Texas State drops heartbreaker at Boston College, 24-21

Texas State head coach Jake Spavital thought his players “rose to the occasion” in the first half of Saturday’s game against Boston College. But blunders in the fourth quarter doomed the Bobcats, the team fall 24-21 to the Eagles.

Texas State (1-3, 1-0 Sun Belt) entered an empty Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, to face BC (2-0, 1-0 ACC), hoping to ride the momentum of last week’s win over Lousiana-Monroe.

Junior quarterback Tyler Vitt, who started the past two games for the Bobcats, did not travel with the team due to COVID-19 protocols. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brady McBride returned to the field after missing the last two weeks due to the same protocols. Sophomore Jahmyl Jeter, who transferred to Texas State this offseason from Oklahoma State, also made his first appearance with the maroon and gold after being cleared by the NCAA on Wednesday.

The Bobcats adapted well to the last-minute changes.

BC found itself in scoring position first. On the second drive of the game, the hosts marched down to the Bobcats’ 24-yard line. On 3rd and 14, senior linebacker Christian Taylor sacked Eagles redshirt sophomore quarterback Phil Jurkovec for six yards. BC lined up for a 47-yard field goal but Texas State freshman defensive back Zion Childress broke into the backfield and blocked the attempt.

The Bobcats handed the ball off to senior wide receiver Jeremiah Haydel on a sweep, who gained 29 yards. Redshirt freshman running back Calvin Hill crossed the goal line seven plays later, punching it in from a yard out to go up 7-0.

The Eagles went three-and-out on the next drive, giving Texas State the ball back. Brady McBride tossed a deep ball, believing BC would be flagged for encroachment, but senior defensive back Mike Palmer intercepted the ball and returned it to the 5-yard line with no flags thrown to end the first quarter. Jurkovec ran the ball in from two yards out to tie the score.

Late in the second quarter, Texas State found its rhythm again. Jeter rushed three times for 36 yards and McBride completed his final three throws of the drive for another 36 yards, ending with a 6-yard fade to junior wide receiver Marcell Barbee for a touchdown.

The hosts took one more drive at the end of the half, but it was cut short when Jurkovec was intercepted by junior cornerback Jarron Morris, sending the Bobcats into halftime with a 14-7 lead.

The visitors kept their foot on the gas in the third quarter. They held the Eagles to a three-and-out to start the period, then used a 13-play, 87-yard drive to find the end zone again. McBride fired a screen pass to Barbee on the right side of the field, who scooted past his defender for a 9-yard touchdown.

The visitors seemed to gas out in the final minutes of the game, though.

BC ended the third quarter with a 12-play, 72-yard drive of its own that lasted 6:31 and trimmed the lead back to seven. Neither team scored during the first 12 minutes of the fourth quarter.

Morris was called for targeting after making contact with an Eagles punt returner, which disqualified him for the remainder of the game and moved BC to the Texas State 48. The hosts made it to the end zone eight plays and 2:04 later, Jurkovec finding redshirt junior tight end Hunter Long for a 5-yard score.

The Bobcats went three-and-out on their next drive and punted to the BC 32-yard line. Jurkovec completed six consecutive passes to move the ball down to the visitors’ 19. Spavital used all three of his timeouts to ice Eagles senior kicker Aaron Boumehri on a 36-yard field goal attempt. But Boumehri connected on the kick, giving BC its first lead of the game with three seconds on the clock.

Haydel, who returned a punt 91 yards to tie the score during Texas State’s game against UTSA on Sept. 12, couldn’t pull off another miracle on the ensuing kickoff, giving the Eagles a 24-21 win.

McBride finished the game completing 19-29 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Barbee was the top target of the night, receiving four passes for 45 yards and two scores. Hill led the team with 12 carries for 49 yards and a touchdown, followed by Jeter with four carries for 36 yards.

Sophomore safety Tory Spears earned a team-high seven tackles, all of them unassisted, followed by senior linebacker Gavin Graham and freshman defensive back Zion Childress with six each. Christian Taylor led the team with two tackles for a loss and 1.0 sack.

The Bobcats will take a bye week before returning to action on Oct. 10 when they face Troy (1-0) in the third leg of the team’s current five-game road stretch.