Texas State back at the WACK to play Incarnate Word

Amira Van Leeuwen | Staff Reporter

Texas State football (1-1) will play the University of Incarnate Word (1-1) on Saturday, Sept 18, in San Marcos, TX, at 6 p.m.

The Bobcats are ready for more action, coming off a 23-17 overtime win against Florida International University.

“The message this week is to get right back at it,” Head Coach Jake Spavital said.

Texas State’s depth chart remains the same, other than freshman offensive linebacker Isaiah Nixon who will be starting. The second-year freshman played in six games and returned one kickoff for 11-yards against Appalachian State in 2020. In the game against FIU, he achieved a career-high of six tackles and had the key defensive strip-sack in overtime, forcing the defense’s third turnover, allowing the offense to win the game.

“We’ve watched them [Incarnate Word] a little bit, and I see how they just love to pass the ball, so it’ll be a good challenge for us and a good different scene to see. You know, usually, we’ve been playing the run a lot, and now we get to play the pass a lot as defense,” Nixon said.

Sophomore quarterback Brady McBride will be Texas State’s starting quarterback. McBride has completed 53.5% of passes this season and averages about 4.5 yards per completion.

Last season, the team passed a total of 238 yards per game compared to their opponents, who averaged about 224 yards per game. The Bobcats have averaged about 160 yards per game this season, with their opponents averaging around 203 yards.

Although the offense has improved tenfold from last season, Offensive Coordinator Jacob Peeler says that the Texas State offense has a ways to go in terms of what they want to see.

“Consistency is key,” Peeler said.

McBride will need to have a consistent passing game against the Incarnate Word Cardinals and connect well with his receivers on the field.

Sophomore quarterback Cameron Ward, winner of the Jerry Rice Award, an award given to the FCS level’s most outstanding freshman, will be the starting quarterback for the Cardinals. This season, Ward has completed 49% of passes.

The Bobcat defense gave up 140 yards to FIU, which shows improvement for what they were allowing a year ago. In the 2020 season, Texas State averaged about 131 yards per game compared to their opponents, who averaged nearly 324 yards per game. This year, the Bobcats have rushed an average of 125 yards per game compared to their opponents, who have so far averaged about 189 yards per game. The Bobcats are continuing to improve on both offense and defense.

The Cardinal’s top rusher is Kevin Brown, who is averaging roughly 84 yards per game. Incarnate Word’s leading receiver is Taylor Grimes, averaging about 56 yards per carry, followed by Robert Ferrel, averaging about 54 yards per carry.

The Cardinal’s top three defensive players are graduate defensive lineman Brandon Bowen, sophomore defensive back Kaleb Culp and senior linebacker Kelechi Anyalebechi.

The Bobcats will be back at the Jim Wacker Field for their third non-conference game of the season. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN3.