TXST FOOTBALL
Playing in their second consecutive bowl game in the month of January, Texas State hits the field to make their debut in the Armed Forces Bowl against the Rice Owls.
For the Bobcats, playing in the Armed Forces Bowl didn’t seem like a possibility.
Texas State entered the final three games of the regular season on a fivegame losing streak and sat with an overall record of 3-6. During the Bobcats losing streak, Texas State had lost four games within one possession while giving up over 40 points in four games and over 30 points in five games.
But Texas State stopped their free-fall, regrouping to win their final three games against Southern Miss, Louisiana Monroe and South Alabama to clinch bowl eligibility. The Bobcat defense finally found momentum and held their opponents to under 30 points while the Texas State offense continued to dominate.
Now playing in their first-ever Armed Forces Bowl on the campus of TCU, the Bobcats face a familiar foe in Rice, though the Owls have made significant changes since the last time the two teams met.
Rice is now under the direction of new Head Coach Scott Abel who had previously coached at Davidson and Washington and Lee.
Running a spread option offense, Abel led the Owls to a 5-7 overall record and qualified for bowl eligibility following the opt-outs of Kansas State, Iowa State and Notre Dame due to having one of the highest Academic Progress Rate scores of the eligible 5-7 teams.
The Owls will face the challenge of starting a new quarterback as Chase Jenkins opted to go into the transfer portal.
In the run game, Rice is led by running back Quinton Jackson who has rushed for 811 yards on 164 carries and six touchdowns for the Owls. Running back Daelen Alexander is third in overall rushing with 72 carries for 392 yards and three touchdowns.
Offensively, the Owls have averaged 19.8 points per game in the regular season while the Bobcats average 36.0 points per game.
On defense, Rice is led by linebacker Andrew Awe. Awe leads the Owls in total tackles with 100 along with 45 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks. Linebacker Ty Morris is second in total tackles with 82 along with 32 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks.
The Owls defense has allowed an average of 32.2 points per game compared to the Bobcats 30.5 points per game.
The series history between Texas State and Rice dates back to the 1920s before being renewed in the late 1980s.
The Owls won the first meeting in 1920, beating the Bobcats 48-0 before Texas State won their matchup in 1923 19-6.
The twos didn’t meet again until 1986 when Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference and Texas State was a member of the Gulf Star Conference at the FCS level.
In a stunning upset, Texas State defeated Rice 31-6 behind three touchdowns from running back Roy Jackson, who rushed for 143 yards.
Rice got their revenge the next season, defeating Texas State 38-28.
The series would once again go on hiatus before resuming for the 2023 season in what is arguably the biggest game between the two teams, meeting in the First Responders Bowl.
It marked Rice’s second consecutive bowl appearance and their first six-win season since 2014. For Texas State, it marked the Bobcats first-ever bowl appearance and their first seven-win season since 2014.
In a thrilling game, linebacker Brian Holloway made two interceptions and returned both back for touchdowns while offensive lineman Nash Jones caught a lateral pass from quarterback T.J. Finley to seal a 45-21 win for the Bobcats.
With a win, Head Coach G.J. Kinne would the first head coach since Jim Wacker to post three consecutive winning seasons and just the fourth in program history behind Milton Jowers, Bill Miller and Wacker.
Kickoff for the Armed Forces Bowl is set 12 p.m. Friday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN.
