SAN MARCOS– A sold-out crowd at UFCU Stadium is fitting for Family Weekend and the “Battle for the Paddle” rivalry as the Texas State Bobcats (3-1) dominated the Nicholls Colonels (1-3) 35-3.
UFCU boasted its fourth-largest attendance record of all time with 31,500 fans in attendance, making this the first crowd of more than 30,000 since 2017. The energy was high, as it should be for a primetime Family Weekend slot at 7 p.m. Anything less than a Cats victory by 90 would be a bust, right? That is right, and UFCU Stadium was ready to pop after a full day’s worth of tailgating.
“Anytime we can play at home and have a crowd like that, it’s great for our players, the environment, recruiting — it’s great for everything,” Texas State head coach GJ Kinnie said to the media. “We’re very blessed, super happy and thankful for the way we showed out and packed the stadium. It makes a big difference.”
On cue, the opening kickoff was nearly housed by Jaylen Jenkins, but called back by a penalty. Nonetheless, it gave the pent-up fans a reason to explode, and they seized the opportunity, setting the stage for a good old-fashioned battle of the paddle butt whoopin.
The scoring started off with Texas State deliberately marching downfield for an organized 13-play, 92-yard drive. Quarterback Brad Jackson found the end zone on an option play and waltzed in for the score. A 19-yard completion from Jackson to Beau Sparks was the highlight of the drive. As the Colonels gave it a whirl for the first time, similar to Texas State, their first drive was disciplined, evident of a well-thought-out scheme. Nicholls running back Shane Lee popped one off for a 19-yard gain, but the Texas State defense held strong and held the Colonels to a field goal, making the score 7-3 at the end of the first.
Trying to be clever, Nicholls elected to do a fake onside kick, but to no avail as Texas State secured the possession and opened up shop in ideal field position deep within enemy territory. This set up a beautiful 34-yard completion from Brad Jackson to Beau Sparks. Channeling that inner Johnny Football, and showcasing his dual-threat capabilities, Jackson kept it on another option play and galloped into the end zone, making it 14-3, good guys.
The Texas State defense, which played exceptionally well all game, forced a three-and-out, and Kylen Evans, Brad Jackson’s roommate, made his mark hauling in a 45-yard pickup pass from Jackson, setting up Texas State first-and-goal. A handoff to Torrance Burgess Jr. resulted in a 7-yard touchdown, capping off an eight-play, 92-yard drive and extending Texas State’s lead to 21-3 midway through the second.
On Texas State’s next possession, Evans made his presence felt again on a nice 29-yard catch. The drive was capped off by Lincoln Pare on a 9-yard touchdown rush as he playfully slid into the end zone, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Late in the first half, the Texas State defense faced some adversity — really for the first time all evening. Back-to-back penalties resulted in a first-and-goal for Nicholls, but the defense stood strong and earned its first turnover of the season. A lofty pass from Deuce Hogan was picked off by Oregon transfer Khamari Terrell.
“The defense hasn’t played up to the standard this season,” defensive end Kalil Alexander said to the media. “I’d much rather them score zero but three still feels great. We just have to keep building on top of that to get where we want to be.”
The Bobcats put a stop to any momentum swings the Colonels could muster up going into the half. The score was 28-3 Texas State at the half. The first half, to summarize concisely, was one that was very clean and balanced. At times GJ Kinne relied heavily on his run attack — almost to a fault — but it then opened up the passing lanes later on. Brad Jackson executed a very sharp half of football, throwing accurately and wisely. All in all, the first half was pretty sound, albeit only Nicholls, but a performance worth getting this Family Weekend crowd on its feet.
The second half began with a Texas State sack from none other than defensive end Kalil Alexander. Jackson found Mavin Anderson for 16 yards on the Bobcats’ first possession of the second half. Certainly, nice to see some of the other band members in the receiving room chip in, as star wideout Chris Dawn Jr. did not play because of injury. Running back Greg Burrell found the end zone on a 5-yard rush up the middle, making the score 35-3. If it wasn’t already a rout, it definitely was at this point. Fans started to hit the exits, content with their Bobcats for the time being, and also ready to get away from their parents, right?
Kinnie, giving the nod to the backup QB and letting his star rest, threw quarterback Keldric Luster into the game — another savvy dual-threat QB to finish things off. The game ended anticlimactically, as most blowouts do, and with a final score of 35-3.
“We needed this game after Arizona State,” Kinnie said. “We needed it to get back in rhythm, to get healthy and get ready for that conference play stretch.”
Texas State finished with a total of 401 yards, 207 rushing and 194 passing yards and held Nicholls to just 224 yards. Texas State went 11-14 on third down, a striking contrast to Nicholls who went 5-16. Texas State went a perfect 5-5 in the red zone and only committed one turnover late in the game. Brad Jackson threw for 180 yards on 13-20 (65%) and rushed for 37 yards and two touchdowns.
On the ground, Texas State’s stable of backs produced with Lincoln Pare leading the way with 64 yards and a touchdown. Torrance Burgess Jr. had a nice game going before he was taken out due to an injury. He finished the night with 48 yards and a touchdown. Greg Burrell contributed with a touchdown of his own.
“We have four guys in that room who can go,” Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson said to the media when asked about the running backs. “They can really make an impact, and they could all be somewhere else, but they are here at Texas State.”
Kylen Evans had his best game as a Bobcat, as the wideout hauled in 88 yards on four catches. Mr. Reliable, Beau Sparks, added a steady 63 yards receiving, and Mavin Anderson had 30. In the absence of Dawn Jr., other guys had to step up, which is good for them in their development and confidence going forward.
“It’s awesome. You want it for a guy like Kylen,” Jackson said. “Him being my roommate and as close as we are, it’s super cool to see. Hopefully, he will bring home some more cookies, as he did last week.”
Interestingly, Texas State regressed in the penalties department. At Arizona State the Bobcats only had one penalty for 10 yards. Tonight, they had six for 67 yards. In fact, the game started off with one on the kickoff return. Obviously, the penalties did not matter in terms of winning or losing, but you bet Texas State could have scored more than 35 points.
Nonetheless, this is a feel-good win heading into the bye week. With a third of the season concluded, Texas State sits comfortably somewhat at 3-1 before opening up conference play at Arkansas State (1-3) in October, who Texas State demolished last year 41-9.
The bye week is coming at a perfect time for this team. Texas State has a lot of guys down; they need to lick their wounds and gear up for conference play. Arkansas St. should be a win, but then you have Troy (2-2) coming into San Marcos for Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 11, which is going to be juicy whichever way you slice it.
As the fans and families make their way back home, they should feel proud. The atmosphere tonight was special, perhaps a glimpse into the future. So long are the days where Texas State would struggle to fill just half the stadium. This is a new era of Texas State football, with the Pac-12 addition looming in the not-so-distant future. Fans, feel empowered, but also use tonight as a benchmark for future home games going forward.
“We are fueled by our home crowd,” Alexander said. “Anytime we can get that type of attendance, it’s always going to be a good outcome. It’s always a great feeling for me coming from a junior college and then being able to see stuff like that.”
This recap would not be complete without some acknowledgment of the bizarre yet fascinating trophy for this game, better known as the Battle for the Paddle. By now, everyone should know the history. In fact, even the Texas State players were quizzed on its history before the game, just to show you the importance and how deep this game lies within Texas State lore. Rest assured, the Battle for the Paddle really was not much of a battle, and it’s looking like the paddle will be in San Marcos for some time to come.
“Being in the locker room with the guys after the game, and we are all holding the paddle up, it’s a fun experience,” Jackson said. “It’s something you will remember for sure.”
