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Above, Texas State’s defense swarms to the ball during the Bobcats’ win over Houston Christian on Sept. 24. TXST’s season continues at home against Southern Miss on Saturday. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo

TXST looks to stay undefeated at home against Southern Miss

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Texas State’s chase for bowl eligibility continues as it’s set to host Southern Miss for homecoming on Saturday.

Southern Miss comes into Bobcat Stadium with a 3-3 overall record and a 1-1 conference record. Last week, the Golden Eagles pulled off a stunning comeback as Southern Miss scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Arkansas State 20-19.

Both Texas State and Southern Miss have only met twice in the overall series between the two schools with both games being decided by seven points or less.

The Bobcats took the first meeting in 2013 by knocking off the Golden Eagles 22-15 in a defensive slugfest.

The rematch came two years later when Southern Miss made the return trip to San Marcos as the Golden Eagles won in an offensive shootout 56-50.

As the two teams will square off for the first time in seven years, it will be a familiar look for Head Coach Jake Spavital as both he and Southern Miss Head Coach Will Hall use varieties of the Air Raid offense in their schemes.

“We are cut from the same cloth,” Spavital said. “It’s just some of the Air Raid principles and styles but he (Hall) has had some unique moments over the past couple years especially when it comes to quarterback injuries.”

Southern Miss became famous this past season when the Golden Eagles were forced to use several different players at the quarterback position including using running back Frank Gore Jr, son of legendary NFL running back Frank Gore, at the position.

This year is much the same of the Golden Eagles as the offense has seen once multiple players take over as quarterback.

For Spavital, Southern Miss reminds him of how Texas State plays on both offense and defense and is ready for just about anything the Golden Eagles throw at the Bobcats.

“You can expect anything in this game,” Spavital said. “They can go wildcat formation or just go Air Raid, we don’t know who is going to start at quarterback…they are very similar to us because they are just a scrappy team. I think it’s going to be a wild game because both teams are going to find a way to move the ball and score points.”

While the Golden Eagles have their problems on offense, the defense has been keeping the team afloat.

Much like Troy, Southern Miss has one of the better defensive units in the Sun Belt, according to Spavital.

“Their [defensive] scheme is unique and there are no base plays with these guys,” Spavital said. “There are going to be bodies flying all over the place. We have to understand that we need to be efficient and be focused on every single snap because they are going to bring it.”

The Southern Miss game also represents the annual homecoming game for the Bobcats as the throwback Southwest Texas State logos have taken over social media.

The Bobcats will honor the previous teams by wearing the maroon Bobcat paw helmets complete with the gold and white stripes which was worn by the program during the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

For Spavital, it is important to remember those past players and their contributions to the program.

“It’s really deep in the roots of our program,” Spavital said. “We emphasize the history before the men in this room and they take a lot of pride in it. Since I’ve been here, I have been trying to bring back as many former players as I possibly can and the group is getting bigger and bigger…I look forward to seeing them come back.”

Texas State kickoffs against Southern Miss at 4: pm Saturday inside Bobcat Stadium.

San Marcos Record

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P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666