SAN MARCOS – The fifth-largest crowd in Bobcat Stadium history witnessed more than just a 21-20 Texas State win over ULM. The 27,537 attendees saw evolution. Down 20-9 to ULM after a TJ Finley pick-six and a week removed from surrendering a two-score lead in a road loss to Louisiana, the Bobcats flipped the script. They scored the next 12 points to improve to 5-2 on the season and draw within one win of the program’s first bowl invite as an FBS program. 

The usually high-flying offense was grounded in the first half. Texas State moved the ball but only managed three field goals in the first three quarters. ULM hung around and eventually took its first lead at 10-9 after a 47-yard field goal with 8:24 left in the third quarter. Ten points to start the fourth quarter, including the 76-yard interception return, pushed that lead to 11 points and tested the resolve of the Bobcats – players, coaches, and supporters. 

The comeback began with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Finley to Joey Hobert with 4:16 left in the game. After a stop by the defense – a unit that kept Texas State in the game while the offense sputtered for the first 55 minutes of the game – the Bobcats received the ball down 20-15 with 3:15 left and 68 yards between them and the end zone. Texas State went on an 11-play drive that ended with Finley to Hobert on a play head coach GJ Kinne said the offensive staff drew up on the sideline during a stoppage in play. 

THREE THOUGHTS 

A new day in San Marcos: The win against ULM is small in the grand scheme of things and needs to be backed up with more results for us to look back at the comeback as a true fulcrum moment in Bobcat football. But as a person on the field as the game ended, it was hard not to appreciate how far Texas State football has come in 12 months. The fact that over 27,000 people were in Bobcat Stadium for a game against an opponent with a losing record is almost proof enough. And that was after a loss the week before by Texas State. 

The win means the Bobcats already eclipsed the four-win seasons of 2022 and 2021. Even if Texas State doesn’t win another game – and the schedule is tough – the team will post its most wins in a season since 2014. The Bobcats have never gone to a bowl. If the 2023 season changes that, fans in attendance on Saturday night saw why. 

Defense stands up: The comeback and an exciting fourth quarter that included 22 of the game’s 41 points might get most of the headlines and Tweets after the game, but a goal-line stand by the Bobcat defense in the second quarter allowed the offense the luxury of finding their sea legs in the fourth quarter. A lesser performance by the defensive unit wouldn’t have allowed a comeback attempt to be possible. The War Hawks averaged five plays on their 12 drives with an average yard gained at 22. For comparison, Texas State’s average drive covered 34 yards on nine plays. 

The defense only allowed 13 points in the loss. Seven of ULM’s 20 points were a result of an interception returned for a score in the fourth quarter. The only touchdown drive by the War Hawks spanned 52 yards on eight plays. Their only other two drives of eight plays or more ended in a turnover on downs and a field goal. Texas State forced six punts while ULM’s average distance to go on third down was 10.5. 

The next test is harder: The Bobcats are proving that their a bowl caliber team that should finish .500 or better. But this group isn’t just aiming for a bowl game. They want to win championships, at least that’s what edge defender Jordan Revels said after the game. To do that, Texas State must match the likes of Troy, Georgia Southern, and Coastal Carolina – the next three games on the schedule following an idle Week 8.