Battle-tested Bobcats begin conference play this weekend

Texas State hit the gridiron this week following the largest comeback in FBS history and the Bobcats best start since 2013.

With the Bobcats beginning conference play this weekend, Head Coach G.J. Kinne continued to preach about the one thing that makes the offense successful.

“I know I keep saying but it’s [about] execution,” Kinne said. “When one guy doesn’t do his job, that’s what happens. We have to continue to put guys in the right spots and situations. When their number is called out, they have to go out there and perform.”

Heading into halftime, defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke praised his players for their ability to not overreact to the situation at hand, as they were down 17-0.

“What I was pleased with was there was no panic in our guys,” Patke said. “This year has been the best our defense has been on the sideline and in the locker room at halftime. There was no panic and they knew they were going to win the game. They come out after the second drive and go seven straight drives of no scores, with either three and outs or a turnover. They really buckled it up knowing we had to play well.”

Texas State is off to their best start since 2013, when the Bobcats defeated Southern Miss, Prairie View A&M and Wyoming while finishing the season with a 6-6 record.

As the Bobcats start conference play on the road against Southern Miss, Patke noted the confidence level which Texas State has started to build up.

“When you can start 3-1, the guys start to believe,” Patke said. “This is a mental game, so when they believe, they play hard and anything is possible.”

The Bobcats three wins this year include the first victory over a Power Five program in Baylor, Jackson State and now Nevada.

Though the schedule and the games have not been the easiest, the non-conference slate has Texas State ready for conference play.

“We are battle-tested,” Kinne said. “We have played some really good teams. It’s one of those deals at the beginning where you wished you had some easier teams, but in the end, it’s made us better.”

As Kinne explained, the difficult schedule has shown the mettle of the Bobcats during high intensity situations.

“Anytime you can face adversity, it’s good,” Kinne said. “You learn about yourself as a coach, your fellow coaches, your team and where you are at. For the most part we are handling it really well. This is a new team, new staff and new players. But everyone is dealing with something across the country. Everyone is dealing with injuries, this or that. It’s about how you are handling it and who is going to handle it better.”

Now the focus has shifted towards the Golden Eagles.

“It’s great that we have learned from this, but now it’s all about Southern Miss conference play,” Kinne said. “I challenged [the team] to have the best Tuesday they have ever had, because that’s what it is going to take to beat these guys.” cmcwilliams@sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc