Bobcats fall once more in I-35 Rivalry

Texas State will have to wait another year to break the UTSA Curse, as the Bobcats fell to the Roadrunners 20-13 in the fifth edition of the I-35 Rivalry. 

Head Coach G.J. Kinne and the Bobcats were held to only 13 points Saturday after scoring 42 points on Baylor last weekend. 

“We played a really good team but we didn’t play well enough to win,” Kinne said. “A lot of credit to those guys. We gotta get back to work tomorrow.”

Despite a close number in both running and passing plays, 29 rushing plays to 30 passing plays, the Bobcats were unable to run the ball against a tough Roadrunner defender managing only 31 rushing yards. 

“They are just really good and Coach Loepp did a good job with his gameplan,” Kinne said. “They didn’t do a lot of things differently than we thought. We struggled running the ball which hurt us. When we have those opportunities to win those one on ones, we have to throw and catch better. But that’s not on the players, we have to do a better job as coaches and everyone involved.”

UTSA kicked things off in the low scoring affair with a field goal late in the first quarter to go up 3-0. 

After stopping the Bobcats on fourth down as quarterback TJ Finley barely missed his target by inches, the Roadrunners responded with a six-play, 57-yard drive ending in a Rocko Griffin 20-yard rushing touchdown as the Roadrunners went up 10-0. 

Following a three and out by the Bobcat offense, the Roadrunners looked to extend their lead. 

But the Bobcats stuffed the Roadrunners on fourth down to give the ball back to the offense. 

Texas State went on a 11-play, 66-yard drive, ending with a Jahmyl Jeter three-yard rushing touchdown to cut the lead down to 10-7. 

The Bobcat defense forced a UTSA punt on the next possession which allowed the Bobcats to capitalize as Mason Shipley kicked a 42-yard field goal to tie the game up at 10-10 before half.

The third quarter saw both teams trading possessions before the Roadrunners scored on a 20-yard passing touchdown from Frank Harris to Wille McCoy as UTSA went up 17-10. 

The drive was particularly frustrating for the Bobcats as the Roadrunners were aided by a few Texas State penalties. 

Following a five-play drive that ended in a Texas State punt, the Roadrunners had an opportunity to slam the door on a Bobcat comeback on the next drive.

But the Bobcats forced a fumble, as Shawn Holton punched the ball leading to a Texas State recovery. 

This was Holton’s second forced fumble of the season. 

On the next play, Finley hit wide receiver Kole Wilson on a 55-yard passing play to set up first and goal. 

However, penalties and a quarterback sack hurt the drive, as the Bobcats came away with only three points following Shipley's 43 yard field goal to make it a 17-13 game. 

Though UTSA drove into Texas State territory, the Bobcat defense held out, forcing the field goal to make it a one possession game at 20-13.

Needing a touchdown to keep the game alive, the Bobcats were snuffed out as the final offensive possession lasted only three plays with -8 yards gained.

UTSA ran the clock out on the next possession as the Bobcats fell to the Roadrunners, 20-13. 

Though Kinne complemented both the defense and the special teams unit, he noted the offense needed to step up too. 

“I thought the defense performed really well,” Kinne said. “Frank Harris is a really good player and they have some really good guys on offense. I thought our defense went toe to toe with them all day. They just played way too many snaps, so we have to play complementary football.”

With the Bobcats set to play their first home game of the season, Kinne wants to see the Bobcats take another step forward. 

“This is a really good team and they were picked 1st in the American (American Athletic Conference) for a reason,” Kinne said. “But it’s no excuse to play out there how we did on offense. We have to continue to get better and we will. This is still our second game so we have to continue to iron out the wrinkles. The takeaway from this one is that this was a really good team and we had our moments there. We just need to capitalize on them better.”

Photos provided by TXST Athletics