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