Bobcats ready to test themselves at No. 24 App State

Texas State isn’t built for shootouts right now.

The Bobcats had 16 drives during last Saturday’s home game against Troy, but only conjured up 27 points to the Trojans’ 63 in the loss.

“That was a pretty sloppy game on our part,” head coach Jake Spavital said. “We’re not to the point where we can overcome playing behind the chains having some negative plays, penalties putting us behind and then four interceptions.”

An up-tempo affair won’t be a concern for the team this week, but Texas State does face one of its toughest challenges of the season as it takes on the top scoring offense in the Sun Belt in No. 24 Appalachian State.

“We’re excited for it,” senior defensive back Anthony J. Taylor said. “We understand that that is a really good team and has been a good team for years. But at the same time, we feel like we’re a good defense as well and we’re ready for the challenge.”

The Mountaineers run a pro-style offense, slowing down the tempo of the game to give its opponents as little time as possible to score. App State is third in the conference averaging 5.5 yards per carry and also boasts the fourth-most efficient passer in the league in junior quarterback Zac Thomas.

The Bobcat defense has been in a bit of a slump recently, giving up at least 28 points in each of its last four games. Spavital said slowing down Thomas will be crucial for the team.

“(He’s a) very good player. Experienced, knows where he’s going with the ball, runner,” Spavital said. “They do a really great job with their pistol team. They’re probably one of the better teams I’ve seen run stretch in a long time. And they got great play actions off of it in full flow.”

Spavital also said it’ll be important for the Bobcats to value each possession and keep the chains moving. They won’t have nearly as many drives as they did against Troy and the Mountaineers are eighth in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) with a .292 percent defensive third down conversion rate.

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Vitt is set to start again this week with junior Gresch Jensen still in concussion protocol. But aside from sophomore tight end Hunter Hebert and freshman wide receiver Dylan Jantz, Spavital expects to have his full arsenal of offensive weapons.

“This is the most talented team that we face so far, I think, in terms of across the board and experience,” Spavital said. “The defense forces three-and-outs. So they play complimentary football, they play well together and they shorten the game down and they make you not be yourself.”

Texas State (3-7, 2-4 Sun Belt) will travel to Boone, North Carolina to face Appalachian State (9-1, 5-1) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Spavital said the team is in good spirits and excited to play against one of the top teams in the country.

“Since we’ve been here, we’ve always kind of had the mindset of like, no matter what the situation is, we’re not going to fold,” Taylor said. “Whether we’re winning, losing, we’re still going to come up here and compete. This team is full of competitors.”

“I think these kids are going to go out there and play hard. Like I said, there’s no quit in these guys, I think the effort is there. They’re going to fight to the end,” Spavital said. “I think our kids will be excited to go out there and play versus a top-25 team. If you’re not fired up to play this game, then you shouldn’t be in the sport because you’re going to have an opportunity to play a really solid team in a good environment and have an opportunity to beat a top-25 team.”