Texas State (2-1) vs. Sam Houston (3-1)

Saturday, September 28, 2024
NRG Stadium | Houston, Texas
Kickoff: 2 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN+
            Randy McIlvoy (Play-by-Play)
            John Harris (Analyst)

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

X/Twitter Updates: @TXSTATEFOOTBALL

Head Coach GJ Kinne Weekly Availability

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.
• Texas State posted the highest season attendance average the program has seen in 2023 at 21,184 (127,102 total).
• Texas State opened the season receiving votes in the US LBM preseason Coaches Poll and received eight votes in the week 3 edition.
• Texas State finished 7-2 across nine games played in the state of Texas in 2023.
• TXST is coming off a 31-28 loss to Big 12 foe Arizona State on Sept. 12.
• Saturday's game will be the first for the Bobcats in NRG Stadium, but not the first in an NFL facility. TXST has played at Raymond James Stadium (USF, 1999) the Metrodome (Minnesota, 2002) and the Georgia Dome (Georgia State, 2014 & 2016).
• The 93rd meeting between the two schools dates back to 1915, but has not been played since 2011.
• Nash Jones was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football's premier scholar-athlete award. 

TXST V SHSU
Former conference rivals, Texas State and Sam Houston were charter members of the Lone Star Conference in 1931 before both moving to the Gulf Star Conference (1984-86) and then the Southland Conference (1987-2010). The last meeting between the two schools was in 2011 when Texas State was an independent FCS member and transitioning to the FBS level.
 
For 94 seasons from 1915 to 2011, the two schools met 91 times. Texas State leads the all-time series, 50-37-5.

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.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Comparing averages and national rank

	2022		2023
Category	Total	Rank	Total	Rank
Total Offense	325.2	112	457.6	15
Scoring Offense	21.1	110	36.7	11
Passing Offense	221.1	79	270.9	28
Rushing Offense	104.1	119	186.7	26

TXST in 2024

	2024
Category	Total	Rank
Total Offense	463.3	26
Scoring Offense	37.0	27
Passing Offense	283.3	28
Rushing Offense	180.0	51

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). 
• 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.

GETTING TO THE BACKFIELD
In addition to Texas State having one of the best offenses in the country, it finished second in the nation in TFLs and tied for 9th in sacks.

• Texas State registered 7 sacks in the opener against Lamar. The most for TXST in an FBS game behind eight vs Idaho on Oct. 4, 2024 and the most since six against South Alabama Nov. 5, 2023.
• The Bobcats had 108 TFLs, 2nd in the nation and an FBS program record, and were 16 shy of matching the overall program record of 124 set in 1982.
• Texas State's 40 sacks were an FBS program record and most in any season for Texas State since it had 41 in 1997.
• The overall program record for sacks in a season is 58.5 set in 1982.
• The Bobcats finished 9th in the country with an average of 3.08 sacks per game this year.
• Texas State had 7 games in 2023 of 10+ TFLs and 8 games of 3.0+ sacks.
• The Bobcats had 26 different players credited with a TFL and 19 with a sack in 2023.

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	67	7
Total TDs Responsible For	82	8
Completions	641	17
Completion %	63.8%	18
Passing Yards	7,723	17
Total Plays	1,302	19
Total Offense	8,515	17

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

All-Purpose YPG	158.94	1
Rushing YPG	98.8	3

STAYIN' ALIVE
Wide receiver Joey Hobert is one of 22 players with a streak of 25+ consecutive games with a reception at 26, dating back to Dec. 31, 2021.

TAKE BACK TEXAS
Texas State currently has the fourth-best winning % among FBS teams in Texas since the start of the 2023 season, and is one of only four teams to win eight games in 2023.
 

	2024	2023	Total	%
Texas	4-0	12-2	16-2	.889
SMU	3-1	1103	14-4	.778
UTSA	2-2	9-4	11-6	.647
TXST	2-1	8-5	10-6	.625
Texas A&M	3-1	7-6	10-7	.588
Texas Tech	3-1	7-6	10-7	.588
North Texas	3-1	5-7	8-8	.500
TCU	2-2	5-7	7-9	.438
Rice	1-3	6-7	7-10	.412
Sam Houston	3-1	3-9	6-10	.375
Baylor	2-2	4-8	5-11	.313
Houston	1-3	4-8	5-11	.313
UTEP	0-4	3-9	3-13	.188