TXST FOOTBALL
Bobcats open conference play against rival Red Wolves
The Countdown to Kickoff series previews the upcoming season for the Texas State Bobcats as they prepare for the gridiron this year.
This week will take a look at the Bobcats conference opener when they go on the road to Arkansas State in a showdown with the Red Wolves.
Arkansas State finished the 2024 season with a 7-5 regular record, finishing tied for second in the Sun Belt West Division with Texas State and South Alabama.
In the Bobcats showdown with the Red Wolves, Texas State stomped Arkansas State 41-9 to capture their fourth win of the season.
The Red Wolves qualified for the bowl game and were into the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. There Arkansas State defeated Bowling Green 38-31 to capture their eighth win of the season.
Arkansas State brings back several offensive starters from last season including their leading passer and leading wide receiver. Junior quarterback Jaylen Raynor returns after passing for 2,783 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 387 yards on 137 carries and three touchdowns.
Returning at running back is senior Ja’Quez Cross. Cross is the leading returning rusher from last season, rushing for 638 yards on 115 carries and two touchdowns. Cross will look to replace Zak Wallace as the No. 1 running back in the Arkansas State rushing attack.
Senior Corey Rucker returns as the Red Wolves leading wide receiver, making 69 catches for 1,053 yards and seven touchdowns.
On defense, Arkansas State returns only one starter and will look to rebuild defensively.
The history of the Texas State-Arkansas series dates back to 2013 when the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt Conference after spending a year in the Western Athletic Conference in their inaugural season of FBS competition.
Since 2013, Texas State and Arkansas State have played 12 consecutive times.
Arkansas State won the first ever meeting between the two teams in 2013, winning 38-21 before Texas State won their first game against the Red Wolves 45-27 in the 2014 season.
Arkansas State then rattled off five straight wins against Texas State from 2015 through the 2019 season with the average score being 38.4 in favor of the Red Wolves and 13.4 for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats snapped their five game losing streak against the Red Wolves in arguably the most exciting game of the series during the 2020 season.
Combining for 1,159 yards of offense and 92 total points, Texas State defeated Arkansas State 47-45 after running back Calvin Hill scored the game winning touchdown with 34 seconds remaining in the game.
Bobcat quarterback Brady McBride passed for 443 yards and five touchdowns, becoming just the fifth quarterback in program history to pass for over 400 yards and the second to pass for five touchdowns in a single game.
Texas State then racked up two consecutive wins against Arkansas State beating the Red Wolves 24-22 in their first ever win in Jonesboro during the 2021 season before winning again 16-13 in the 2022 season.
The Red Wolves snapped their three-game losing streak to Texas State during the 2023 season with a 77-31 over the Bobcats in the highest scoring game of the series.
Kickoff for Texas State-Arkansas State is set for Saturday Oct. 4 at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas. cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
