Texas State football takes advantage of bye week to mentally recover before taking on South Alabama

Amira Van Leeuwen | Staff Reporter

SAN MARCOS – Texas State (1-3 overall, 0-0 Sunbelt Conference) will play South Alabama (3-1 overall, 1-0 Sunbelt Conference) at Bobcat Stadium in their conference-opening matchup on Oct. 9, 2021.

Coming off of a bye week, the Bobcats have taken time to self-reflect on previous gameplay and regain focus for this weekend.

“I feel like we were in a mental block the past two games, and we’re going to overcome that and be able to translate that in our game Saturday,” Head Coach Jake Spavital said.

“We got all the skills and physicality, it’s just…the past couple of games, it’s you know mental errors. So that’s what we’re really focusing on and making sure that doesn’t go on to the next games and that we capitalize on our mistakes,” sophomore tight end Jackson Lanam said.

Sophomore kicker Seth Keller thinks the bye-week happened at a perfect time and is excited to compete against the Jaguars this weekend.

“Just seeing them [the Bobcats] play with the focus and energy that they need to be, it makes me feel good about where we’re headed,” Keller said.

South Alabama will take the field after a close loss in their conference-opening matchup to Louisiana-Lafayette, 20-18. The Jaguars have allowed 24.8 points per game, which is a little more than Texas State, which has averaged 24.5 points per game. South Alabama has depth at the quarterback position with senior transfer quarterback Jake Bentley, who has played four football seasons at South Carolina and one at Utah before receiving an additional year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bentley totals 927 passing yards and a 64.8% completion average.

Texas State has given up 36 points to their opponents each game, while South Alabama has only given up 16 points.

The Bobcats have a lot of depth at the quarterback position and will play their usual starter, sophomore quarterback Brady McBride.

The Jaguar defense returns several starters, including 6 of their top 8 tacklers. Freshman defensive lineman Jamal Brooks and freshman safety Yam Banks have totaled 16 tackles this season.

In their play against Incarnate Word, Texas State lost 24 players due to COVID-19. The Bobcats will be enjoying the return of the 24 players that were out a game prior due to COVID-19 protocol; the additional depth should help them contain a Jaguar offense with a lot of speed.

Spavital said that the team has “tinkered” with a lot of different things.

“I think we’re going to bring a lot more things to the table moving forward in these next eight games,” Spavital said.

The Jaguars lost their number one rusher Carlos Davis, who rushed 674 yards in the 2020 season. Still, senior running back Jaguar Kareem Walker has kept the offensive unit in solid shape, leading the Jaguars with 208 rushing yards so far this season. Junior wide receiver Jalen Tolbert leads the team with 460 receiving yards.

Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.