Texas State Football loses to FCS team Incarnate Word

Amira Van Leeuwen | Staff Reporter

Texas State football (1-2, 0-0) lost (42-34) to the University of Incarnate Word (UIW) (2-1, 0-0) on Sept. 18, 2021, at Bobcat Stadium.

This was Texas State’s first loss to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team since the Bobcats joined the NCAA Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2012.

“We’ve gotta be more efficient in the run game is what it comes down to,” Head Coach Jake Spavital said.

The Bobcats came onto the field with energy and were able to score their first touchdown with about nine and half minutes left in the first quarter. Sophomore quarterback Brady McBride threw a pass to sophomore running back Jahmyl Jeter who scored the touchdown. After the touchdown, Texas State’s sophomore kicker Seth Keller kicks the ball into the end zone for an extra point (7-0).

The Bobcat defense played with a lot of force in the first quarter. Texas State’s sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Revels tackled graduate student running back Kevin Brown with aggression, forcing the Cardinals to move back a yard.

But it wasn’t long before the Cardinals responded to the Bobcats. After sophomore quarterback Cameron Ward passed two completions to junior wide receiver Taylor Grimes and sophomore wide receiver Jalen Smothers, the UIW offense was closer to the goal line.

After another snap, Ward scanned the field looking to pass to one of his receivers but the Bobcats defense was closing in. After pressure from the Texas State defense, Ward passed the ball to sophomore wide receiver Jalen Smothers. Another pass from Ward to Grimes for 33-yards put the Cardinals at the 1-yard line.

Graduate running back Kevin Brown rushed for 4-yards before freshman linebacker Issiah Nixon forced him to fumble. The fumble was recovered by Ward who threw a final pass to Brown who scored UIW’s first touchdown of the game with six minutes left in the first quarter. Graduate kicker John Scifers kicked the ball, getting the Cardinals the extra point (7-7).

McBride passed the ball to junior wide receiver Kevin Banks who was tackled by UIW’s graduate defensive back Shawn Holton. After the tackle the Bobcats reset and McBride threw an incomplete pass to junior wide receiver Chandler Speights which brought the Bobcats to a third down.

The Cardinal defense was ruthless against the Texas State offense, as graduate defensive lineman Terrell Lucas made a huge tackle. On fourth down, Ward drove the ball down the field giving UIW a good gain. He made a pass to senior wide receiver Robert Ferrel who rushed into the endzone for a UIW touchdown. With the touchdown and a successful extra point, the Cardinals were ahead going into the second quarter (14-7).

The Texas State offense and defensive line began to show some cracks at the start of the second quarter. McBride threw two incomplete passes and got sacked by redshirt senior defensive end Blaine Hoover and Terrell, losing 6-yards for the Bobcats. But the Texas State quarterback made up for the loss with a pass to sophomore running back Brock Sturges who rushed for a total of 17-yards for the next three plays placing the Bobcats within scoring distance.

The final pass was to sophomore running back Jahyml Jeter who rushed 1-yard to get the Bobcats another touchdown. Another successful kick from Keller and the Bobcats had tied up the game (14-14).

After the touchdown, UIW was back in possession. Ward threw to Brown. Sophomore cornerback Drake Johnson forced a fumble which was quickly recovered by sophomore cornerback Chris Mills. The Bobcat offense was gaining momentum as McBride passed to freshman wide receiver Donovan Moorer who rushed for 9-yards. McBride handed off the ball to freshman running back Calvin Hill who was able to rush the ball effectively down the field gaining significant yardage for Texas State. With about a minute left on the clock, the Cardinals take a timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, the Bobcats made a field goal attempt. Keller kicked the ball from the 33-yard line and was successful, placing the Bobcats ahead by three points (17-14).

About four minutes into the third quarter, Graduate running back Marcus Cooper rushed 9-yards to score another touchdown for the Cardinals. With a successful extra point kicked by Scifers, the Cardinals were back in the lead (21-17).

With the Bobcats back in possession of the ball, McBride passed the ball to Jeter who made a 19-yard gain on the play getting the Bobcats a first down. With 8:03 remaining in the third quarter, McBride passed the ball straight into the endzone which was caught by junior wide receiver Marcell Barbee who got another touchdown for the Bobcats. The kick was good, and the Bobcats were back in front (24-21).

The Cardinals responded and Ward passed to Ferrel who ran 14-yards into the endzone for another touchdown. The kick by Scifers was good, putting the Cardinals up by 4 points (28-24).

The Bobcats started the fourth quarter with the ball in their possession. McBride passed to Hill who was brought down by senior linebacker Kelechi Anyalebechi and sophomore defensive back Kaleb Culp. Yellow flags went up in the air as fans sat in the stands booing and cursing. Incarnate Word got a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct that gave the Bobcats an automatic first down. McBride passed another ball to Barbee who fought his way through the endzone for another Texas State touchdown with 11 minutes left in the quarter. The extra point was good and Texas State was back in the lead (31-24).

As the clock winded down, Ward passed to senior wide receiver Darion Chafin, earning the Cardinals another touchdown and extra point (35-31). Texas State’s offense started the drive but wasn’t in possession of the ball for very long. Sophomore punter Seamus O’Kelly punted the ball which was caught by Ferrel. Ward handed the ball off to Cooper who gained 28-yards on the play, getting the Cardinals another first down. The Texas State defense struggled to stop the Cardinal’s offense. With 2:48 remaining, a pass to Grimes allowed Incarnate Word to score again (42-31).

After the touchdown, McBride worked to pass the ball to get his team back into scoring position. McBride passed to Hill who managed to rush 11-yards before fumbling the ball. After recovering it, Texas State took a timeout.

After the timeout and one minute left on the clock, Keller attempted a field goal, which awarded an additional three points for the Bobcats (42-34).

The final score of the night was 42-34.

“We know we were supposed to win this game, they [Incarnate Word] know we were supposed to win this game, and they came and beat us,” freshman safety Zion Childress said.

Spavital said the team had too many penalties and mistakes throughout the game.

Throughout the course of the night, McBride got sacked twice and only completed 25 out of 41 attempted passes.

The Cardinals ran a Leach or air-raid style offense, meaning that the quarterback throws based on the defense rather than a set route. The Texas State defense could not manage to stop Incarnate Word’s squirrely offense. Ward threw a total of 376 yards, while McBride only threw 278 yards.

The leading defensive player for Texas State was senior cornerback Michael LoVett III, who totaled seven tackles. Incarnate Word’s top defensive player of the game was Anyalebechi with 11 tackles.

Texas State’s leading rusher of the game was Jeter who averaged 7.7 yards per carry.

Incarnate Word’s leading rusher of the game was graduate defensive back Rashon Davis who averaged about 13 yards per carry. 

“They’re gonna get back to work, we’re gonna strap it up and we still got nine more games to go,” Spavital said.

The Bobcats will play again at Rynearson Stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 1:00 pm against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 25. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.