The Other Side of the Wall: The Texas State Preview
Texas State Bobcats Quick Facts
- 2018 Record: 3-9
- Conference: Sun Belt (since 2013)
- Head coach: Jake Spavital (1st season, 3-6)
- 1-8 record against Troy all-time
- Last meeting: 2018, Troy W 12-7
- Location: San Marcos, TX
Texas State’s Offense
Players to Watch:
- QB Gresch Jensen
- QB Tyler Vitt
- RB Caleb Twyford
- WR Hutch White
- WR Trevis Graham Jr.
- WR Javen Banks
That’s right. I’ve dropped the running gag about the other team’s wide receivers. It’s played out at this point.
That being said, the passing game is all Texas State has going for it. The Bobcats are No. 54 in the country in passing offense.
Tyler Vitt and Gresch Jensen both played in the season opener, but Jensen took the reins for the most part of the year. Vitt got the starting role just a few games ago.
The two combine for 2,179 passing yards… 627 fewer than Kaleb Barker has on his own.
Wideout Hutch White leads the team with 51 yards per game. Trevis Graham Jr. leads the team with four catching touchdowns… Javen Banks has half that many… and together the two have more than half the total catching scores of the entire team.
It only gets worse on the ground.
Caleb Twyford leads the team with 457 yards on the ground. The only rushing offense worse than the Bobcats’ belongs to winless Akron.
This offense will be lucky to get anything going. Their only hope is the deep ball, but after the Georgia Southern game, I don’t think there will be any sort of deep threat.
The Bobcats are tied for 92 in sacks allowed… 100 in passing efficiency… and 120 in first downs.
The Bobcats Defense
Players to Watch:
- LB Bryan London
- LB Nikolas Daniels
- DE Ishmael Davis
- DB Jarron Morris
- CB Anthony J. Taylor
- CB JaShon Waddy
Linebacker Bryan London is the best thing about this team. He leads the team with 89 total tackles, tied for No. 15 in the country.
Nikolas Daniels provides a solid threat at the line, with 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Ishmael Davis is an anchor on the defensive line, following right behind Daniels in both categories. Davis does however lead the team in QB hurries with five.
Jarron Morris leads the team in interceptions with 2, (tied with JaShon Waddy) and follows only Anthony J. Taylor in pass breakups (Morris with 6, Taylor has 9).
Texas State is 18th in passing yards allowed… but 122 in rushing defense.
Opponents have thrown for 186 yards… and rushed for 223.
For comparison, Arkansas State quarterback Layne Hatcher was held to 158 passing yards. The team averages 297 per game.
Now, the Red Wolves went up 17-0 after just 20 minutes of game time, so it’s possible they let off the gas, keeping it on the ground. After all, Hatcher only had 28 passes all game.
All this combines to mean one of two things: either the pass defense is so good, teams have to beat Texas State on the ground, or the pass defense hasn’t really been challenged all year.
Either way, expect D.K. to get a ton of action Saturday.
Breakdown
When it comes to third down, Texas State is awful. The Bobcats are below 106 nationally on both offense and defense.
Texas State averages 27 minutes with the ball per game… a whole five minutes fewer than its opponents.
Opponents literally have more than double the number of punt returns Texas State has… (15, 7) and almost double the number of touchdowns (34, 19).
The bottom line is this team’s stats are a collection of double digits on offense and a defense worn down by no counterpart.
If the Georgia Southern defense shows up, this will be a fun first half.
Conclusion
This is it. If Troy wants any shot at bowl eligibility whatsoever, this is a game that cannot be lost.
It won’t be.
Prediction: 42-17 Troy