On Saturday, the Longhorns will take on a team that only needs to hop on I-35 before arriving in Austin – the Texas State Bobcats. Despite a fairly mediocre season last year in which the Bobcats went 7-6, the team still had some solid takeaways. Additionally, four of their six losses came in one score games, indicating that last year’s team was more competitive than meets the eye.
Offensive Scouting Report:
The Texas State offense averaged 36.5 points per game last year, 12th-best in the entire country. Furthermore, the team actually had the 10th-best running game in the country eclipsing 221 yards per game. The problem for Texas? That’s only the start. During his redshirt freshman season, Bobcats quarterback Brad Jackson led the entire Sun Belt Conference in completion percentage, yards per attempt, and quarterback rating. In addition to the quarterback’s efficiencies through the air, Jackson also added 744 yards and a conference-leading 17 touchdowns on the ground.
While last year’s leading rusher Lincoln Pare graduated, GJ Kinne’s offenses have shown the ability to keep their playbook balanced, meaning Will Muschamp will have to keep his defense honest with the threat of a scamper from Jackson.
Through the air, senior wideouts Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr return to San Marcos, where both undersized targets had huge campaigns last year, surpassing 1,000 yards receiving apiece. The duo of Sparks and Dawn will be an early season test for the Longhorns secondary, which will be needed before next weekend’s matchup against Ohio State, which features phenom wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Defensive Scouting Report:
On the defensive side of the ball, Texas State will have to be better. Despite the offense’s extraordinary contributions, the defense allowed 29 points per game, 95th-worst in the country. The Bobcats were slightly more stout in pass coverage than they were defending the run, however they placed outside of the top 60 in both categories. Consequently, this will be a big opportunity for the Texas offense to open the season with a bang.
