Homecoming 2010 will not be a game the Texas State Football team will have in their scrapbooks as they fell to Northwestern State 16-3 Saturday evening. In a game that had winds which gusted up to 27 mph, it was pretty hard for the Bobcats to get their offense, especially the passing game, in much of a rhythm.
However, early in the game it looked like Texas State would give all 14,000 fans a fun game as the first play from scrimmage was end-around to wide receiver DaMarcus Griggs, who then threw a first down to fellow WR Darren Dillard. The offense marched all the way down the field on that first drive only to have Karrington Bush fumble on the 28-yd line at the 11-minute mark, which was recovered by the Demons. The Northwestern State offense then rammed the ball right back down Texas State's throat and scored their only touchdown of the day on the next drive. Northwestern State’s other score came from a blocked punt, but we'll get into that a little later.
The second quarter opened with the only successful drive the 'Cats would have as they tacked on three points with a field goal. The remainder of the first half featured a couple fake punts by Ben Follis, which he converted each time, but the offense never got in the endzone. The overall unproductive first half ended with the scoreboard reading 7-3. At halftime, the Bobcats only had 28 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
The wind really played a factor on the opening second half kickoff when the ball bounced back towards the kicking team and Texas State recovered it at the Demons' 31-yard line. Three failed pass attempts and one short run by tailback Dexter Imade later, the 'Cats turned the ball over on downs. With less than a minute left on the clock in the third, standout nose guard Preston Brown forced a fumble, which injected some life into the pumped up fans at Bobcat Stadium.
That momentum would go to waste because the Bobcats would punt the ball away without even netting a first down. Later in the fourth, after the Demons went all the way down the field again, they missed a 30-yard field goal off the left upright to give the 'Cats some new hope. But on a must-score drive for Texas State, QB Tyler Arndt was sacked for a loss of eleven yards on the play and the Bobcats had to punt it away. So much for that, as Ben Follis' punt was blocked and scooped-and-scored by the Demons. This upped the score to 16-3 after the extra point was blocked as well.
Worth mentioning...
The Bobcats had another opportunity with a little over six minutes remaining when they recovered a fumble at the 15-yard line. However, after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the 'Cats were pushed back to the 30 yard line where they would be unsuccessful in getting in the end zone.
After one more possession for each team, the final score read Northwestern State 16 - Texas State 3, as the de-generated homecoming crowd exited Bobcat Stadium. Yet another disappointing conference loss that puts the team at 0-3 now, 3-4 overall. Texas State finished with an "eyebrow-raising" total of 57 rushing yards on 34 attempts as they allowed freshman quarterback Tyler Arndt to be sacked four times – the most he's been sacked all year.
The Bobcats will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Nacogdoches, Texas, to face Southland Conference favorite Stephen F. Austin at 2 P.M.
Robert Fisher, KTSW Assistant Sports Director
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