Gay happy at new spot
He’ll see more time on field in move to LB from offense.
Tim Gay, Texas State’s newest starting linebacker, has an easy-going, matter-of-fact manner when he discusses his move to defense after being the Bobcats’ short-yardage running back and lead blocker for the past three years.
“I am, first and foremost, a football player, and I want to be on the field as much as I can to contribute to the success we all think this team is going to have this season,” Gay explained. “If (the coaches) want me to play running back, I will. And if they want be to play defensive end, I’ll do that, too.”
Because the Bobcats mostly use a one-running back set and they have senior standouts Robert Lowe and Chris Nutall in place there, Gay was stuck with getting limited chances to run with the ball.
“Tim is just too good of a player not to be on the field for us a lot more than for a handful of plays,” coach Dennis Franchione said.
On a whim at the opening of fall camp, defensive coaches approached the 5-foot-11, 248-pound Gay and asked if he would be interested in moving to their side of the ball.
Gay jumped at the chance. He was tried first at defensive end but later moved to linebacker, practiced both in the middle and on the strong side and is listed as the starter at the latter when Texas State plays 10th-ranked Florida State on Saturday.
Gay played well enough at linebacker as a freshman in high school to make the varsity squad but was moved to safety and defensive end and, ultimately, running back when he was a sophomore.
Gay is, no doubt, a quick study. He knows he has a lot of work to do before he is at his best at linebacker, but he’s willing to put in the work.
“I got into the playbook as fast as I could because I’m a perfectionist and I want to be the best,” Gay said. “Right now, I’m focused on getting to the ball and filling the holes that need to be filled. I will get better as I get more snaps of defense.”
Notes: Neither Texas State nor any Franchione-coached team has played against Florida State. ... Saturday’s game will be the first-ever for the Bobcats against an Atlantic Coast Conference team; Franchione is 2-4 as a head coach vs. the ACC. ... Texas State enters its 108th season with an all-time record of 503-421-26. ... The Seminoles are the highest-ranked FBS team that Texas State has ever played. The last time the Bobcats played against a nationally ranked opponent was Sept. 21, 2013, against No. 25 Texas Tech. ... Texas State returns 44 lettermen from the team that finished 7-5 in 2014.The Bobcats return eight starters on offense and six starters on defense.