Texas State offense looks to keep cooking at ULM

After four-straight seasons as the Sun Belt’s lowest-scoring team, Texas State is beginning to look like an offensive force.

Through two games, the Bobcats are currently averaging 36 points per contest, which ranks second in the league behind Coastal Carolina. The addition of sophomore running back Brock Sturges, averaging 5.5 rushing yards per carry, and the development of redshirt freshman tailback Calvin Hill, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, has given the maroon and gold offense a dimension it’s severely needed in years past.

The improvement in the run game hasn’t fixed everything, though. Texas State still struggles to stay on the field, converting on third downs just 35.5% of the time thus far. Six of the team’s drives in its 51-48 double overtime loss to UTSA last Saturday ended in three-and-outs. Head coach Jake Spavital said the team struggled against the Roadrunners’ blitzes and ended up having to use max protection to finally get the ball moving during the second half of the game. 

“A lot of the things that just kept showing up was the attention to detail, little things, and really, I thought, the physicality part of it,” Spavital said. “I thought they were a lot more physical in the trenches. When it comes to our O-line, we had trouble blocking and trouble protecting, as you guys probably saw.”

But what’s been most impressive about the offense's early-season stretch is that the Bobcats have been able to put up big point totals with two different quarterbacks. Sophomore transfer Brady McBride and junior Tyler Vitt have combined for 576 passing yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions, each of them playing one game so far.

“You know, we put a lot on their shoulders, a lot of communications, a lot of things to check and get us in good plays. And they've given us a chance to win in the fourth quarter, both games and both teams,” offensive coordinator Jacob Peeler said. “So, you know, obviously we just gotta continue to stress the little things — taking care of the football, the pre-snap penalties, things of that nature as an offense. But I'm really impressed by both Tyler and Brady and just       their demeanor.”

McBride was the starter for the team’s 2020 season opener against SMU, but was quarantined ahead of the UTSA game due to COVID-19 protocols, allowing Vitt to take over against UTSA. McBride returned to practice this week and worked with the Bobcats’ starters during team drills but Spavital said Tuesday his status for this weekend remains questionable.

“I can’t really talk about that. Right now, there’s a lot of discussions with Brady and what’s going to happen. But right now, he’s in Texas State medical protocols and, you know, we’re working through that with the conference as well,” Spavital said. “It’s a frustrating process but we just listen to the medical professionals on what they tell us to do. And that’s just the circumstances we were put in on game day.”

A lot of the credit of the quarterbacks’ success belongs to the Texas State’s wide receivers. After the Bobcats made the switch to max protection in the UTSA game, Spavital began to send the pass-catchers deep down the field in one-on-one situations. The receivers made the Roadrunners pay, picking up defensive pass interference calls or reeling in catches for big gains.

The threat of big plays backed the visiting defense up a few yards, which opened up the run game and intermediate throws for Texas State late in the game, helping Texas State complete its 17-point comeback in the second half.

“To be honest, we just do what we do at practice every day. We take shots,” redshirt sophomore receiver Jah’Marae “K-Dot” Sheread said. “I really feel like we have the best receiver group in the conference, really, hands down. I really see the work we put in. The receiver group, we put in a lot of work. Coach Peeler, he's a great coach, he's really been helping us this offseason. But I really just feel like nobody can hold us one-on-one.”

Winning those one-on-one situations will be a major part of the Bobcats’ game plan this week against Louisiana-Monroe. Mike Collins stepped down as the Warhawks’ defensive coordinator on Sept. 2 and linebackers coach Scott Stoker, who both Spavital and Peeler described as “really aggressive,” was named his replacement. Unlike UTSA, Texas State will have some film on ULM, as the Warhawks lost to Army last week, 37-7. But Army’s offense runs the triple option and is not schematically similar to the Bobcats’ offense, leaving little to be learned about the Stoker-led defense from the tape aside from the team’s personnel base.

Peeler anticipates there being a feeling out process early on, similar to how the UTSA matchup went. But no matter who lines up behind center on Saturday, be it McBride or Vitt, Peeler thinks the Texas State offense should be able to keep up its production if the team can continue winning one-on-one battles.

“Whether that's O-line, whether that's receivers, you know, wherever that is. I think that's what it comes down to at the end of the day, is when you get one-on-ones, you gotta win,” Peeler said. “And that goes all the way across the board. And so, that's what I'm really looking for, is if we can win those one-on-one matchups all the way across the board.”

The Bobcats (0-2) face the Warhawks (0-1) inside Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU. It’ll be the first of a five-game road stretch for the Bobcats that runs through Oct. 24.