Texas State looks for one more historic win in season finale against Louisiana

Texas State looks to end the season on a high note as it hosts the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns in the regular-season finale.

Despite not being bowl eligible, there is still a lot the Bobcats can play for as head football coach Jake Spavital explained.

“[The players] know what’s at stake this week,” Spavital said. “They are playing for the pride of Texas State and each other. They are also playing for momentum moving forward with the football program and leaving these seniors who are playing their final game in Bobcat Stadium on a high note.”

The team’s morale still soars high despite the Bobcats not being bowl eligible for the eighth straight year — which was a goal for the seniors — as well as a rash of season ending injuries that have plagued the team

“You are sitting out there after Josh Berry goes down right at the end of the fourth quarter, and you see the pain on his face as he is grabbing my arm,” Spavital said. “You are sitting there saying ‘Man we are dealing with another season-ending injury’. With all the ups and downs with injuries, the thing I love about these guys is they are supported by their players. They are going to be there for them and they show a lot of resiliency as well as optimism about how they are going to bounce back while being there for the team.”

But injuries aren’t the only thing Texas State has dealt with this season —  a series of close losses in the final minute of the game have plagued the Bobcats this season. The course, however, was reversed with the last-second win over Arkansas State last week.

Despite the losses, the players themselves know that one singular football play is not the direct outcome of a game.

“To lose in those fashions with the Southern Miss game and the ULM kick still hurts,” Spavital said. “But this is a selfless team. They understand that one play does not dictate the outcome of the game. [The players] know that and everyone has their own issues they have to deal with. They look in the mirror and say to themselves they have to fix their issues first before calling other people out. That is what I love about this team …  proud of these guys for how they are handling all of these unfortunate scenarios.”

As for their opponent, it’s been a rough year for the Ragin’ Cajuns as they need a win to reach bowl eligibility.

Similar to the Bobcats, Louisiana has been plagued with close losses as well, including losing to ULM, Troy, and South Alabama by one possession.

With the Ragin’ Cajuns battling for their season as well as Texas State, Spavital expects it to be a tough battle.

“We got a tough Louisiana team,” Spavital said. “This is going to be a scrappy game and this is going to be the same Louisiana team we have always faced. They have gone through some adversity as well with injuries but they still have that same approach on offense. They have played three different quarterbacks this year while showing great signs of doing really great things. Defensively,  they still show that same edge but with the new coaching change, new bodies and new scheme they are still making their groove and figuring things out on a daily basis. They are a scrappy yet talented team and we got our hands full.”

The football series history between Texas State and Louisiana has been a lopsided affair since the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt Conference.

Playing every year since 2013, Louisiana is currently 8-0 over their border neighbors, including a dominating 45-0 win over Texas State last season.

Kickoff is at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon inside Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.