COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

Bobcats look for stellar homecoming win

The Countdown to Kickoff Series continues with the attention on the Texas State Bobcats as they prepare to head back to the field for the 2023 football season.

This week the focus is on the Bobcats and their homecoming game showdown with the Troy Trojans.

In their last meeting, the Trojans captured the win, following an early fourth quarter touchdown pass from Jarrett Doege to RaJae Johnson, edging out the Bobcats 17-14.

Troy captured the Sun Belt West Division title, finishing with a record of 10-2, with their two losses coming from games with Ole Miss and Appalachian State.

The Trojans captured their first outright conference championship since 2009, by beating Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game, with a score of 45-26.

Troy clinched a 12-win season when the Trojans defeated the UTSA Roadrunners, conference champions of C-USA, with a score of18-12 in the Cure Bowl.

This season, Troy is once again expected to compete for another conference championship and Sun Belt West Division Title.

According to Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, Troy is projected to finish the season at 3.4 overall rating, the best in the Sun Belt West Division.

Troy currently has an offensive rating of 24.2 and a defensive rating of 20.8.

One of the key matchups in team strengths between Texas State and Troy will likely be the Bobcat offense and the Troy defense.

While the Bobcats come into the season working with a revamped offense under new head coach GJ Kinne, what will be the ultimate test of this season for that offense, is that they will be facing what many consider will be one of the best defenses in the country.

Despite having to rebuild that defense due to the loss of some key players, Troy is nevertheless expected to have a tough defense once again in 2023.

The Trojans are the Bobcats second most played opponent in the Sun Belt Conference , with 13 overall meetings between the two teams.

Despite the lengthy history, Texas State has not had much success against the Trojans, as Troy leads the series at 12-1.

The lone Bobcat win against the Trojans came in 1997, when Texas State defeated a previously 7th-ranked Troy team at Bobcat Stadium.

Troy was formerly a member of the Southland Conference as a football-only member along with rival Jacksonville State.

The Trojans left Southland in 2001 to join FBS and the Sun Belt Conference.

Kickoff for Texas State-Troy is 2 p.m., Saturday Oct. 28, at Bobcat Stadium.