Title Hopes For Bobcats

The Texas State Athletic Department may have to order some new banners after this weekend because the Bobcat Football and Volleyball teams have high hopes to finish on top of the Southland Conference.

The Texas State Volleyball team had a big victory last weekend to finish the Southland Conference regular season in first place. Although the Bobcats celebrated their victory, the team knows that they can't let down because the ultimate prize is to win the SLC Tournament and make their second straight appearance to the NCAA Tournament. With the Cats finishing the regular season, they will have the number 1 seed and will play against the number 8 seed Northwestern State. The SLC Tournament takes place in Nacogdoches, Texas, and the Bobcats will take the court at 4:00 Friday night.

The Bobcat Football team on the other hand still has one final game to win in order to clinch the FCS Playoffs and it comes on the last week of the regular season on the road against rival Sam Houston State. With the Central Arkansas Bears being non-eligible to capture the crown of the SLC, due to their probationary period for moving up to FCS, and McNeese State beating Northwestern State last week, it puts the Bobcats in the driver seat to control their own destiny; which is something the Bobcats have not been able to do since the 2005 season.

Even though the Bearkats have had a disappointing season, the game between the Bobcats and Bearkats always throws any previous records of either team off the field as the Bearkats would love nothing more than to ruin the Bobcats playoff aspirations. Last year the Bobcats hosted the Bearkats in one of the most exciting games of the year. The Bobcats had a lead within the last two minutes of the game when Sam Houston State came roaring back on offense and scored a touchdown in the final tics in the ball game ending the Bobcats 2007 season on a bad note.

This year the Bearkats had a rough start due to Hurricane Ike causing them to miss some pre-conference match- ups and had a couple of disappointing losses at the beginning of Conference play. The Bobcats young defense will have to step up once again as they are coming off one of their better performances of the year only allowing the Nicholls State Colonels to put up 10 points which is their lowest point total of the year. The Bobcat defense will be facing a number of talented play-makers for the Bearkats including ex Oklahoma Sooner Rhett Bomar, who has a great arm and can read defenses very well. The Bobcat Offense will hopefully continue push their way into the end-zone as the Bobcats haven't had any trouble putting up points all season long. The Bobcats lowest point total for a game this year came on opening day against Angelo State where the Bobcats only put up 21 points in a victory. Bobcat fans can count on the Bobcats continuing the trend on putting up a lot points and hopefully heading home from the piney woods of East Texas with a SLC regular season Championship title.

With the Bobcat Football, Volleyball and Soccer teams rising straight to the top of the Southland Conference standings, and hopes that the Men's and Women's Basketball teams will do the same, Bobcat fans have to start believing in the drive to FBS. With the success of these programs and with all the money and hard work that is being put into improving facilities for future Bobcats, the only thing that can be said that needs to improve with Bobcat Athletics is the fan support. Something that all loyal Bobcat fans would love to see improve.

That is your Sports Editor Weekly Preview in Bobcat Sports.

James McNeal- KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor