Houston — Texas State sophomore kicker Justin Garelick is ready.

Garelick knows if history has its hand in Saturday’s season opener between the Bobcats and the University of Houston, he’ll be the deciding factor.

When Texas State and the Cougars last met, the Bobcats won on a late field goal by George Mabe. Texas State claimed a 3-0 victory and it just so happens that’s the same edge it holds in the all-time series.

“If it came down to that, I’d be nervous, I’m not going to lie, but it would be a lot of fun,” Garelick said. “It would be awesome to know that my kick beat U of H.”

But what are the chances the Bobcats and UH post the same score 62 years later?

“It would be nice if it did happen,” Garelick said, “but I’m not expecting it.”

The score could be 3-0 — at the end of the first offensive drive — but it’s not going to stay that way for too long.

Both offenses have a propensity for putting up points in a hurry. The Cougars led the FBS with 42.2 points per game in 2009 while Texas State scored 31.9 (14th-best in the FCS).

UH returns seven starters on offense including Heisman-hopeful quarterback Case Keenum and a trio of 1,000-yard receivers (James Cleveland, Tyson Carrier and Patrick Edwards). The Bobcats welcome back eight starters including Preseason FCS All-Americans offensive lineman D.J. Hall and wide receiver Da’Marcus Griggs, but they are also breaking in an unproven quarterback — redshirt sophomore Tim Hawkins.

Saturday night will be Hawkins’ first collegiate start at quarterback. Hawkins sat behind Bradley George last season and only attempted nine passes in 2009.

“We had the luxury of having Bradley here for a while, but now it’s Tim’s turn,” Texas State head coach Brad Wright said. “If the opportunity would have presented itself (to use Hawkins more in 2009), that would have been nice, but all of our games were close and we didn’t have a chance to say, ‘All right, let’s put the subs in.’”

Well, if Wright and his coaching staff want Hawkins to mature quickly, they couldn’t have picked a better initial test.

Hawkins won’t only be dueling with Keenum, he’ll need to contend with a defense no one but the Cougars know about. UH hired former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart in the offseason and he implemented his own version of the 3-4.

Stewart will most likely dial up a bunch of looks to throw at the Bobcats Saturday night and while it would scare most quarterbacks, Hawkins is ready for the challenge.

“It’s going to be tough, but the first year of any defensive system is going to have its breakdowns and that’s what I’m counting on,” Hawkins said.

Should Hawkins not back down in the face of pressure, Texas State might be able to keep it close — as long as its defense can hold up its end of the bargain.

The Bobcats know slowing down the Cougars is next to impossible and the only way to limit their production is to force turnovers like Air Force did in the Armed Forces Bowl.

“No one can really stop Houston, but I liked what Air Force did to them last year,” Texas State defensive coordinator Fred Bleil said. “They would rush two, drop nine and get a hand in the passing lane. I’m not saying that’s what we’re going to do, but if we want to keep it close, we need to win the turnover battle.”

If the Bobcats force seven turnovers like the Falcons, they’ll have a good opportunity to do what only two visiting teams have done at Roberson Stadium since 2006 — win.

UH is 23-2 at home, winning those games by an average of 24 points. The Cougars also devoured their last two FCS opponents by a combined score of 101-13.

“We want them to take us lightly,” Texas State senior safety T.P. Miller said. “The same thing happened at TCU (last season). We hung with them all the way until the fourth quarter and were only down by 14. We could have done a few things different that game, but this game we’re ready to take it to next level and pull the upset.”

• What — Texas State Bobcats at Houston Cougars

• When — Saturday, 7:06 p.m.

• Where — Roberson Stadium (32,000 capacity)

• Radio — KTSW (89.9 FM)

• Head Coaches — Texas State: Brad Wright (19-16, fourth year). UH: Kevin Sumlin (18-9, third year)

• Last Meeting — Texas State 3, UH 0 (Nov. 20, 1948 in San Marcos)

• Series Record — Texas State leads 3-0

• 2010 Records — Texas State: 0-0. UH: 0-0.

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

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

• Players to Watch — Texas State: QB Tim Hawkins, RB Frank Reddic, WR Da’Marcus Griggs, WR Daren Dillard, LB Marcus Clark, FS T.P. Miller. UH: QB Case Keenum, WR James Cleveland, WR Tyson Carrier, WR Patrick Edwards, DE Tyrone Campbell.

• Intangibles — If Texas State has anything going its way in this matchup, it’s history. The Bobcats are 3-0 against Houston, but their last meeting was 62 years ago. When Texas State and UH met in 1948, the final score was 3-0 — but don’t expect it to be like that in 2010. The Cougars led the FBS with 42.2 points per game in 2009 and the Bobcats aren’t too shabby either. Since both teams have high-octane offenses, it will come down to whether or not Texas State’s defense can slow down UH. That is highly unlikely.

• Daily Record Prediction — Houston 66, Texas State 24.