The Southern Utah Thunderbirds came into San Marcos but could not slow down a red-hot Texas State team Saturday night as the Bobcats took the win, 42-28.
The Bobcats were coming off an impressive win over then-ranked No. 17 Cal Poly last week in San Marcos, but this game seemed to be more of a test at the outset. Southern Utah came into the game with a top-10 rush defense, so on paper, you wouldn't think Karrington Bush’s and Dexter Imade’s chances for a good night on the ground to be very high, right?
Wrong!
Bush netted 99 yards on 19 carries with three touchdowns, while Imade finished with 87 yards on 18 carries. However the running back committee wasn't the only successful group of the day; freshman quarterback Tyler Arndt had arguably the best game of his young career Saturday evening. He put up 221 yard on 15 of 19 passes and one touchdown through the air. Arndt also had 49 yards on the ground off of nine carries and two scores on the ground, as well. Senior linebacker Marcus Clark led the defense with 9 tackles.
The Bobcats received the ball after losing the opening flip, and went on a quick three-and-out. The ensuing Southern Utah possession featured a four minute drive, capped off by an 18-yard touchdown pass to star wideout Tysson Poots. Poots is regarded as one of the most talented receivers in the FCS, but was not too much of a factor against Texas State after his touchdown catch. And that was about all the Thunderbirds would accomplish for the remainder of the first half. They did not score again before halftime, while Texas State closed out on a 21-0 run headed into the locker room.
Opening the third, Southern Utah went down the field in five minutes on 13 plays to score. The Bobcats in turn went on another 14-0 drive to close out the third quarter, and as the game dwindled down in the fourth, the Bobcats were up 48-21 with under three minutes left. The 'Cats gave up a 70-yard touchdown strike, which I think they’ll likely hear about in practice this week.
A couple of personal learning points: first off, this Texas State squad can ill-afford to turn the ball over in the red zone like they did twice this week. Both were credited to Karrington Bush as he fumbled on a carry, and the other was a bobbled pitch by Arndt that Bush could not hold on to. I’d have to say that these critical mistakes would need to be cleared up by conference play, or these games might begin to turn out differently.
Secondly, I’d say stopping the run is an area the ‘Cats might improve upon. Allowing SUU running back Austin Minefee to gain 105 yards on 14 carries is too close for comfort for me, and with as much talent as I see on the defensive side of the ball, I know these Bobcats can get it done.
Then again, mistakes can be overlooked because of the final score. However, some hiccups might re-surface later in the season if they aren't nipped in the bud now, so I'm sure the practice schedule will be heavy in this upcoming bye-week. Texas State has one week of rest before they travel to Hammond, LA, to start the Conference slate against Southeastern Louisiana. Last season, SLU squeaked out a win in San Marcos when the Bobcats were up by as much a 17 points in the fourth quarter, only to give up that lead and lose in an overtime heartbreaker, 51-50. As for now, the main thing on that bulletin board in the locker room is their 3-1 record. Texas State returns to action on Saturday September 9, at 6:00 P.M., with KTSW pregame coverage starting at 4:00 P.M.
Robert Fisher, KTSW Assistant Sports Director
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