TXST Release:
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Behind a total team effort that saw an offensive, defensive and special teams touchdown, Texas State clinched its first winning season in nine years with a 52-44 win over South Alabama in the regular season finale at Bobcat Stadium on Saturday.
Texas State (7-5, 4-4 SBC), which will learn its bowl fate in the coming days, had a fumble return for a touchdown for its first score, a 100-yard kick return by Kole Wilson early in the second quarter, and five total touchdowns on offense, including three thrown by TJ Finley, to put away the Jaguars (6-6, 4-4 SBC).
It was the first time since 2012 that the Bobcats scored a touchdown in all three phases in a game.
The win continued the Bobcats’ home win streak against South Alabama to five games. It also improved Texas State to 5-1 at home this year, its best home record in a season since 2005.
The Bobcats scored 50+ points for the third time this season thanks to an offense that totaled 479 yards.
Finley was 19-of-28 in the air with 368 yards and three touchdowns. He found Ashtyn Hawkins, Donerio Davenport, and Wilson for the touchdown connections. Both Hawkins (5 receptions, 131 yards) and Wilson (6 receptions, career-high 102 yards) went over 100-yards receiving. For Hawkins, it was his second straight 100-yard game.
With the 300-yard game – his FBS program-best fifth of the season – Finley became Texas State’s all-time record holder for most passing yards in a season. He now has 3,287 in 12 games this year, besting the previous program record of 3,129 by Barrick Nealy in 2003.
Ismail Mahdi led the way for the Bobcats on the ground with 97 yards on 23 carries. He and Jahmyl Jeter both scored a rushing touchdown.
Mahdi also had 184 all-purpose yards while Wilson had 226.
Although Texas State gave up 476 yards of offense to South Alabama, the defense limited the Jaguars to 77 rushing yards on 34 carries and totaled 11 tackles for loss. The Bobcats also had five sacks, one shy of matching their season-high.
Kalil Alexander had two of the five Texas State sacks, which was a career-high for the redshirt sophomore. Brian Holloway, Ben Bell and Deven Wright each had one sack.
Holloway paced the team with 15 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss. He has 16.0 TFLs this year, which are the most by a Bobcat since Fred Evans had 18.0 in 2005.
The Bobcats led 24-0 after the first quarter thanks to the fumble returned for a touchdown by Kaleb Culp less than three minutes into the game, a 48-yard touchdown catch by Hawkins, a one-yard punch in by Jeter, and a Mason Shipley 28-yard field goal with over a minute to go in the opening stanza. It was the second time Texas State held an opponent scoreless in the first quarter this season.
And while South Alabama opened the second quarter with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Carter Bradley to Javon Ivory on a fourth-and-four play, the Bobcats answered when Wilson ran the subsequent kick return back for a touchdown to make it 31-6. The kick return touchdown was the first of Wilson’s career and the second by a Bobcat this season (other: Mahdi).
The Jaguars cut the Texas State lead to 31-17 at halftime thanks to a 51-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo and a 12-play, 91-yard drive in the final two minutes of the first half that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bradley to DJ Thomas-Jones.
South Alabama then cut the deficit to a touchdown when Desmond Trotter – who took over for Bradley after he left the game due to injury – floated in a one-yard pass to Thomas-Jones. Trotter extended the drive with a 51-yard pass to Jamaal Pritchett that put the ball in the red zone.
The Bobcats wasted little time responding when Finley engineered a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive finished off by a Finley-to-Davenport 10-yard touchdown pass that made it 38-24 with 3:35 to go in the third quarter.
South Alabama would close it within a touchdown two more times in the first 13 minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats responded each time with a touchdown of their own. Finley dropped in a 24-yard touchdown pass to Wilson in the corner of the end zone that made it 45-30 with 11:31 left in the game and then Mahdi scored from one yard out to make it 52-36 with 3:04 remaining.
South Alabama scored its final touchdown with 1:02 to go to make it 52-44, but the Bobcats recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt to seal the game.
The 52 points were the most by Texas State in a conference game since the 2014 season finale at Georgia State (W, 54-31).
From Head Coach GJ Kinne
On the fast start after last week’s loss at Arkansas State…
It was really good because that’s a good team you saw. Their defense, especially in the second half and in the second quarter. They’re really good and they held a lot of people to not very many points and not very many yards. So for us to come out the way we did and play – I thought TJ (Finley) played really well, and got the ball out. Thought our receivers played really well. It was definitely a team effort.
On the strategy to kick short on kickoffs…
Coach Da Prato approached me about some of that kind of stuff and the way we kicked the ball off last week. So we wanted to find some good plans and it also allowed us to be aggressive and try to almost like an onside kick in and if we don’t get it then they can’t run it back for a touchdown. That was basically the thinking. Just being very aggressive and we were able to get one, we almost got a couple more. You put a lot of pressure on those guys when you do something like that. And I thought our guys responded well.
On Ismail Mahdi and the offensive line…
It’s awesome, and (Ismail is) a great kid, and man, he’s brought it every day and you know he was banged up. When I think about Ismail this season, this year. There was a time when he probably could have said, ‘you know what, coach, I’m good. I’m hurt, I can’t play,’ and he didn’t do that. He fought through injuries and was able to really come back and accomplish something that I know wasn’t one of his goals. He put the team first and went out there and had a heck of a season.
On his preference for a bowl game…
I don’t really have a preference. I think obviously it would be cool for our fans to be able to travel to that. So as long as it’s somewhere decently close where they can come and give us support. I think we’ll travel very well. First time going to a bowl game, all that kind of stuff. I know our fans will travel well. We have an exciting offense and exciting defense and we’ve had two kickoff returns for touchdowns. The brand of football that we play is exciting. I think somebody’s going to want to keep us and get us you know one of those good bowls.
Stats To Know
Saturday was the first time since Dec. 1, 2012 against New Mexico State that Texas State scored a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams in a game.
Mahdi’s 97 rushing yards raised his season total to 1,209 this year. He is the first Bobcat to have 1,200+ rushing yards in a season since Claude Mathis set the program record in 1997 with 1,595.
Texas State’s 34.0 sacks this season are the most in a season since 1997 when it had 41.0.
The Bobcats also have 102. TFLs, which is only the second time in school history that they have 100 or more TFLs in a season (other: program record 111.0 in 1982).
Texas State set two FBS records: most points in a season (432) and most yards of offense (5,661).
Texas State’s Standout Performers
QB TJ Finley: 19-of-28, 368 yards, 3 TDs, INT
RB Ismail Mahdi: 23 att, 97 yards, TD
WR Ashtyn Hawkins: 5 rec, 131 yards, TD
WR Kole Wilson: 6 rec, 102 yards, TD
TE Konner Fox: 2 rec, 54 yards
LB Brian Holloway: 15 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack
DE Jordan Revels: 6 tackles, 2.0 TFLs, 3 quarterback hurries
S Kaleb Culp: 8 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, TD
CB Kaleb Ford-Dement: 4 tackles, INT
Up Next
The Bobcats will learn their bowl destination – the program’s first ever trip to a bowl game – by Sunday, Dec. 3.
