Spavital finding pleasant surprises despite depth issues

On the final play of Thursday’s practice, transfer quarterback Brady McBride launched a pass toward the left side of the north endzone at Bobcat Stadium.

The ball was placed in a spot only 6-foot-5 Blake Aragon could reach, and the tight end reeled it in to end the day on a high note for the Texas State offense. Head coach Jake Spavital noted it was one of the toughest plays on the day to execute.

“That was a checked play. So like, (McBride’s) starting to have a great understanding and a feel for what the defense is doing to him and what the weaknesses are,” Spavital said. “And I get more fired up for those plays where he gets into the right call, even though they’re gonna heat you up and maybe the certain play call I had wasn’t the greatest for that situation. And he recognized it and alerted and made a really good play. And that’s when you’re starting to realize that we’re starting to play football.”

That play, among others made by both the Bobcat offense and defense, show the developmental strides being made by the program. It’s the reason Spavital says he feels more optimistic going into the 2020 season than he did at this point last year.

Despite the circumstances an ongoing pandemic has put the team in, with multiple players sidelined with injuries to boot, the head coach is fairly pleased with how Texas State is performing in practice.

For instance, one of the team’s biggest weaknesses in 2019 was its inability to run the ball efficiently.  The Bobcats had the worst rushing unit in the Sun Belt Conference by far, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry and 76.8 yards per game.

Now, Spavital is beginning to consider the run game a strength thanks to the depth of the offensive line.

“That was not the case last year but right now, they’re probably the most healthy group and I think we are pretty confident with probably 8-10 kids that would go in and wouldn’t really affect us in any way,” Spavital said. “I believe you’ve got to run the football to win championships and at least be a very balanced offense. I think our running backs are very good, so that’s something that we’ve got to make sure that we’re hatting everything up and we’re in the right positions offensive line-wise so these running backs can have success.”

Depth still remains a concern in other areas. Spavital reiterated that defensive linemen Jordan Revels and Jaquel Pierce are currently playing more snaps than Texas State’s defensive backs — “which is unheard of for a fall camp.” He also expressed concerns over the Bobcats’ contingency plans at quarterback, with five on the roster and just three having participated for the full camp.

But its allowed Spavital to find gems along the back end of the roster that otherwise might not have gotten nearly as many reps. The head coach listed several of the pleasant surprises he’s experienced during camp at Thursday’s practice.

“I think (freshman defensive back) Zion Childress is playing at an extremely high level, very instinctful kid, instinctive kid,” Spavital said. “And like, just how he is, he was a quarterback in high school, he just has a really great ability to understand where the ball should go. So he always knows where to be. Some of that stuff, you can’t really coach, they’re just very instinctive with what they’re doing.

“(JUCO transfer) Alex Costilla on the O-line, he’s probably the one that — he’s very fluid, very athletic and he’s got a nasty side to him. Which, I’m very pleased watching him play. I think (senior wide receiver Jeremiah) Haydel’s had a really good camp so far. Haydel has really turned into that leadership role. You know, you talk about the tight ends with Tyler Huff going down, I’ve been really pleased with (redshirt sophomores) Seth Caillouet and Jackson Lanam, they’re in there competing and getting better every single day.

“Defensively, we talked about Revels and Jaquel, couldn’t be more pleased with those guys. We’ve talked about the linebacker crew with (transfers) Sione (Tupou) and (Braydon) Stringer and C.T. (Christian Taylor), you know, those guys are just consistent. They don’t say much right now because they’re new. But like, they’re really the backbone of that defense. I’ve been pleased with how much they’ve picked up as they came in with short notice. Defensive backs, they’re all running around out here pretty good. (Sophomore) DeJordan Mask is probably one of the better players on our team, he’s gonna be a return specialist for us as well. So I’m fired up for that group. And then you can’t leave out Baby J (junior Jarron Morris). That’s probably the scrappiest guy on our team.”

Spavital will hope for even more reasons for optimism as the team gets healthier. The Bobcats begin their mock game week on Sunday, which Spavital said the players have been looking forward to.

“I think these kids are ready to get to mock week next week so that we can get into a rhythm and the routine of things and start focusing on someone else besides ourself,” Spavital said. “But so far, all good right now.”