By the time he reached the 10-yard-line, Lincoln Pare was debating whether or not to chuck the football as far as he could into the stands of Gerald J. Ford Stadium. He had his mind made up once he crossed the goal line to cap his 73-yard touchdown run.

“I was like, ‘Make a memory. Screw it,’” Pare said. “We’re up two scores. If we were up by seven, I wouldn’t have done it.”

So in the heat of the moment, powered by the roaring Bobcat faithful who’d traveled to Dallas for the First Responder Bowl, Pare launched the ball into the stadium’s second deck. A 15-yard excessive celebration penalty for what must have been an 80-yard throw. Worth it.

While North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker made things interesting with a 70-yard draw play touchdown on the ensuing drive (more on Mestemaker’s debut later), Pare’s touchdown proved enough for Texas State’s 30-28 win, clinching back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since it became an FBS program in 2012.

It’s no secret that the 12-team Playoff, Transfer Portal and opt-outs have jeopardized bowl season’s meaning. Hell, Pare started Friday night because Ish Mahdi transferred. But all questions on whether or not these games matter were answered by watching Pare’s touchdown ball touch down in the upper deck. He hoisted the bowl game’s MVP football one year after missing the entire 2023 season due to injury. 

“He’s going to be a captain going forward,” Texas State head coach GJ Kinne said. “He’s the epitome of what we want as a Texas State Bobcat, on and off the field. That’s how you win games - with guys like him.” 

And Kinne said Texas State needs more of them. Because while the 2024 season was a successful building block for the program, it also fell short of preseason Sun Belt favorite and potential College Football Playoff dark horse expectations that came with quarterback Jordan McCloud’s transfer.

McCloud, who capped his collegiate career with over 10,000 passing yards in the win, believes Texas State is destined for greater heights if more people carry themselves like Pare.

“It’s a lot of talent on this team,” McCloud said. “Once everybody just learns how to figure it out and kind of stick together and handle adversity, I think this program is going to be unstoppable.”

But Kinne made clear in the postgame press conference that Texas State needs help from its NIL collective in order to recruit and keep the talent. Ben Bell, one of the top G5 defensive ends, opted to redshirt and transfer after playing in three games. Texas State held North Texas to just 98 rushing yards behind defensive tackles Terry Webb and Tavian Coleman, both of whom are currently in the Portal. 

“We’ve done a really good job of recruiting and signing a bunch of splash signings the last couple of years,” Kinne said. “But to get that, you’ve got to have money. Last year’s $5,000 is this year’s $50,000. $20,000 is $250,000. That’s the reality of college football. I’ve had a couple of kids already commit to me and go on to other places just because of the money. ‘Hey, Coach, I love you. I want to be there. I’ve just got to take care of my family.’”  

If bowl games still matter for guys like Pare, hoping to announce themselves for next year, they also still matter for the coaches to build positive momentum in fundraising. Kinne hopes back-to-back bowl wins, the first in program history, does so. But he also acknowledges this isn’t how he wants his tenure to peak. 

“I think (former Texas State coach Jim) Wacker’s got a field,” Kinne said. “Hey, that’s why I’m here. I signed that seven-year contract. I’m trying to get a statue, trying to get a field. I’m trying to be here for a while.”

Drew Mestemaker shines in North Texas debut

Two decades from now, when someone asks you what 2020s college football was like, show them this screengrab comparing Texas State quarterback Jordan McCloud and North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker.

Somehow, that picture doesn’t do justice to just how much more experience McCloud has at playing quarterback. Mestemaker made his first start in the bowl game since he was a freshman at Vandegrift High School. He was an all-district safety and punter his senior year of high school while backing up current Louisville quarterback Deuce Adams.

Despite the gap, Mestemaker went toe-to-toe with McCloud. The opposing quarterbacks were the first in First Responder Bowl history to each throw for over 300 yards. Mestemaker finished 26-of-41 for 393 yards and two touchdowns, the first of which was a 46-yard rope to his former high school teammate Miles Coleman. 

North Texas secured a commitment from highly touted Miami transfer Reese Poffenbarger this offseason, but Mestemaker’s debut signals the former walk-on won’t simply cede the job.

“I’ve been blessed to be around a lot of NFL guys in my career. He has some traits that are just as good or better than some of those guys playing on Sunday right now,” Morris said. “I think you saw the athleticism, the accuracy, the decision-making. I wouldn't be surprised if, in 15 years, Drew Mestemaker is still playing football.”