Bobcats regroup after tough loss to rival Arkansas State

After giving up the most points allowed in program history against Arkansas State, the Bobcats were back on the field this week in preparation for both their final home game of the season and the final regular season game of the season against the South Alabama Jaguars.

Following the recent disappointing loss, Head Coach G.J. Kinne said he felt the team had a good response on the field during practice.

“There are a lot of things that need to get corrected,” Kinne said. “I thought the guys came out today and had a great practice. They put that game to bed on Sunday.”

Giving up 77 points in the loss while also giving up 291 yards rushing and four turnovers, Kinne knows the only way to progress forward is to move on and get better.

“Obviously it’s a disappointing loss,” Kinne said. “You can’t have something like that. It’s one of those deals where after a win it’s not as good as you think and after a loss it’s never as bad as you think, especially after watching the film. There are a lot of things we need to correct and get better. We have to coach better, play better but it is what it is at that point.”

For the Bobcats, the only way to do that is get back on the gridiron and focus their efforts on the Jaguars.

“We just have to get better and the only thing we can do is get back on the practice field,” Kinne said. “[The loss] is unacceptable and we know that. Our focus now is just getting better, putting these seniors in a good position to go out on Saturday and get a win.”

Focusing on the offense, despite the Bobcats gaining over 500 yards of offense, Texas State was plagued with turnovers against Arkansas State, including two interceptions returned for touchdowns and one fumble returned for a touchdown.

With eight interceptions on the year and 13 fumbles, limiting turning over the ball is a major focus.

“Turnovers have been the biggest thing,” Kinne said. “We have gotten a lot better in the redzone and we continue to get better in that area. But turnovers have been our Achilles' heel.”

But despite the negatives, the Bobcats are focusing on the positives they have achieved this season, while also focusing on their senior class playing their final home game of the season.

“I know everyone is disappointed,” Kinne said. “Players, coaches, administrators, fans and boosters. Yes, it was very disappointing, but I think we accomplished a lot of good things this year. Now we have to make sure the focus is about the seniors and send them out the right way.”

The Bobcats will look to be back in the win column this Saturday as Texas State hosts South Alabama in the final game of the season on both Senior Day and Community Day.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. The game will also be broadcast on national television on the NFL Network.

cmcwilliams@sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc