Georgia Southern 28, Texas State 25

WHAT THE LOSS MEANS

Texas State needs to win two of the next three games to secure a bowl game. Defeating Georgia Southern, favored on the road, wasn’t a given. The defense stepped up,siphoning off the passing angles and stuffing the run just enough to Raman in the game. Tyler Jones, Sophomore quarterback, and the running game didn’t gel until the second half, when they were in a double digit hole.

TURNING POINT

Eagles junior safety Matt Dobson’s 100-yard return for a touchdown. One yard separated the Bobcats from a 11-point deficit and a manageable four points. If the offense couldn’t convert, they would still pin Georgia Southern back in their own territory, potentially creating another scoring opportunity on the next possession. Nope. Jones was pressured and he threw a careless throw in the end zone. The touchdown was Georgia Southern’s last of the game and it proved to be the deciding factor.

DEFENSE HANGS ON

There’s plenty of positives in what was arguably the defense’s best performance this year, considering the context. Georgia Southern, a historically potent rushing offense, tallied 256 rushing yards. The passing game, averaging 9.3 yards per attempt this year, didn’t generate big plays to complement the rushing game. Credit the defense, which elevated their performance to the next level.

GOOD

Fourth quarter. After Georgia Southern’s crippling 100-yard interception return, Texas State responded with a perfectly executed fourth quarter. The Bobcats scored 15 points in the quarter and gained 200 yards. The Eagles, meanwhile, gained 12 yards, as they punted twice and turned the ball over on downs. The problem, of course, is maintaining four quarters of excellence, rather than digging an insurmountable hole.

BAD

Rushing offense. Terrence Franks, senior running back, and Rob Lowe, junior running back, combined for 88 yards on 22 carries. Jones and C.J. Best, junior wide receiver, didn’t support them either, as the offense succumbed to Georgia Southern’s conference best run defense. Texas State eschewed the run in the second half — finishing with 51 passes and 43 rushes — and only then did the offense find some success. 

UGLY

Jones’ decision making. Following the game, Jones said he wish he could take his two interceptions back and re-do the plays. The second turnover, and most costly, was the result of defensive pressure and poor timing. The sophomore quarterback anticipated senior tight end Lawrence White’s route and it cost his team dearly. His first interception resulted in another Georgia Southern touchdown. Self-inflicted wounds remains the story of his season.

WHAT THEY SAID

“The culture is changing,” senior defensive end Michael Odiari said. “You don’t just lose and pat yourself on the back. Coming close isn’t going 

to send you to a bowl game. Coming close is not going to give you a win. It’s either you win or you lose. It’s a winning culture from here on out.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Texas State travels to play the South Alabama Jaguars, Nov. 15. The Jaguars lost by 45 points to Arkansas State in their previous game. 

Quixem Ramirez, is the Sports Editor for the University Star where this story originally published, and is reprinted here through a news partnership  |  @CorridorNews