Bobcat Offense Rolls Up Over 500 Yards to Crush Texas Southern

Coming off a hard fought defeat last weekend to TCU, the Bobcats came back home ready to get a second win under their belt. In a game that featured big plays as well as a triumphant milestone for senior quarterback Bradley George, the Texas State Bobcats defeated Texas Southern 52-18 at Bobcat Stadium Saturday night.

The Bobcats came out strong to start off the game, with the only downside being an injury to Kyle Anderson. Texas State Wide Receiver D’Marcus Griggs seemed to be everywhere on the field, catching every pass Bradley George had to offer. The first quarter remained scoreless until Griggs pulled in a 13 yard pass from George to give the Bobcats a 7-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers would counter that with a 25 yard field goal off the foot of Robert Hersh to make the score 7-3.

With 7:15 left in the first half, Justin Garelick kicked a 44 yard field goal to broaden the Bobcat lead by 7. But with the clock winding down for the half, the Bobcats were determined not go to the locker room without first giving themselves a better advantage. After two straight fumble recoveries off of Texas Southern miscues, the Bobcats put 14 quick points up on the board with a 1-yard Trey Hampton run and an 11 yard touchdown pass to Daren Dillard. Texas Southern answered Texas State's sudden 24-3 advantage with another field goal by Robert Hersh. At that point, it seemed the game would be 24-6 in favor of the 'Cats to finish the half.

However, Texas Southern answered back as time expired in the 2nd quarter with one of the most unusual plays that Bobcat and Tiger fans alike will see in a long time. As Justin Garelick lined up for a 44-yard field attempt, Tiger linebacker John Cole then blocked the kick, and Harry Brown was there to pick up the loose ball for TSU. After 4-5 laterals and some poor tackling by the Bobcats, De'Markus Washington ran into the end zone around left end as time expired. Texas State would still have the lead with 24-12 up on the scoreboard as they made their way to the locker room, but Bobcat Stadium was nonetheless shocked and dismayed.

Texas State came out to take control of the game in the third quarter, with a big highlight coming on a fumble recovery at the Texas State 39-yard line. The Bobcats then went on to score on eight plays to widen their advantage to 31-12. Alvin Canady dashed 40 yards around the right end to the Texas Southern 2-yard line before finishing the drive on the next play to extend Texas State's lead to 38-12.

As the final quarter started, Texas State crushed any hopes the Tigers had, jumping up to a 45-12 lead on a seven-play drive punctuated by Frank Reddic's first touchdown run of the night. Reddic would then proceed to get his second touchdown later in the quarter to make the score 52-12. Despite the lopsided score, the Tigers did not give up as they fought until the whistle blew. Their perseverance would be rewarded when Arvell Nelson made a 9 yard run to score the final touchdown of the night, making the final score 52 to 18 in favor of the Bobcats.

Highlighting the night was Bradley George who finished the game completing 23-or-38 passes for 325 yards including two touchdowns contributing to the victory. He now has 7,287 passing yards in his career and has broken Texas State's school record held by Barrick Nealy. Da'Marcus Griggs, who had a huge game Saturday night, recorded season highs of 11 receptions for 141 yards and scored the second touchdown of his season with a 13-yard touchdown catch. The Bobcats weren't perfect on Saturday, as they racked up 110 penalty yards and 3 interceptions. However, they still did more than enough to get the blowout win.

The Bobcat victory improved Texas State's record to 2-1, and Texas Southern falls to 1-3. Texas State travels to Cedar City, Utah, next Saturday for a 2 p.m. game at Southern Utah. Be sure to tune into KTSW 89.9 for complete game coverage, with the Pregame Tailgate Show starting at 12:30!

-Karina Medellin, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Texas State Volleyball Sweeps UTSA in Strahan

The Texas State volleyball team came into Saturday’s game against the UTSA roadrunners looking to score their second win in Southland Conference play. On Thursday, the Bobcats won their first conference game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, beating them 3-1.

In the first set Texas State started out with a 4 to 0 score. UTSA rallied back to tie the game, but ended up losing that set 25 to 23. Melinda Cave led the team with 5 kills in the first set. Mo Middleton also chipped in with 4 kills in the set.

The second and third set were much like the first set. Texas State and UTSA continued to exchange point after point. Both teams fought hard and battled each play. Melinda Cave and Jessica Weynand led the barrage with Weynand and Cave combining for 27 kills in the game. Despite the efforts by UTSA to regain the lead, the Bobcats tightened up their defense when it mattered most and prevailed in the third and final set to win 31 to 29.

With the 3-0 victory over UTSA, the Bobcats are now 8-9 overall in the season, and they move to 2-0 in conference play. Texas State will be on the road to take on Sam Houston, the game will be at 7 pm on Thursday night. KTSW will have coverage of the next volleyball home game against UT-Arlington on October 9th at 6:30 pm.

-Nathan Castro, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Rattlers Start Strong, But Knights Emerge Victorious

The San Marcos Rattlers suffered a defeat from the Cibolo Steele Knights on Friday night. The Knights, hailing from northern San Antonio, certainly proved why their team is ranked number 7 in the state of Texas with a final score of 44-20 over SMHS. Malcolm Brown, the six foot junior running back, led his team to victory by scoring five of their six touchdowns, two of which were runs over 50 yards.

The Rattlers came out strong, scoring the first touchdown of the game. It seemed as if the bye last week could have served them well. Their offense seemed explosive when Scooter Walker, the talented running back for the Rattlers had a 10 yard run to score the first points of the game with just about four in half minutes left in the first. The Knights, or should I say Malcolm Brown, quickly tied the score up then continued to score four more touchdowns throughout the second and third quarters.

Although San Marcos came out strong in the first quarter it wasn’t strong enough to penetrate Cibolo Steele’s powerful defense. Coach Van Nest said in the KTSW Pregame interview that SMHS would have to limit mental mistakes to clinch an upset win. Instead, the Rattlers made many mental errors resulting in more than 6 penalties throughout the game, 4 of which were called for encroachment.

On a positive note, the Rattlers’ Tomas Velasquez played a great game stepping up to fill the shoes of the first string. To quote KTSW color commentator James McNeal “Velasquez is definitely the Rattlers’ X-factor.” Not only did he have astounding defense by swatting down passes and creating huge tackles he also had a 77 yard run and a touchdown late in the third quarter. Hopefully this is a pre-cursor for what can be expected of Velasquez for the remainder of the season.

Next week the Rattlers are scheduled to play New Braunfels Canyon on the road, a game that San Marcos is certainly capable of winning. We will see if San Marcos brings their "A" game next week. If the Rattlers have any hopes of being successful they must limit mistakes and keep their offense rolling. You can listen in next week on 89.9 KTSW and ktsw.net, pregame starts at 7:10 pm and kickoff is at 7:30 pm.

-Lauren Scalise, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Volleyball Shakes Off Slow Start, Finishes Strong to Net First Conference Win

After winning 6 out of their last 8, the Texas State volleyball team looked to take an easy win against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi in Strahan Coliseum for their Southland Conference opener. The confidence of the talented Bobcat players and their fans was not unfounded, as the Islanders of Corpus have been a recently dormant program and have never won against Texas State in ten matches. Texas State was eventually able to extend their winning streak over A&M - Corpus to 11 with a 3-1 victory, but the Islanders gave the Bobcats much more of a test than they anticipated.

The first set was a shocking one for Texas State, as both teams traded blows down the stretch until around when both teams had 20 points. A&M - Corpus then crushed a Texas State attempt to come from behind and pulled away to win the first set 25-20. What really killed the Bobcats in this set was a combination of miscommunication and mental errors. While the 'Cats only committed two errors on paper, there were missed assignments, colliding players, and mis-hits on almost every play for the Maroon and Gold. The Islanders didn't make any spectacular plays or overwhelm the Bobcats in any way, they just committed fewer mistakes.

In response to a tongue-lashing by Coach Chisum on the bench during the break, the Bobcat players came out in the second set and took no prisoners. An impressive barrage of spikes by Jenna Weynand and AJ Watlington as well as an impressive display of tipping skills by Brittany Collins propelled the Bobcats to a dominating 25-6 set win. The Islanders looked lost and dismayed throughout the entire set, while the Bobcats were flying all over the court and showing just how talented of a team they can be. Strahan Coliseum was driven to a standing ovation during a rally where Texas State fended off 4-5 straight spikes with last-second saves, and Ashley Emmanuel drove the kill home to put the Bobcats up 16-5.

The third and fourth sets, however, were dogfights like the first set. Unlike the opening set, the Bobcats came out on top in these two sets as Brittany Collins was johnny-on-the-spot for Texas State. Most of her 7 kills, 7 digs and 30 assists came in these two sets, as she softly tipped the ball into the weak middle area of the Islander defense at a nearly constant rate. After the Bobcats took the third and fourth sets by respective scores of 25-20 and 25-18, Coach Chisum said afterwards that she was "very proud" of her senior player's performance in an interview with KTSW's Bill Culhane. At the same time, Chisum made it known that Texas State would have to play much better in Saturday's match against UTSA and could not afford another slow start.

Texas State improves to 7-9 overall and 1-0 in the SLC while the Islanders will fall behind their SLC West Division rivals in the standings with a 6-9 overall record and an 0-1 mark in the SLC. The Bobcats will face their I-35 rivals on Saturday in the University of Texas - San Antonio Roadrunners. KTSW will have the broadcast of Saturday's UTSA match at 2 pm as part of a Bobcat doubleheader with the football broadcast starting at 4:30. Pregame starts at 1:45, and you can listen on 89.9, ktsw.net, and txstatebobcats.com.

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor

Bobcat Football Team Falls to High-Powered TCU

The Texas State Bobcats traveled to Fort Worth on Saturday with hopes of pulling off one of the all-time greatest upsets in college football history, but it was not meant to be. TCU’s relentless offensive attack led the Horned Frogs to a 56-21 win at Amon G. Carter Stadium. The Bobcats did keep the game close through the third quarter, but missed on several opportunities to make the upset dream a reality.

The first quarter was a good one for the Bobcats. While trailing only 7-0 with the ball deep in TCU territory after a T.P. Miller interception, a fake punt and costly TCU penalties set the Bobcats up on the 1-yard-line. Frank Reddic was then able to plunge in and tie the game up early in the second quarter.

TCU tailback Joseph Turner answered right back as he gained 36 of his 129 yards on the night on the very next possession; as they worked with a short field due to the kickoff going out of bounds. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton hit Antoine Hicks with a 19-yard pass to set up a 6 yard Turner touchdown run making the score 14-7. Later in the quarter the Horned Frogs opened up a 21-7 lead thanks to a 36-yard Dalton touchdown pass to Jimmy Young.

The big play of the night for the Bobcats offensively would come on their next possession. George found senior tailback Alvin Canady on a pass to the flats that he was able to take and turn into a 62-yard touchdown reception. The touchdown pass was the second-longest play of the season for the Bobcats this season and marked Canady’s first touchdown reception since he caught a 30-yard pass against Northern Colorado. TCU was able to score once more before the half taking a 28-14 lead into the locker room.

TCU’s offense picked right up where they left off in the second half, taking the second-half kickoff and driving 67 yards down the field in six plays to open up a 35-14 lead. Antoine Hicks capped off the drive when he ran it into the end zone for a four-yard TD run.

Texas State showed a lot of fight in them as they answered back with a seven-play, 50-yard drive to make the score 35-21. George put the Bobcats in scoring position when he connected on a pair of passes to Da’Marcus Griggs for 34 yards. Backup quarter back Tim Hawkins hit Daren Dillard from 16 yards out on an unexpected throw from the run-first freshman. At this point the Bobcats scored the most points given up by the Horned Frogs this year and was looking to add another touchdown late in the third quarter when Ron Jackson recovered a fumble by TCU quarterback Andy Dalton at the Horned Frogs’ 10-yard line. However, things went south for the Bobcats quickly after the recovery.

With third and goal from the eight yard-line senior quarterback Bradley George threw into traffic in the end zone and was picked off by a TCU cornerback. From that point on the Bobcats seemed to be a little deflated and didn’t show many signs of life. “I should have thrown it more to his outside shoulder,” George said. “I lofted it and he was able to make the interception.”

The Horned Frogs closed out the scoring with two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter as they punched in another one-yard run up the middle and Jercell Fort added a nine-yard TD run to make the final score 56-21. Texas State head coach Brad Wright told KTSW’s James McNeal after the game that “We had a lot of missed chances. That is the sad part about it because we had some offensive opportunities to get some more points on the board.”

With the loss the Bobcats drop to 1-1 on the season and the Horned Frogs improve to 2-0. The Bobcats face Texas Southern at home next week at 6 pm. Tune in on 89.9 KTSW to catch all of the action.

-Luke McBroom, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Texas State Volleyball Harasses Houston, Wins 3-1

Two of the most successful coaches in college volleyball met Tuesday night in Strahan Coliseum when the Houston Cougars came to San Marcos to play the Texas State Bobcats. In the end it was Karen Chisum’s squad that got the better of Bill Walton’s Cougar team as the Bobcats won 3-1. With the win Texas State improves their record to 4-8, with one more weekend of non-conference play to go. Houston falls to 2-9.

Led by a season-high 18 kills by junior transfer Mo Middleton, the Bobcats overcame a first set defeat to rally and deny Walton of his 659th career win. AJ Watlington and Jessica Weynand also had strong games for the Bobcats chipping in 10 kills apiece. Freshman Caleigh McCorquodale and Senior Brittany Collins showed up big as Collins had a double-double with 20 assists and 10 digs. McCorquodale notched 18 assists on the day.

The Bobcats had a .264 attack percentage, with 58 kills and 53 assists. The Cougars ended the match with 39 kills for a hitting percentage of .160 and 36 assists. Kinsey Cave had a very strong game for Houston with 16 kills and seven digs, while Tara Roenicke had 33 assists for Houston.

In a game where two sisters, Kinsey Cave of U of H and Melinda Cave of Texas State, met up on the court it was Melinda who ended up getting the edge in the sibling rivalry. With the win legendary coach Karen Chisum continues to move up the ranks of the all-time winningest active coaches and grabs her 676th career victory.

-Luke McBroom, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Rattlers Come Alive in the Second Half to Beat the Badgers

Despite it being a slippery night at Bobcat Stadium, the San Marcos Rattlers opened up their first home game of the season against the Lampasas Badgers with a huge 33 to 0 victory. The Rattlers started off their home opening game with a Parent Recognition Ceremony before the kick off. To start things off in the first quarter, Aaron Nunez helped the Rattlers put up an early lead over the badgers with a 25 yard field goal to put up a 3 to 0 score for the Rattlers.

The first half of the game was a bit stop and go for both teams. There were a couple fumbles and flags thrown out. Both teams seemed to be having trouble with turnovers and keeping control of the ball. Things didn’t look good for the Rattlers during a play early in the 2nd quarter, as Scooter Walker fumbled a ball that was picked up by the Badger QB/CB Vann Millican, who rushed the ball for about 20 yards before being pulled down by Walker himself. After the play Mike Wilburn, who was at the 45-yard line had to be helped off the field. He did not return to the game but had his left ankle iced and wrapped, the extent of his injury wasn’t clear. Despite the devastating injury to Wilburn, the Rattlers had to keep it together and focus the rest of the game. Aaron Nunez answered that call in the second quarter, as he nailed another field goal from 21 yards to make the score 6 to nothing Rattlers going into half time.

Coming out in the second half, the San Marcos Rattlers looked like a completely different team. Ryan Schweers came out with a big pass to Scooter Walker who had a 1-yard rush for a huge momentum-stirring touchdown for the Rattlers. Nunez then kicked a good PAT to put the Rattlers up 13 to nothing to start the half. An outstanding defensive effort by San Marcos on the next possession shut down an already frustrated Lampasas offense and put momentum squarely in the camp of SMHS. The Rattlers defense was dominant throughout the game, but they really stepped it up and just nullified the Badger offense in the second half.

The end of the 3rd quarter saw an important play come through for the Rattlers, as Schweers handed it off to Terrence Wilburn, who plowed through two Badgers for an 8 yard gain. Schweers then came up with a big pass to Andre Ray, who scored a 7-yard touchdown for the Rattlers to extend the Rattler lead to 20.

Feeding off that excitement, the San Marcos Rattlers put up another big play to lead the team in the last quarter. Ryan Shweers made sure his team stayed on top with a huge touchdown pass to the senior Tomas Velasquez with 10:39 left in the game. Velasquez's great catch put an impressive 26 under the home side of the scoreboard next to a disappointing zero for Lampasas.

Despite the huge lead, the Rattlers were not finished scoring yet and played until the whistle blew, possibly playing one of their best halves they have had in over a year. The San Marcos Rattlers finished up the game with a pass to Emanuel Saldana with a big 17 yard run to end the game with an impressive 33 to 0 score. After their victorious night in their home opener, the Rattlers will take a week off before taking on Cibolo Steele here in San Marcos. For complete game coverage make sure to tune into KTSW 89.9, with the pre-game show starting off at 7:10 pm.

-Karina Medellin, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Texas State Wins Second Game of CenturyTel Tournament by Shutting Down Hofstra

In the second game of the CenturyTel Volleyball Tournament, Texas State scored their second win of the day against the Hofstra Pride with a 3-1 decision. The Bobcats had just defeated Texas Southern earlier that Friday afternoon, winning 3-0 and giving the Cats a leading start in the tournament. Texas State improved their overall record 3-7. This was a win that was much needed by the Bobcats not only for the tournament, but with non-conference play still at hand.

The first few plays between the teams during the first set had both teams in constant motion and both teams saw several great plays back to back. There were several errors that could have been prevented by the Bobcats, including short serves, missed digs and constant substitutes. However, Coach Chisum told KTSW after the game that there had been a few position changes that might have caused some early confusion for the Bobcats. Additionally, although the ‘Cats had some minor mistakes, the Hofstra Pride had some poor plays themselves. The Pride seemed to be a bit unorganized and hardly had any communication amongst them. They sometimes seemed lost and had a weak spot right in the middle of their courtside, which gave Texas State an advantage with kills and tips. The Bobcats were able to break down Hofstra’s offense and win the first set, 25-19.

The Pride stayed in position during the second set and weren’t prepared to go down, as they tied it up 5-5 in the first couple of minutes. But then, a few key players in Mo Middleton (JR) and AJ Watlington (JR) both had four kills each and slowly brought the Bobcats up 11-7 during the next few serve plays. Although the Bobcats got some momentum back on their side from those feats by Middleton and Watlington, it still just wasn’t enough to win the set. Hofstra themselves came back with a few key plays to win the second set 25-18.

As for the third set, the only way to describe it would be a healthy dose of Bobcat Domination. Shelby Irvin came in as the starting server for Texas State and continued to lead the Cats into a 7-0 winning streak. It was nonstop serve after successful serve and not only did Shelby excel on the baseline, she also was an impressive digger and setter on the court as well. Wherever the ball was out of reach, Shelby still found it and assisted her teammates in making a play to get the ball over. Pride had to call a time-out and regroup on account of Shelby’s winning streak. Hofstra ended Irvin’s streak and tried to come back but unfortunately failed and Middleton joined Irvin on the non-stop serving giving Texas State a lead of 17-1. The Bobcats finished this set 25-6 and made this the best set of the tournament.

Texas State Bobcats ended the fourth set 25-20 in an intense back to back showdown. This was a close score and fortunately the Cats had the right communication and support from their teammates to finish off the Hofstra Pride. The Bobcats will continue to host the Centurytel Premier tomorrow against Texas A&M at 2:00pm to close out the tournament. Both Texas A&M and State are 2-0 in the tournament and will be competing for the championship. Listen in on 89.9, ktsw.net and twitter.com/ktswsports.

-Jessica Salinas, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Bobcats Tear Down Texas Southern Tigers

From the first set of the CenturyTel Premier in which Texas State volleyball opened with an 8-0 run, a crowd of a few hundred saw Texas Southern University manhandled by head coach Karen Chisum's 2009 group. The day's three-set sweep ended with set scores of 25-12, 25-10 and 25-10.

Jessica Weynand and Melinda Cave led the aggressive offense, but physical play seemed to matter most to coach Chisum. The Bobcat veteran, in her 30th season with the school, was quick to praise Shelbi Irvin's outstanding defense. Irvin scored no official points, but was everywhere on the court and a powerful force passing to Weynand, Cave, and Mo Middleton to run up the score. We can't deny her of some glory, though; she managed to squeak a few by the TSU defense via the tip and her three assists. Middleton's five scores matched sophomore outside hitter Whitney Rhoden's late-match surge. She entered in the third set and her five kills in seven attempts was the best on the team. Middleton was perfect with three kills in as many attempts on the day.

Rhoden's entrance was intense, as she surely vies for her own starting role. Other non-regulars such as Lydia Werchan and Jillian Wolpan pitched in for the third set as well, with Wolpan killing two points in three attack attempts. Set up by earlier veteran offense, Irvin, Caleig McCorquodale and Ashley Emanuel shut down the Tiger offense to cruise to the victory and eventual victory lap around Strahan Coliseum.

Texas Southern looked increasingly flat as the afternoon wore on. The Tigers won the coin toss, but their first serve of the game sailed low into the net, setting the day's tone, if you will. Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week Emma Obi underperformed in this one, killing one point in four tries, including one errant shot. Jerlessa King laid her body on the line and assumed a leadership role, but other than good sets from Simone Green and, the rest of the Tiger offense couldn't keep up.

Opposite the Tigers, Texas State came out of the locker room after the second set fun and free, laughing and dancing before the match-clinching third set. Coach Chisum was satisfied with her non-regular players' efforts, recognizing that last season was a sea-saw effort in pre-conference games (the 'Cats were 11-12 before their 14-3 SLC run), and that it's very possible to turn a now 2-6 volleyball team around. She contends that a bit of video analysis and reassurance can get these Bobcats rolling back into the lime light they had a season ago.

Next Friday, Sept. 18, Texas State head to Dallas for the SMU Invitational Tournament. The 'Cats will face host team Southern Methodist, William & Mary and Syracuse before returning to San Marcos for Southland Conference competition.

-Mason Robinson, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Texas State Blasts Rams in First Half, Wins 48-28 on Opening Day

With all the anticipation leading up to the 2009 season, the Bobcats had a decent showing, defeating Angelo State University 48-28 while showcasing the great receiving corps Bradley George has this year.

The Bobcats opened the game with a Karrington Bush kick off return to midfield putting the 'Cats in great field position. The first drive didn't take long before the offense scored with Da'Marcus Griggs touchdown reception. The Bobcats were up early but fans weren't able to celebrate too much because Junior running back Bush limped off the field because of bum knee. Bush didn't come back in the game, but was walking around on the sideline.

The real impressive part in the first half was the 'Cats defense. The defense only gave up 26 yards rushing in the first half and kept the rams from scoring any points. The Rams scored in the first half off of a kick off return that showcased the weakness the Bobcats have on special teams. The Bobcat offense kept the scoring going in the first half with a reverse hand off to freshman transfer Cedric Alexander who also caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter.

The 'Cats were up 27- 7 at halftime with the defense being the headline. Although the Bobcats were without there starting running back on offense, the wide receivers were showing looking good while George did a good job managing the ball.

In the second half, Will Thompson finally got his wish of getting an interception with a pick-off the Rams' first drive. Thompson also recovered a fumble on the Rams' next drive to put George and the offense in great field position to increase the lead. Bradley didn't have to do much because freshman standout running back Frank Reddic showed why he may be the third head on the three headed monster at running back this year. Reddic showed great speed and wouldn't go down on first contact.

Angelo State showed some fight toward the end of the game by driving the length of the field and scoring three touchdowns. The defensive and offensive line for the 'Cats were getting beat while the Rams were in desperation mode. It may have been late in the game and the Bobcats may have taken their foot off the pedal, but it showed the Bobcats would have to work on finding that killer instinct to put a team out of the game.

As much as the special teams looked bad last night, the biggest play of the game came when the Rams tried an onside kick with ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. Daren Dillard received the kick and took it to the house for a touchdown. This put the 'Cats up by a couple of touchdowns giving them a little more breathing room. The Bobcats were able to get one more touchdown through the air to tight end Kyle Anderson to finish the scoring at 48-28.

Overall the 14,000 plus that showed up to Bobcat stadium saw the 'Cats ability to put up a lot of points. The real excitement is that the wide receivers that include Cedric Alexander, Alvaro Garcia, Darius Bolden and De'Marcus Griggs all had over 48 yards receiving. The wealth at the receiver position, an experienced quarterback and Karrington Bush, Alvin Canady and Frank Reddic at running back might prove be one of the best offenses Texas State has ever seen along with possibly being the best offense in all FCS football. The defense showed some improvements in stopping the run, but the secondary is still going to need some work.

The Bobcats have a week off before they head up to TCU on September 19th. Head Coach Brad Wright said after the game his team needed to eliminate mistakes in order to be prepared for the contest against the Horned Frogs. You can listen to all the TCU game action on 89.9 KTSW starting with the pre-game 90 minutes before kickoff.

- James McNeal, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Rain and Lightning Erase Rattlers' Game Against Bastrop

"Rain. Rain. Go away. Come back out another day."

This is the tune some San Marcos Rattler players and fans were singing as they watched the lightning strike and rain pour down Friday night. The game between the San Marcos Rattlers Vs. The Bastrop Bears was canceled around 9:00 P.M. Friday night with 4:52 left in the 2nd quarter.

The game did not start off well offensively for the Rattlers after they fumbled the ball on their first two possessions. However, despite allowing the Bears’ star quarterback Josiah Monroe to hook up deep with Auston Shipley early in the game, the Rattlers defense played solid football throughout the first half. One prominent example of this solid defense was the Rattlers only allowing Monroe to go 4/13 on passing plays. However, the biggest defensive play was Rattler linebacker Jeremy Gonzalez's scoop-and-score on a fumble in the backfield off of a bad snap. Gonzales showed good hands in holding onto the ball, and then showcased his speed as he beat the Bears’ backup quarterback Nick Gosnell into the endzone. The Rattlers were threatening to take the lead late in the first half as they were attempting to go for it on 4th and 1 with 4:52 left to go in the 2nd quarter. That is when the referees blew their whistles and decided to put the game in pause due to lightning. About an hour later the game was called.

Scooter Walker rushed for 21 yards on seven carries and Michael Wilburn rushed for 74 yards on four attempts before the game was called. Unfortunately, their stats will not be recorded because both Bastrop and San Marcos head coaches decided not to make the game up, due to it being a non-district game. Both teams’ hard work did not completely go to waste as they both saw some things they needed to improve on going into next week. The San Marcos Rattlers can be heard on 89.9 KTSW and ktsw.net next week when they take on Lampasas for their first home game of the season. Also check out our twitter page at www.twitter.com/KTSWSports for all of your San Marcos Rattler Needs.

-Robert Fisher, KTSW Sports Staff Writer

Bobcats Win Home Opener, Smash Texas Tech in Front of Record Crowd

Coming into Wednesday night, the Texas State volleyball team needed a comeback after last week’s tournament losses against BYU, Ole Miss and Missouri, and that along the prospect of playing a big name like Texas Tech only added to an already feverish level of anticipation before the start of the game in Strahan. What followed was an attendance record of 2,389 students, parents, faculty members and Texas State fans, along with a frenzied win by the Bobcats over the visiting Red Raiders The momentum was high and the crowd was wild. It was a great turn out for the Bobcats and fans couldn’t have asked for a better starting game of the year.

Mo Middleton had the first serve for the Bobcats and went into a back and forth bump, set, and spike play. Tech came out with a double block and went out of bounds, giving the Bobcats the first point of the game. However, a couple of timely Red Raider scores put the score at 5-3 in favor of Texas Tech after the first few minutes. Texas Tech was making kills straight down towards the middle or at the end of the court where no one was covering. You really didn’t expect what kind of play the Raiders were going to serve up after each service. The confusion put the 'Cats on their toes at first and had them scrambling around the court.

However, someone would always eventually step up for Texas State. No matter how many points Tech would score, the Bobcats would step up to their mistakes and tie it up. The scoreboard was always back and forth, and if you were a fan watching you knew that it could go either way. Whether it was over/under the net, short serves, or that they just didn’t get there in time, the Bobcat players still fought through the adversity and managed to win the first set. Tech also had a hand in helping the Bobcats with unforced errors, as Texas State won the first set 25-23 due to a short serve by the Red Raiders.

As the second set came around, you could tell the Bobcats were hyped up, but Tech was also eager to make up for the last set. The Red Raiders came in hungry and hit the sideline kills, double blocks and corner side tips. Tech was dominating the floor and lead the score 11-5. This set really seemed to be Tech’s win, but Texas State didn’t give up. Some of the Bobcat players that stepped up in this set were blocker Brittany Collins , Jessica Weynand, Mo Middleton, and AJ Watlington. This may have been the most intense set, as Texas State won by only a point with the score ending at 26-25.

Coming into the third set, the Bobcats realized that Tech wasn’t going to go down easily and they re-focused to positive results. Texas State dominated down the stretch and scored the last winning points to win the third set and the game by a score of 25-21. The final result was three sets won by State and zero for Tech, 25-23, 26-25, and 25-21. Even more impressive was the fact that the 'Cats kept Tech from winning their first set of the entire year, increasing the Red Raiders' drought to 9 sets lost in a row.

The Bobcats will be on the road for the next few days, with stops in Wisconsin for the Marquette Invitational and Waco for a road match against another Big 12 foe in Baylor. However, Texas State will then start a long home stint as they host the CenturyTel Premier with games on Friday, September 11th against Texas Southern and Hofstra and a Saturday match against Texas A&M. Both Friday games will be online at txstatebobcats.com, and the Texas A&M game will be on 89.9 KTSW, ktsw.net and txstatebobcats.com.

-Jessica Salinas, KTSW Sports Staff Writer