SAN MARCOS– Fall is in the air, and with it the start of conference play for Texas State (3-1) as they travel to Jonesboro, Arkansas, to face the Arkansas State Red Wolves (1-4). Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, and the game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
The trip to Arkansas will be Texas State’s third away game. So far, they are an even 1-1 on the road after losing in Tempe to Arizona State and winning a thriller in the Alamodome over UTSA. Texas State comes into this one as a heavy favorite, expected to win comfortably. Last year, the Bobcats beat the Red Wolves 41-9 in San Marcos. Although Arkansas State has only one win this season, this team is better equipped than a year ago.
Texas State fans make a lot of the coaching rivalry between GJ Kinne and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor, but another rivalry, that often goes under the radar, is with Arkansas State coach Butch Jones. In Kinne’s first year at the helm at Texas State — and the last time the Bobcats played in Jonesboro in 2023 — the Red Wolves hung 77 points on Texas State in a blowout. Last year, Kinne got his lick back, so this season will mark the third chapter in this underappreciated Sun Belt rivalry.
“He’s coached some of the greatest players that have ever played the game at their position. It’s an important one for me,” Texas State head coach GJ Kinne said. “I like that matchup. When you compete against the best, that makes you ramp your game up a little bit, and I consider him one of the best. It’s kind of always been a little bit of a rivalry.”
Indeed, Coach Jones has coached some greats, including Antonio Brown at Central Michigan, Travis and Jason Kelce at Cincinnati, and Alvin Kamara at Tennessee, just to name a few.
The Red Wolves’ best performance of the year came in a loss to No. 14 Iowa State (5-0). Arkansas State lost 24-16 at home to the Cyclones in a game where quarterback Jaylen Raynor threw for 222 yards and rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown in a dual-threat fashion similar to Texas State’s Brad Jackson. The Red Wolves’ lone win of the season came against Southeast Missouri State, where they won 42-24, and Raynor filled up the stat sheet with 345 yards and three touchdowns.
Raynor can sling it, already logging 1,206 yards this season to go along with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Comparatively, Jackson has thrown for 864 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception. Raynor has two rushing touchdowns, while Jackson has five. As the statistics suggest, Raynor takes more chances — hence the higher interception total and passing yards — whereas Jackson favors intermediate passes. But don’t let that fool you, Red Wolves fans; Jackson can sling it too and is the more dangerous rusher of the football.
“All that nonconference play is irrelevant. The season is a fresh slate. Now all that matters is the next eight opponents for the next eight weeks in conference play,” Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson said. “Now it gets real. Every single game we have to play like it’s our last and hopefully go on a streak here.”
Texas State’s defensive backs are going to have to game plan for Red Wolves wideouts Chauncy Cobb and Corey Rucker, two of Raynor’s favorite deep threats. The Red Wolves’ defense has already accumulated four interceptions this year, compared to just one for the Bobcats. On that same defensive note, the Red Wolves have recovered four fumbles (forcing three of them), while the Bobcats’ defense has zero forced and recovered fumbles.
Make no mistake about it, this Red Wolves defense is hungry, and they are not going to let Texas State do what they did last year. Luckily, Jackson is a conservative quarterback and doesn’t try to force things too much, but his only interception of the year did come on the road at UTSA, so turnovers will nonetheless be a huge part of this game.
Additionally, the Red Wolves have seven sacks this year, as do the Bobcats. Take these stats with a slight grain of salt, Bobcat fans, as the Red Wolves have played one more game than Texas State has. Still, it’s safe to say the Texas State defense needs to start creating more turnovers.
It’s another week and another juicy rivalry, with both teams landing decisive blowout victories in the past two meetings. Which side will prevail? Time will tell on Saturday as the Bobcats are headed to the foothills of Arkansas, deep behind enemy lines.
