Houston — If Texas State wanted to show its defense had improved since last season, Saturday night wasn’t the time to do it.

The Bobcats didn’t stand a chance against the high-octane University of Houston offense. After putting up 54 points in the first half, the Cougars rolled to a 68-28 win at Robertson Stadium.

“We kind of came out a bit wide-eyed and starry-eyed,” Texas State head coach Brad Wright said. “I haven’t seen that team we showed up with honestly.”

Truth is, the Bobcats never saw a team like Houston.

Last season, Texas State took its annual FBS beating against Texas Christian. The Bobcats hung with the Horned Frogs until late in the third quarter and they fell further and further behind in the final 15 minutes.

TCU preferred to pound it right at Texas State’s defense with its stable of running backs while the Cougars put the game in the hands of their potent passing attack.

Under the direction of senior quarterback Case Keenum, Houston scored on seven of its first nine possessions. Keenum, in seven minutes, 21 seconds of work, threw for 274 yards and five touchdowns on 17-of-22 passing.

“(Keenum) is good, but we didn‘t come to show up today,” Texas State safety T.P. Miller, who reeled in one of two interceptions Keenum threw, said. “We did have two picks, but the scoreboard makes those picks not count.”

While the Cougars rolled up the yards (342 in the first half), the Bobcats struggled to get any consistency out of their offense.

Texas State knew it would have its hiccups with two new quarterbacks under center (sophomore Tim Hawkins and freshman Tyler Arndt), but didn’t expect to look as lethargic as it did. After two ugly possessions with Hawkins leading the way (27 yards on eight plays), the Bobcats went with Arndt.

“I was more nervous in the two days leading up to the game than when I got out there,” Arndt said. “It just kind of came to me and I stuck with what we planned the whole week.”

Arndt led Texas State down the field with crisp passes (including an 18-yard completion to Da’Marcus Griggs on third-and-10) and punctuated the drive with his first collegiate touchdown (a 14-yard keeper up the middle).

“It was a zone read and the end took the back, so I pulled it,” Arndt said.

Arndt proved to be one of the only bright spots for the Bobcats in the second half, as he led them to three more scores (a 2-yard pass to fullback Eric Gentry and a pair of runs - one by himself and another by sophomore Frank Reddic).

“I began to feel more comfortable in the second half because I played some more and got my chance,” Arndt said. “We got rolling and it felt good.”

Hawkins only ran two plays after halftime, the second of which ended in an interception. He finished the game 1 for 9 with two picks.

Wright offered no clue as to whether Hawkins would stay the No. 1 quarterback next week against Southern Arkansas, but said he was proud of how his team scored 21 of its 28 points in the second half.

“The good news is that we didn’t come out, quit and say, ‘The heck with it.‘ That’s the solid part,“ Wright said. “If you have that part, you can come out and get better.”

Bobcat Notes -- Senior running back Karrington Bush rushed for 73 yards on 19 carries … Bush seemed to trust his knee, making some good cuts, but lacked the top-end speed he had his freshman and sophomore years … Redshirt freshman running back Dexter Imade had 73 yards on 20 carries … Texas State, which usually likes to stay balanced between rushing and passing attempts, had a 57-31 split against Houston.