TXST Release:
SAN MARCOS, Texas – For the first time in program history, Texas State is officially heading to a bowl game as it was announced on Sunday that the Bobcats will face in-state foe Rice in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday, Dec. 26.
The Bobcats and Owls will meet for the first time since 1987 with the postseason matchup in Dallas. The game kicks off at 4:30 pm CT and can be watched on ESPN and heard on the Varsity Network and KTSW 89.9 FM.
Bobcat Nation can purchase tickets to the game starting this evening through TXST.com/tickets and FirstResponderBowl.com.
Tickets will be allocated based on Bobcat Club priority point ranking up until the allocation deadline on Sunday, December 10 at 11 pm CT. All tickets purchased after this time will be allocated based on the best available. Priority points are generated by patron donations to the Bobcat Club or by purchasing season tickets. To become a member of the Bobcat Club or improve priority point ranking, fans can visit txstatebobcatclub.com.
Bowl Experience Deposit purchasers will be contacted directly by the Texas State Athletics Ticket Office to have their deposit credit applied to their ticket purchase.
First responders can also receive complimentary tickets to the game thanks to the bowl game’s corporate partners. First responders can claim their tickets on the bowl’s website.
Texas State’s roster features 28 players from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including All-Sun Belt honorees Ismail Mahdi (Murphy, Texas), Ashtyn Hawkins (DeSoto, Texas), and Shawn Holton (Fort Worth, Texas).
Head coach GJ Kinne, from Mesquite, Texas, has led the Bobcats to an FBS program record-tying seven wins in his first season at the helm. Texas State started the season with a statement win at Baylor and followed up by finishing tied for second in the Sun Belt’s West Division.
Kinne played in a bowl game in Gerald J. Ford Stadium – the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl against BYU – in his final game as quarterback at Tulsa.
The Bobcats are one of 12 Sun Belt teams playing in a bowl game this season.
Texas State and Rice each have two wins apiece in the four all-time meetings between the two schools. While Rice won the last meeting in 1987, Texas State had wins in 1923 and 1986. The first meeting was in 1920.
A complete schedule for the Bobcats in Dallas, including arrival day, fan events, and more, will be released later in the week. Fans can stay up-to-date by visiting TXST.com/JumpIn.
