SAN MARCOS – Texas State (3-4) has five games remaining this season, and in order to be eligible for a bowl game, the Bobcats must have six wins, meaning they need to win three of their last five.
Looking at the schedule, those three wins are going to be difficult to find. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, James Madison (6-1), which sits atop the Sun Belt East Division, comes to town. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at UFCU Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The theme for the game is a blackout at UFCU Stadium. Shirts will be given out to the first 10,000 students, along with 8,000 rally towels and 100 $50 bookstore vouchers. Last season, the blackout-themed game was against Arizona State, and it was an electric atmosphere. The team needs the fans’ support more than ever this year to prevent the season from snowballing even worse.
JMU is a clear favorite to win this one. The Bobcats currently have a dark cloud hovering over them, having lost three straight and remaining winless in conference play.
One bright spot that came out of the double-overtime loss at Marshall last weekend was Treylin Payne. Payne was awarded the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week after recording a Texas State single-game record 24 tackles. It was the most tackles ever at Joan C. Edwards Stadium and the third most ever against Marshall, which has been playing football since 1895. This type of record-setting performance should rally the defense as a whole and get them fired up for the remaining games.
Another positive note and something to build on is quarterback Brad Jackson. Jackson threw for 444 yards in the loss, the third most by a Marshall opponent. With these kinds of performances, it is frustrating that Texas State did not come out with a win, but nonetheless, a pair of significant historic games by Jackson and Payne.
If the Bobcats can somehow get over the hump and beat James Madison, that will put them in a better position to compete for a bowl game. The last two seasons, Texas State has been the victor of the First Responder Bowl, defeating Rice in 2024 and North Texas in 2025. Many fans have said they do not want to see Texas State in the same bowl again this year — and they just might get their wish, as this team may not even get a call to participate in a bowl game.
James Madison obviously poses some challenges, and then the Bobcats will play at Louisiana (2-5), which is having a down year, but Texas State has never beaten them before. Following the matchup against the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Bobcats will travel to Southern Miss (5-2), and that’s going to be tough, as they are having a good year.
The last two games of the season are at home against Louisiana Monroe (3-4) and South Alabama (1-6). Both of these games are winnable, but it’s going to be difficult to win three out of five — especially with JMU coming in.
Luckily, it’s a Tuesday game, so Texas State has another bye this week, which is necessary for this team right now to lick its wounds, get healthy, and prepare for the second half of the season.
