Back at the Wack
Texas State suffered their first loss of the season last week against UTSA, falling 20-13 in a defensive battle at the Alamodome. The Bobcats were unable to build offensive momentum, rushing for just 31 yards, and losing the time of possession battle by nearly 15 minutes. After two road games to begin the fall campaign, Texas State will play in San Marcos for the first time under head coach G.J. Kinne.
The Bobcats will host Jackson State on Saturday, who remain a worthy opponent even without Deion Sanders at the helm.
New head coach T.C. Taylor has led the Tigers to a 2-1 start, with wins over South Carolina State and Southern University. Their lone loss came at the hands of Florida A&M.
A Look at Jackson State
Through the first three games, Jackson State’s offense has performed well. Quarterback Jason Brown is at his third program, after stops at South Carolina in 2021 and Virginia Tech in 2022. In 3 matchups, the graduate transfer has totaled 622 passing yards and four touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception.
Brown’s number one receiving option this season is WR Rico Powers. Powers is 6’2″ and has served as a Tiger deep threat, tallying 290 receiving yards and two touchdowns in three games. JSU runs a fast-paced scheme, with lots of RPOs and zone reads. The offense will force opponents to make decisions fast with lots of quick developing plays. Once they draw defenses in, they try to burn them over the top.
The star of the Jackson State attack is running back Irv Mulligan. Mulligan has gotten the majority of the carries on offense, so far this season he has 278 yards with two touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry.
The Tigers also had the second-best recruiting class in the FCS. Their skill position players are athletic, and their play callers have done a good job of getting them the ball in space.
The Jackson State defense is also off to a solid start. Just like the offense, this group has a bunch of athletic bodies.
Linebacker Isaac Peppers has emerged as the Tiger’s leading tackler. In 3 contests, he has accumulated 22 tackles, 4.0 TFL, and a sack. Phillip Webb is a big defensive lineman that is off to a good start for Jackson State, he came up with two sacks in their last game.
The Tiger secondary has impressed to start the year. They are fast, tackle well in the open field, and have come away with three interceptions. This is a competent group that’s used to giving up fewer passing yards than opponents, but Texas State’s receivers will be a much tougher assignment than anyone they have played thus far.
What I Want to See
On paper, this game looks to be an easy win for the Bobcats. Jackson State is no slouch, but they are an FCS opponent that’s had to replace multiple contributors from last season. I mentioned that their skill position players are dangerous, which they are. However, when teams that are clearly on different levels of football are playing each other, you will see it in the trenches. I do not expect Jackson State’s offensive and defensive lines to be able to hang with Texas State’s for four quarters.
In a game that’s expected to be lopsided, the result Texas State sees should not be limited to the final score and outcome. Instead, I will be looking at several different aspects of the Bobcats, hoping for improvement or continued positive results.
Again, the area where deeper teams separate themselves is in the trenches. I want to see Texas State blow Jackson State off the line of scrimmage. In last week’s preview, I mentioned that the TXST run game against Baylor made me nervous going into UTSA. Obviously, the Bobcats were not able to get any sort of offense going on the ground in San Antonio. Even without Nash Jones, I want to see the offensive line drive the Jackson State defensive front back off the ball, so the offense can run the ball more effectively.
On defense, look for the Bobcats to continue dominating the line of scrimmage. Entering week 3, Texas State is tied for third in the nation in TFLs per game. We were able to catch a glimpse at newest addition, Chance Main against UTSA and he was dominant, finishing with nine tackles in 49 snaps. I hope to see continued productivity from Main, Ben Bell, and the rest of the defensive front. The defense as a whole has been fantastic and hopefully, they can continue to play at that level.
Obviously, T.J. Finley will need to bounce back. He had a tough day last week after being incredibly efficient against Baylor. If Texas State wants to get back on track, it will start with him. Hopefully the offensive line can correct mistakes to create a more comfortable environment for Finley to get back to playing like he did in week one.
Lastly, I’m hoping this game will give the Bobcats an opportunity to get Malik Hornsby get some reps. Hornsby lined up to take a snap against UTSA last Saturday, but Coach Kinne ended up having to burn an early timeout to avoid a substitution penalty. His athleticism could make him one of the most dangerous weapons of this offense that has yet to see the field. We’ve seen the Bobcat ground game struggle at times through the first two games and Hornsby could create fireworks every time he gets the ball on a designed run. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying he needs to get the job over T.J., I’m confident in Finley’s ability, but I would love to see Hornsby get on the field in San Marcos this Saturday. He is too talented of a player to leave on the sideline every week.
Final Thoughts
Last week was a disappointment, absolutely. Still, I think many Bobcat fans (me included) expected this team to start 0-2. Instead, they’re 1-1 coming into their home opener. The team and this coaching staff are only going to get better, and I expect the Bobcats to put on a show for the fans in San Marcos.
