Bobcats bemoan call, victory that got away

Sun Belt officials admit mistake on key onside kick by Texas State.

— Texas State made plenty of mistakes in last week’s loss to Louisiana-Monroe, but the mistake that resonated the most with Bobcats coach Everett Withers was the one made by the officials in the 40-34 loss.

Specifically, the call on a surprise onside kick the Bobcats attempted in the fourth quarter.

“We got it and they blew it,” Withers said Tuesday. “Referees have a real tough job. The game is real fast. Sometimes you wonder if it’s too fast for them at times. It also lends to why replay is important.

“If you really look at replay — and I did — it ain’t even close. The ball is 11 yards and (Texas State punter) Lumi Kaba has got it. And they said it was clear-cut evidence that it didn’t go over 10 yards.”

After Texas State’s Damani Alexcee returned a Warhawks fumble for a touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter, cutting ULM’s lead to 40-27 with 11:12 left to play, Withers called for Kaba to try the onside kick. Kaba even recovered it.

But referees ruled it an illegal touch, saying Kaba had jumped on the ball before it traveled 10 yards. Withers, who disagreed, was vindicated after the game by Sun Belt coordinator of officials Steve Shaw.

sent it in to Steve Shaw — Steve is very good at it — Steve sent it back and said, ‘Yup, you got it,’” Withers said. “So they blew it; they missed it. I don’t envy the job referees have, but I do blame the replay guy.”

Aside from that play, however, Withers attributed the rest of the Bobcats’ woes in Monroe to themselves. He pointed to three missed chances in the passing game, where potential big plays whiffed either because of breakdowns in pass protection or execution.

“We’ve got to clean those things up for us to even have a chance to wina ballgame,” he said. “We’ve got some guys who can’t take the meeting to field yet, and that’s where we have to get better.”

The defense, however, did show some resiliency in the second half — scoring two defensive touchdowns and holding the Warhawks to only seven points. And linebacker Bryan London, who had 13 tackles, is now the Sun Belt’s second-leading tackler with 64 stops.

The Bobcats got their first commitment for 2018 this week when Dallas Bishop Dunne quarterback Stacy Conner pledged to Texas State. Conner, a 6-4, 175-pound junior, has one other offer so far (San Jose State).