COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF

Bobcats host Arizona State on national television

The Countdown to Kickoff takes a look at the upcoming 2024 season for the Texas State Bobcats.

This week will preview the Bobcats' Thursday night home game against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Arizona State is looking to bounce back from a rough 2023 season which saw the Sun Devils finish with a 3-9 record.

The Sun Devils averaged just 17.8 points per game and allowed 31.8 points per game.

On offense, Arizona State returns starting quarterback Trenton Bourguet. Bourguet passed for 1,486 yards and one touchdown in eight games for the Sun Devils.

Also returning for the Sun Devils in running back Cam Skattebo. Skattebo ran for 783 yards on 164 carries and nine touchdowns.

The Sun Devils are in the middle of a major realignment shift going into the 2024 season after leaving the Pac-12 Conference, a conference they called home for 45 years, to the Big 12 Conference along with rivals Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

This will be the first meeting between the Bobcats and the Sun Devils.

Prior to the Arizona State’s game against Texas State, the Sun Devils will be on the road for the first time during the 2024 season after home games against Wyoming and Mississippi State.

Since making the jump to the Football Bowl Subdivision, Texas State has hosted three teams, including Arizona State, that are members of a power conference.

The first time Texas State hosted a member of a power conference was in the Bobcats inaugural season at the FBS in 2012.

Coming off a stunning 30-13 win over the reigning C-USA Champions in the Houston Cougars, Texas State hosted the Texas Tech Red Raiders, a member of the Big 12 conference.

In front of a then record crowd of 33,006 at Bobcat Stadium, the Bobcats fell to the Red Raiders 58-10.

The second time Texas State hosted a member of a conference came in 2021 when the Bobcats battled the Baylor Bears in the season opener.

The Bobcats fell to the Bears 29-20.

Texas State’s record against members of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, then Pac-12 and SEC is 1-26.

The Bobcats’ lone win against a member of a power conference came last year in the season opener against Baylor.

In a historic victory that set the tone for the rest of the season, Texas State defeated the Bears 42-31.

Kickoff for Texas State-Arizona State is set for Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. from UFCU Stadium in San Marcos. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc