Texas State (4-3, 2-1) vs Louisiana (6-1, 3-0)

Tuesday, October 29, 2024
UFCU Stadium | San Marcos, Texas
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN2
            Jay Alter (Play-by-play)
            Rocky Boiman (Analyst)

TXST Halftime Show: ESPN+

Radio: KTSW 89.9 & Varsity Network (free app)
            Clint Shields (Play-by-play)
            Geff Gandy (Analyst)

X/Twitter Updates: @TXSTATEFOOTBALL

OPENING DRIVE

• Texas State is coming off a historic 2023 season that saw the program win its first bowl game, in its first appearance, a 45-21 victory over Rice in the SERVEPRO First Responder Bowl.
• The Bobcats set an FBS-program record with eight wins in 2023.
• Texas State posted the highest season attendance average the program has seen in 2023 at 21,184 (127,102 total), and has had two sellouts at UFCU Stadium in 2024.
• The Bobcats play four weekday (non-Saturday) games in 2024. TXST had not played a weekday game since Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. TXST is 1-1 in games in 2024, falling to Arizona State and defeating Troy.
• TXST is coming off a 24-14 loss on the road at Old Dominion.
• Jordan McCloud was named to the Manning Award Watch List, while Steven Parker was added to the Lombardi Award Watch List.
• Nash Jones was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. 

A WIN VS LOUISIANA MEANS...

• The Bobcats get their first victory over Louisiana.
• Texas State has won 7 of 10 dating back to the 2023 season.
• TXST starts 3-1 in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time since 2014 (joined in 2013).
• The Bobcats are 7-5 in their last 12 SBC outings dating back to the 2023 season.
• TXST moves to 2-1 in non-Saturday games in 2024 (still to play Fri. 11/29 at South Alabama).

VICTORY STAR
Texas State played in, and won, its first bowl game in 2023, a 45-21 victory over Rice in the SERVEPRO First Responder Bowl.

• The Bobcats set an FBS program record for wins in a season with 8.
• The last time Texas State had 8 wins in a season was in 2008 when the Bobcats were 8-4 in the regular season and finished the year with a first-round loss at Montana in the Division I-AA (FCS) Playoffs first round.
• Texas State has 14 seasons in its program history with 8 or more wins.

THE KINNE EFFECT
In his first year, Texas State head coach GJ Kinne took the Bobcats to a place they have never gone -- a bowl game -- and did something that has not been done in 40 years.

• Kinne is the first Texas State head coach to have a winning season in his first campaign at the helm of the Bobcats since Dennis Franchione in 1990 (6-5).
• With the bowl win, Kinne became the first, first-year head coach at Texas State to win 8 or more games since John O'Hara in 1983 (9-3). O'Hara took over the Bobcats after they won back-to-back DII national championships under Jim Wacker in 1981 and 1982.
• Prior to Kinne, only 2 Texas State head coaches in the program's history had won 8 or more games in their first season: O'Hara (1983) and Bill Miller (8-2 in 1965).
• Kinne was named the 21st head coach in Texas State's history on Dec. 2, 2022 (one day after his 34th birthday).

EXCITING BRAND OF FOOTBALL
One thing that GJ Kinne and the rest of the Texas State coaching staff installed in their first year was an offense that has produced at its highest level in the Bobcats' FBS history.

• Texas State finished the 2023 season ranked 11th in the country in scoring offense (36.7) and 15th in total offense (457.6).
• Texas State finished 28th in the country in passing offense (270.9) and 26th in rushing offense (186.7).
• Entering 2023 as an FBS team, Texas State had never ranked higher than 24th in the nation in total offense. In 2014, the Bobcats finished the season 24th in total offense, which was the only time they had been in the nation's top-50 in that category.
• Also entering the season, Texas State's highest finish as an FBS team in rushing offense was 18th (2014) and passing offense was 56th (2020).
• Its best finish in scoring offense at the FBS level was 31st in 2014.
• The Texas State offense averaged 132.4 more yards per game in 2023 compared to 2022.

ON THE OFFENSIVE
While Texas State's offense finished 11th in the country in scoring offense, it became the nation's most improved scoring offense over the 2023 season.

• Texas State improved its scoring output from 21.1 points per game in 2022 to 36.7 in 2023 (+15.6). 34.7 in 2024
• The Bobcats' 36.7 points per game in 2023 marked the first time they have averaged more than 28 points per game since 2014 when they averaged 33.8.

A FINE LINE
The Bobcat offensive line has only allowed 8 sacks in 2024 (1.14/game), ranking them 26th nationally.

TXST State has started the same offensive line every game in 2024 - Strawn, Jones, Todd, Lockette, Harkey. The group has combined for 105 career starts, led by Nash Jones with 46.

LET'S GET ACTIVE
Quarterback Jordan McCloud ranks in the top 10 among FBS active players in touchdown passes and total TDs responsible for and the top 20 for completions, completion %, passing yards, total plays and total offense.
 

TD Passes	78	5
Total TDs Responsible For	96	6
Passing Yards	8.799	16
Total Plays	1,457	14
Total Offense	9,724	15
Completions	732	16
Completion %	64.5%	18

Ismail Mahdi is also an active national leader for all-purpose yards, leading the country in all purpose-yards per game.
 

All-Purpose YPG	152.85	1
Rushing YPG	98.9	3
Rushes/Game	17.25	4
KO Return Avg.	26.0	6

STAYIN' ALIVE
Wide receiver Joey Hobert is one of 19 players with a streak of 30+ consecutive games with a reception at 30, dating back to Dec. 31, 2021.

Hobert had his 4th multi-TD game at Texas State, and 9th overall, against Arkansas State.

2024 games
vs. Lamar | 6-91, 2TD
vs. Sam Houston | 8-75, 2TD
vs. Arkansas State | 10-101, 2TD

IN THE RANKINGS
TXST players in the nation's top 20...
 

Player	Category	Value	Rank
McCloud	Passing TDs	20	4
	Points Responsible For	150	6
	Points Responsible For/Game	21.4	5
	Completion %	68.5	15
	Completions/Game	22.71	16
	Passing Efficiency	159.4	17
	Total Offense	301.1	14
	Passing Yards/Game	270.1	16
Hobert	Receiving TDs	7	11
	Receptions/Game	6.9	13
Mahdi	All-Purpose Yards	126.86	20
Nolan	Fumbles Recovered	2	4
Polk	Forced Fumbles	0.29	20
Landry	Forced Fumbles	0.29	20
Wilson	Kickoff Returns	23.7	19

    
TAKE BACK TEXAS
Texas State has a .600 winning % dating back to the start of the 2023 season, and is one of only four FBS teams in Texas to win eight games in 2023.
 

	2024	2023	Total	%
Texas	7-1	12-2	19-3	.864
SMU	7-1	11-3	18-4	.818
Texas A&M	7-1	7-6	14-7	.667
TXST	403	8-5	12-8	.600
Texas Tech	5-3	7-6	12-9	.571
UTSA	3-5	9-4	12-9	.571
North Texas	5-3	5-7	10-10	.500
TCU	5-3	5-7	10-10	.500
Sam Houston	6-2	3-9	9-11	.450
Rice	2-6	6-7	8-13	.381
Houston	3-5	4-8	7-13	.350
Baylor	4-4	3-9	7-13	.350
UTEP	1-7	3-9	4-16	.200

FAST START
The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 86-20 in the first quarter of games this season and 151-78 through the first half. TXST has also held 3 opponents (Lamar, Sam Houston & Troy) scoreless in the first quarter.

HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN
The Bobcats have sold out 2 of 4 home games this season with crowds of 28,000 against UTSA and Arkansas State. It was the first Sun Belt Conference sellout for TXST on Oct. 12.

Single-Game Attendance Highs (Home)
Rk     Date Attendance Opponent
1.     Sept. 24, 2016 - 33,133 Houston
2.     Sept. 8, 2012 - 33,006 Texas Tech
3.     Sept. 13, 2014 - 32,007 Navy
4.     Sept. 23, 2017 - 31,333 UTSA
5.     Oct. 12, 2024 - 28,000 Troy
        Sept. 7, 2024 - 28,000 UTSA