr.: 4 solo tackles, 1.0 sack

 
 
Up Next
Texas State will finish out its road slate for the 2023 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Arkansas State. Kickoff is set for 2 pm on ESPN+.