Football Takes on HCU in Final Nonconference Matchup

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SETTING THE TABLE

Texas State will wrap up its nonconference slate for the regular season on Saturday when it hosts Houston Christian University at 6 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and heard on the Varsity Network and KTSW 89.9 FM.

The Bobcats enter week 4 of the season coming off a 42-7 loss to #17/#19 Baylor in Waco. Texas State was within a score late in the first half, but a 35-yard touchdown run by quarterback Blake Shapen on fourth-and-one with 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter stalled Texas State’s momentum. In the second half, the Bobcats forced three turnovers, but three Baylor touchdowns over a seven-minute stretch between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth put away Texas State.

HCU arrives in San Marcos coming off a bye week. The Huskies opened the season with a 46-34 road win over Northern Colorado on September 3, but in their home opener the following week, a blocked punt with under 30 seconds remaining in the game dealt the Huskies a 21-20 loss to Lindenwood.

Saturday’s matchup represents the second all-time meeting between Texas State and HCU. The two opened the 2017 season at Bobcat Stadium, a game in which the Bobcats won 20-11. The Huskies, which started their football program in 2013, scored the first 9 points of the game, but 20 points by the Bobcats helped the game end in a 9-point win.

If the Bobcats win on Saturday, they would have their best start to a season since 2016.

THOUGHT I’D BE WEAK

• Ashtyn Hawkins broke a 24-year-old program record last week at Baylor by catching 13 passes.
• The sophomore wide receiver’s 13 receptions surpassed the previous Texas State record for receptions in a game of 12, last set by James Stewart against Troy on Oct. 22, 1998
• Three Bobcats had 12 receptions in a game prior to Hawkins, a list that includes Johnny Parker in 1969, David Vela in 1982, and Stewart
• In addition to being a program-record, Hawkins’ 13 catches were the most by a Sun Belt player since Dec. 2020 (Jaivon Heligh, Coastal Carolina, with 13)
• Hawkins broke the record with a catch early in the fourth quarter. He had 9 of his catches in the first half.

BUT I’M STRONGER

• Ashtyn Hawkins is the team’s leading receiver as he has 28 catches for 256 yards and 4 touchdowns in 3 games. He is 2nd in the country in receptions per game (9.3)
• Hawkins has two games of 10+ receptions: season opener at Nevada (11, Sept. 3) and last week at Baylor (Sept. 17).
• He is the first Bobcat with 2 games of 10+ receptions in a season since Hutch White had 2 in all of 2019.
• No Bobcat has had 3 games in a season of 10+ receptions in the program’s FBS era.
• Hawkins’ 28 receptions in the first 3 games of the season are the most in program history during its FBS era. The previous high was 23 by Hutch White in 2019.
• Hawkins already has the most receptions by a Bobcat in the first 4 games of the season in the FBS era. Hutch White had 27 in the first 4 games of 2019.
• Hawkins’ 28 receptions so far this year would rank 4th on last year’s Texas State team for the entire season. Hawkins had 30 receptions in 2021 to finish 3rd on the team.
• In addition to being 2nd in the nation in receptions/game, Hawkins is tied with 5 others for 2nd in the country in total receptions.

Receptions Leaders in FBS

Through Sept. 17, 2022

1. Charlie Jones, Furman                 32

2. Ashtyn Hawkins, Texas State     28

     Keylon Stokes, Tulsa                    28

     Trey Palmer, Nebraska                28

     Rashee Rice, SMU                        28

     Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State    28

THOUGHT I’D BE BROKE

• Hawkins has a touchdown reception in each of the first 3 games this season, helping him total a team-best 4 receiving touchdowns.
• Hawkins is the first Bobcat with a touchdown reception in 3 straight games since Javen Banks did it from Oct. 9-16, 2021.
• The last Bobcat to have a touchdown reception in 4 straight games was Marcell Barbee, who went 5 straight games from Oct. 24-Nov. 21, 2020 (6 total TDs).
• Hawkins is tied for 9th in the country with 4 receiving touchdowns.
• Last year, Marcell Barbee and Javen Banks led the Bobcats with 5 receiving touchdowns for the entire season.
• Hawkins’ receiving touchdown total this year is already the third-highest by a Bobcat receiver in the program’s FBS era.

Most Receiving Touchdowns in a Season

Texas State, FBS Era (Since 2012)

1.   Marcell Barbee (2020)                               10

2.   Javen Banks (2021)                                     5

      Marcell Barbee (2021)                               5

      Keenen Brown (2018)                                5

5.   7 players, Last: Ashtyn Hawkins (2022)    4

BUT I’M RICHER

• Although Ashtyn Hawkins leads the team with 28 catches, 14 different Bobcats have caught at least one pass this year.
• Hawkins and Ortega-Jones (10) are the only Bobcats with 10+ receptions this year.
• Last year, 16 Bobcats had at least one catch.
• Texas State had 13 players catch a pass in the season opener at Nevada and has had no fewer than 8 different players with a reception in each of the 3 games this year.

THOUGHT I’D BE SAD

• Distributing the ball to the 14 players with a reception is quarterback Layne Hatcher, who has completed 73 passes on 118 attempts (61.9 completion pct.).
• Hatcher is 15th in the country – and third among Sun Belt quarterbacks – in completions per game (24.33) this season.
• Hatcher’s 73 completions are the most by a Bobcat in the first 3 games of a season since 2019 when Gresch Jensen had 75 (122 attempts).
• The most completions by a Texas State quarterback in the first 4 contests of a campaign in the program’s FBS era is 99 set by Tyler Jones in 2016.
• Hatcher’s fewest completions in a game so far this year is 15 against FIU on Sept. 10.

Most completions by a Texas State Quarterback, First 4 Games of a Season

FBS Era (Since 2012)

1.   Tyler Jones (2016)                      99 (151 attempts)

2.   Tyler Jones (2014)                      95 (135 attempts)

3.   Gresch Jensen (2019)                91 (147 attempts)

4.   Tyler Jones (2015)                      88 (129 attempts)

5.   Brady McBride (2021)                79 (137 attempts)

6.   Layne Hatcher (2022)                73 (118 attempts)*

*total for 3 games played

BUT I LAUGH HARDER

• Hatcher surpassed the 8,000-passing yard mark last week against Baylor as he now has thrown for 8,132 yards in his 5-year career so far.
• Hatcher threw for 7,427 yards in 3 seasons at Arkansas State (2019-21) while he did not play in any games in his true freshman season at Alabama (2018).
• Hatcher has thrown for 705 yards this year, helping him rank 52nd in the country in that category.
• Hatcher’s 235.0 passing yards per game this year is 54th in the country.
• Hatcher enters this week 13th among active FBS quarterbacks in career passing yards.

THOUGHT WOULDN’T GROW WITHOUT YOU

• Calvin Hill ran for 41 yards on 12 carries against #17 Baylor. He also had 21 receiving yards to help him total 62 all-purpose yards.
• Hill enters the HBU game 49th in the country in rushing yards this season (246) and 46th in rushing yards per game (82.0).
• He is also averaging 5.0 yards per carry this year. He has a 5.2 yards per rush over the course of his career (294 attempts, 1,516 yards).
• Hill is averaging 93.0 all-purpose yards per game this year. Last year, he averaged 66.0 all-purpose yards.

BUT NOW I’M WISER

• Texas State forced 3 turnovers last week against #17 Baylor, its most takeaways in a game this year.
• It was the Bobcats’ most takeaways in a game since October 9, 2021 vs. South Alabama (3).
• Texas State has 5 takeaways in the last 2 games. In the previous 8 games, dating back to October 16, 2021, the Bobcats had 2 total takeaways.
• After having no takeaways in the season opener at Nevada, Texas State had 2 takeaways against FIU on September 10 and 3 at Baylor on September 17.
• It is the first time Texas State has multiple takeaways in back-to-back games since September 2021. The Bobcats forced 3 turnovers at FIU on September 11, 2021 and then 3 against UIW on September 18, 2021.
• Texas State has not had 2+ takeaways in 3 straight games since September 14-October 10, 2019 when it had done it 4 consecutive contests.
• While the defense has increased its takeaways in each game this season, the offense has lowered its turnover total as well.
• Texas State had 4 turnovers in the season opener at Nevada, 2 against FIU on September 10, and 1 last week against Baylor.
• The Bobcats have a -2 turnover margin for the season.

THOUGHT I’D BE HELPLESS WITHOUT YOU

• In addition to improving the trends in turnovers and takeaways, Texas State has shown a positive trend in penalties through the first 3 games.
• After 11 penalties in the season opener at Nevada – the program’s most in a game in 4 years – the Bobcats have lowered their penalties against to 7 against FIU and 3 last week against #17 Baylor.
• Last year, Texas State averaged 5.83 penalties per game. This year, they are averaging 7.0 penalties per game.

BUT I’M SMARTER

• Although Texas State is coming off a game in which it allowed a season-high 501 yards of offense, it still has improved from last season.
• The Bobcats enter this week against HBU 5th among Sun Belt teams (70th in the nation) in total defense (362.7 yards allowed).
• Helping the total is Texas State’s pass defense, which ranks 53rd in the country in passing yards allowed (201.0 yards/game) and 31st in passing efficiency defense (111.49).
• This year’s defense is allowing 362.7 yards per game and 5.3 yards per play this year in the first 3 games. In the first 3 games of last year, the Bobcats averaged 414.7 yards against and 5.9 yards per play.
• The Bobcat defense is 7th in the country in PFF defense grades. It is powered by its PFF grade in pass rush (2nd-best in the country) and coverage grade (T-11th in the country).

THOUGHT I’D BE STRESSED WITHOUT YOU

• Texas State limited Baylor to 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) on third-down attempts last week, which was the third time this year the Bobcats held their opponent to a third-down rate less than 40 percent.
• Last year, Texas State held opponents to less than 40 percent on third downs 4 times all season.
• Texas State enters this week 36th in the nation in third down defense (30.2 percent; 13-of-43).

BUT I’M CHILLIN’

• Texas State was 1-of-4 on fourth downs against #17 Baylor, dropping its fourth-down season average to 16.7 percent.
• Under head coach Jake Spavital, Texas State is 31-of-69 on fourth downs (44.9 percent). In his first 3 seasons, Texas State was 30-of-63 (47.6 percent) on fourth downs.
• Texas State averages just under 2 fourth-down attempts per game under Spavital.
• In this season’s game against FIU, the Bobcats did not attempt to convert one fourth down – a first for the Bobcats since September 19, 2020 vs. ULM (W, 38-17). It was a stretch of 22 straight games in which they attempted to convert at least one fourth down.
• Last week’s 4 fourth-down attempts against Baylor were the most for the Bobcats in a game since October 31, 2020 vs. Louisiana (L, 34-44).
• In the program’s FBS era, Texas State has 9 games in which it has attempted 4 or more fourth downs.

Texas State Fourth Down Conversions

Under Head Coach Jake Spavital

2019: 4-of-13 (30.8 percent)

2020: 10-of-26 (38.5 percent)

2021: 16-of-24 (66.7 percent)

2022: 1-of-6 (16.7 percent)

I’M A SURVIVOR

• Levi Bell was one of the leading players on the Texas State defense once again when he totaled 7 tackles, including 1.0 TFL, against #17 Baylor.
• Bell, a transfer from LA Tech in his first year with Texas State, has 5+ tackles in all 3 games this year.
• He also has at least 1.0 TFL in each contest.
• Bell enters the HBU game second on the team in tackles (22) and the team leader in TFLs (5.5) and sacks (1.5).
• Bell is also tied for tied for 3rd among all defensive players in PFF overall defensive grades this season.

NOT GONNA GIVE UP

• Matching Levi Bell for the team lead in tackles against #17 Baylor was Kordell Rodgers, who had 7 solo tackles to make up his total of 7 in the game.
• The 7 tackles fell one shy of matching his career-high of 8, which he set on September 15, 2018 vs. South Alabama.
• Rodgers, who played in his first collegiate game as a starter on September 2, 2017 against HBU, has 144 career tackles (101 solo) in 41 games.
• In the last 2 games, Rodgers is averaging 4.0 tackles per game and also has 1.0 TFL and 2 interceptions.

NOT GONNA STOP

• Texas State’s final nonconference game of the regular season has big consequences for the Bobcats based on their record.
• If Texas State beats HBU, it will be 2-2 for the first time since 2016.
• In its FBS history, Texas State has started a season 2-2 or better four times (2012-14, 2016).

GONNA WORK HARDER

• In addition to overall start, Texas State is looking to have its best home start in nine years.
• If the Bobcats win against HBU, they will have won their first 2 home games of a season for the first time since 2013.
• Texas State has not won two consecutive home games since 2019: W, 37-34 (3OT) on September 21 and W, 24-3 over Nicholls on September 28.

I’M A SURVIVOR

• Ashtyn Hawkins’ 29-yard reception last week against #17 Baylor was the only play for the Bobcats of 20+ yards in the game.
• Texas State had 3 “big plays” against Nevada in the season opener and 6 against FIU. It is averaging 3.33 plays of 20+ yards per game this year.
• Last year, the Bobcats had 8 offensive plays of 20+ yards in the first 3 games, but none were longer than 36 yards. This year, Texas State has 3 plays of 40+ yards.
• Calvin Hill and Ashtyn Hawkins lead the team with 3 plays of 20+ yards this year.
• The Texas State defense surrendered 6 plays of 20+ yards against Baylor, which was more than it allowed in the first 2 games combined. Of the 6 “big plays” allowed against Baylor, 4 resulted in touchdowns.

GONNA MAKE IT

• Texas State was won the time of possession in each of the first 3 games this year.
• The Bobcats enter the week 38th in the nation in time of possession for the season (31:22).
• In 2021, Texas State won the time of possession 5 times in 12 games. It was 2-3 in those games.
• In head coach Jake Spavital’s first 2 years at the helm of Texas State, the Bobcats won the time of possession a combined 2 times. They never won the time of possession in more than one game in each of those two seasons (2019 and 2020).
• The Bobcats have benefited from averaging 73.3 plays per game to help them win the time of possession. Texas State opponents are averaging 68.7 plays per game.
• Last year, Texas State averaged 69.2 plays per game.

I WILL SURVIVE

• As an FBS team (since 2012), Texas State is 8-1 against FCS opponents.
• The Bobcats’ last win against an FCS team was September 28, 2020 vs. Nicholls (W, 24-3).
• Last year, Texas State fell to UIW at home on September 18, 2021 (L, 34-42) to snap its 8-game winning streak against FCS teams.

KEEP ON SURVIVIN’

• Texas State has not won the game the week after playing a nationally-ranked team since 2016.
• In 2016, a week after losing to #6 Houston (3-64), the Bobcats beat UIW, 48-17.
• Texas State has lost 3 straight games in the week after playing a nationally-ranked opponent.
• In 2020, Texas State lost to Louisiana (34-44) the week after playing #11 BYU (L, 14-52). It also played #20 Coastal Carolina (L, 14-49) in its season finale.
• In 2019, Texas State fell to Coastal Carolina (21-24) the week after playing #24 App State (L, 13-35). It also lost to Wyoming (14-23) the week after playing #11 Texas A&M in the season opener (L, 7-41).