Hopes for bowl bid are still alive
Bobcats must win out, but resurgent Panthers in way.
Texas State’s football team has painted itself into a desperate corner. The Bobcats need to win all four of their final games to have a chance at a bowl bid, and they have to find a way to unleash an offense that was supposed to be the team’s strength but has swooned in the past few games.
Junior quarterback Tyler Jones has struggled, playing behind a patchwork offensive line that has lost two starters and three centers to injury.
“Tyler has been really good more times than he’s been off, but the times he’s had difficulties are magnified because of how important every offensive possession has become for our team,” coach Dennis Franchione said.
“He’s forced some things because we’ve struggled on defense and we need him to make plays. There have been four or five or six plays every game that he wishes he had back, but he’s done some great things as well.”
Even if the Bobcats (2-6 overall, 1-3 in the Sun Belt) win out to reach 6-6, they’ll probably need help to make a bowl game.
“Our margin of error is very small right now,” Franchione said. “We’re going to have to fight and claw to get a win. Honestly, I feel like we’re not far away.”
Usually Georgia State would be considered an opponent the Bobcats could just walk through, but the Eagles (2-6, 1-4) are better than in recent years. Georgia State, like Texas State, has lost five of its past six games. But the Panthers nearly pulled off the upset of the conference season Nov. 7 when they narrowly lost at home to Sun Belt heavyweight Louisiana-Lafayette 23-21.
“We have to start playing Bobcat football again,” sophomore wide receiver Demun Mercer said. “It’s going to take every part of the program from our coaches to players and winning the day by day to right the ship.”
Notes: In 20 games at Georgia State, quarterback Nick Arbuckle is averaging 297.4 yards passing per game. That ranks fourth among all active FBS quarterbacks, trailing only Washington State’s Luke Falk, Cal’s Jared Goff and Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes. ... This season, Arbuckle leads the Sun Belt and ranks seventh in the FBS in passing yards (333.0 per game). He is also first in the league in total offense (322 ypg), second in pass efficiency (148.6) and third in touchdowns (16). ... Texas State on Friday announced a $1 million gift from San Antonio philanthropists Dan and Cindee Diepenhorst to benefit athletic scholarships and endowments.