San Marcos — Texas State senior wide receiver Da’Marcus Griggs couldn’t believe his ears.

Griggs made sure he was in the right huddle once the Bobcats took the field for their third offensive possession last Saturday against the University of Houston.

White jerseys? Check.

A young quarterback in the huddle? He wasn’t so sure.

“It was pretty crazy,” Griggs said. “(Tyler Arndt) wasn’t like a normal freshman. He came in there running and wasn’t stuttering. He was ready to go when his number was called.”

Arndt stepped into the spotlight and did something sophomore quarterback Tim Hawkins couldn’t do — lead the offense down the field.

Under Arndt’s control, Texas State marched into Cougar territory and put up its first six points of the 2010 season. On the first drive of his collegiate career, Arndt completed all three of his pass attempts for 40 yards and rumbled in from 14 yards out to cut Houston’s lead to seven.

“At first the game speed was pretty quick,” Arndt said, “but after I completed my second pass it slowed down a lot.”

Arndt’s second pass was an 18-yard strike to Griggs on third-and-10 that gave the Bobcats a bit of momentum. If the pass — which was a bit behind Griggs — fell incomplete, Texas State would have punted the ball away and risked the possibility of trailing 20-0.

“That was a big throw, there’s no doubt about it,” Griggs said. “It had to be there and he put it on my hands.”

Griggs, who said he wasn’t even sure Arndt would get to play as often as he did last Saturday, will have an opportunity to develop a rapport much earlier with the true freshman against Southern Arkansas.

After watching film of the 40-point loss, Bobcats head coach Brad Wright notified Arndt he’d be the starting quarterback Saturday night for the home opener.

“Coach called me Monday night and it was a blessing,” Arndt said. “For them to put me in this position and give me the chance, it means they have enough faith in me to get the job done.”

While Wright still asserts both Arndt and Hawkins will split snaps against the Muleriders, the freshman shouldn’t have too much of a problem proving himself worthy of the starting nod.

SAU enters the game winning just five of its last 21 games dating back to 2008. The Muleriders went 3-7 in 2009, allowing 193.7 passing yards and 135.1 rushing yards per game.

Not only does SAU struggle defensively, the Muleriders can’t buy a break on offense. In its last 11 games, SAU has scored a total of 17 touchdowns (1.7 per contest).

“It’s very easy to look down on a team like this, but I don’t think we’re going to do it,” Griggs said. “We’re not that great — yet — or where we want to be. We’re going to come out with a chip on our shoulder because we have a sour taste in our mouth.”

• What — Southern Arkansas Muleriders at Texas State Bobcats

• When — Saturday, 6 p.m.

• Where — Bobcat Stadium (16,000)

• Radio — KTSW (89.9 FM)

• Head Coaches — SAU: Bill Keopple (3-8, second year), Texas State: Brad Wright (19-17, fourth year).

• Last Meeting — First meeting

• Series Record — First meeting

• 2010 Records — SAU: 0-1. Texas State: 0-1.

• Basic Offense — SAU: Spread. Texas State: Pro-set multiple.

• Basic Defense — SAU: 3-3-5 multiple. Texas State: 4-3 multiple

• Players to Watch — SAU: QB Austin Civita, RB Carlos Brown, WR Josh Proffit, DT Cedric Thornton. Texas State: QB Tyler Arndt, RB Karrington Bush, RB Dexter Imade, WR Da’Marcus Griggs, NG Prestin Brown, CB Drenard Williams.

• Intangibles — Texas State comes into the game fresh off a 40-point loss to the University of Houston. The Bobcats stalled with sophomore quarterback Tim Hawkins at the helm but picked it up with true freshman Tyler Arndt. This week, Arndt earns the start but Wright still wants to cycle between both quarterbacks. Not only will it be a second chance for the quarterbacks, Texas State’s defense also has another opportunity to atone for its mistakes against the Cougars. SAU scored 17 touchdowns in all of 2009, so the Bobcats just might be able to pitch a shut out.

• Daily Record Prediction — Texas State 51, SAU 6.