When Texas State made their name change from Southwest Texas State in 2003, the university came up with a simple motto in effort to rebrand from its regionality. ‘The Rising Star of Texas’.
Texas State has since retired the moniker as of this year but it seems appropriate following the Bobcats 43-36 win over the Roadrunnners that the university is no longer the rising star, but the shining star of the state.
But before the road win over UTSA and the Bobcats recent succes, Texas State was seemingly more like a falling star than a rising one with the I-35 rivalry showcasing that futility.
Despite UTSA starting their football program in 2011, the Roadrunners had seemingly got the upperhand over the Bobcats, rising faster than what Texas State anticipated.
The first game in 2012 saw the Roadrunners jump out to a 17-7 lead after the first quarter leading to UTSA stunning Texas State 38-31. The win led to UTSA winning the next four meetings against the Bobcats for a commanding 5-0 series lead over Texas State along with a series of one-possesion losses. From failed quarterback sneaks from their own one-yard line, missed extra points to even phantom trips, Texas State could not solve the UTSA puzzle.
Since the hiring of Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners looked nearly unstoppable. Two conference championships, an ungodly 29-3 home record at the Alamodome and becoming the media darling of the Group of Five, UTSA was the talk of both the town and the state.
But up the road in San Marcos was a different story. After missing out on a bowl game in 2014 despite their 7-5 record, the Bobcats took a head first dive as a program into becoming a cellar dwellar. Going a prutird 23-73 from 2015 through 2022, Texas State was directionless with no signs of reaching their potential.
Then came the hiring of G.J. Kinne to help rebuild the program saw immediate benefits. The Bobcats defeated their first Power 4 conference team in Baylor for the 2023 season opener before qualifying and winning their first ever bowl game against Rice. 2024 saw Texas State not only qualify for another bowl game, defeating North Texas, but also handing UTSA a 49-10 beatdown, the Bobcats first ever win over the Roadrunners.
So when the rubber match going into the 2025 season came around, everything on paper pointed to UTSA getting their win back.
Despite having to rebuild on defense, the Roadrunners returned nearly every starter on offense, making UTSA one of the favorites to win the American. On top of that, the Bobcats only returned three starters on both offense and defense along with having to make the returning trip to the Alamodome where the Roadrunners seemed to be unbeatable.
Going off of past history, these are the games Texas State has lost. Except that didn’t happen.
In a bit of irony, it was a freshman quarterback from San Antonio who UTSA didn't recruit that turned the tide for the Bobcats.
Brad Jackson passed for 286 yards and one touchdown while rushing for two more scores, including throwing the go ahead score on a 65-yard bomb to Beau Sparks, to win a shootout 43-36 and hand UTSA their first loss in the Alamodome since 2023, the Bobcats first win against the Roadrunners on the road.
If the 2024 win helped change the dynamic of Texas State in the I-35 rivalry, the 2025 victory helped change the position of power for the Bobcats over the Roadrunners.
With Texas State set to move into the Pac-12 along with the win road win over the Roadrunners, the Bobcats have set themselves up as the premier mid-major school in the state of Texas over rivals UTSA, North Texas and Sam Houston.
For many fans, it is a day not many outside of the hardcore would see. But that day has come. Much like the star logo the Bobcats wore on their helmets against Texas State, the stars are burning bright in San Marcos.
