Bobcats barely beat by Stangs
You could say that Texas State was terrible in 2019. A record of 3-9 doesn't exactly shout good team. Nothing would really indicate that 2020 would be any different. Opening up against an SMU team that was ranked last year for much of the season and finished 10-3 is a tall task for a far inferior team. The Bobcats were a 24.5 point underdog in this contest and it still would have been very hard to not take SMU. However, this may have been taken as some motivation for Texas State because they came out much better than last season. They actually put themselves in a position to win!
The passing game for Texas State had moments of quality and McBride looks like he may be capable of putting together a solid string of drives but the inconsistency was apparent. The running game was an entirely different story. Plenty of teams rejoice when they get one 100 yard rusher in a game but Texas State was five yards away from having two 100 yard rushers. Calvin Hill rushed for 100 yards and averaged a whopping 7.7 yards a carry while his compliment, Brock Sturges, rushed for 95 yards, 6.8 yards a carry, and one touchdown. To ensure a greater chance of success moving forward I would recommend feeding riding this tandem bicycle until McBride can learn consistency.
The Bobcats defensively surrendered far too many yards to give themselves the best chance to win. They were able to steal back a couple of possessions by intercepting Buechele a couple of times and then add another by scooping up a little ground boy that got dropped by TJ McDaniel. SMU ran through Texas State's defense like Derrick Henry through a class of preschoolers. Both rush defenses looked relatively non-existent. Neither team will have success moving forward if that does not get addressed.
Having said all of that, Texas State looked worlds better than last season. I know they did not win but maybe they finally got a glimpse of what it feels like to have a competitive game with a good team. I would be stupid if I said this team could make some magical run to the Sunbelt title this season but their chance is a hell of a lot better than it was last year. But! You play to win the game. If game's were won on paper then why would we even play, am I right?!