Texas State was unable to overcome a late second quarter surge by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, resulting in a 44-34 conference loss on Homecoming night. 
With sloppy play from both teams, the game had seven total turnovers and a frantic pace from the start. Texas State sophomore quarterback Brady McBride was under pressure for most of the game, while completing 14 of 32 for 166 yards and one touchdown pass to three interceptions. 
Louisiana senior quarterback Levi Lewis threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns to one interception. He added a touchdown on the ground. Senior running back Trey Ragas rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns. 
The game began as a disaster for Texas State, with Louisiana scoring off two interceptions from McBride. The Bobcats found life after redshirt sophomore kicker Seth Keller ran in a fake field goal attempt for a touchdown. The gutsy call from Head Coach Jake Spavital cut Texas State’s deficit to 14-7.
Louisiana then muffed a punt at its own 35-yard line, giving Texas State great field positioning after their scoring drive. Freshman running back Jahmyl Jeter cashed in on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Although it was a rough start, Texas State head football coach Jake Spavital believes that the Bobcats were able to keep the game competitive due to their effort.
“We talk about it all the time,” Spavital said. “We’re never gonna fold and we’re gonna keep fighting no matter the odds. We just need to be more consistent throughout the situational battles in the game.”
To start the second quarter, Texas State senior linebacker Hal Vinson forced a fumble on a completed Louisiana pass and got the Bobcats their first turnover of the game. The Bobcats would soon score on a 33-yard touchdown pass from McBride to junior wide receiver Marcell Barbee. The touchdown and extra point put the score at 21-14 Texas State.
But the rest of the quarter was all Louisiana. The Cajuns proceeded to go on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game.
In the following two offensive possessions, the Bobcats did not generate much offense. The lack of offensive production led to Louisiana getting another opportunity to score. Ragas ran it in from the 2-yard line and put Louisiana up 28-21. 
Things got worse for the Bobcats before the end of the half, as McBride threw his third interception, giving the ball back to the Ragin’ Cajuns with 54 seconds left. Shortly after, Lewis threw a touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver Kyren Lacy from 1 yard out. This would put the score at 34-21, after a missed extra point.
Spavital believes that the game came down to too many mental errors in the first half.
“It was all about situational football for us,” Spavital said. “Our offense goes three and out twice and throw an interception in three straight possessions, and Louisiana was able to score twice right before half. That’s where the game was lost.”
In the third quarter, junior cornerback Jarron Morris came up with a huge interception, but it did not lead to any points for the Bobcats. By this point in the game, Louisiana had scored 23 unanswered points.  The Bobcat offense was struggling until the defense came up big once again. A Louisiana fumble was recovered by junior linebacker Sione Tupou and gave the Bobcats some much needed momentum. 
The Bobcats punched it in a couple plays later, with a 10-yard touchdown rush by sophomore running back Brock Sturges. This would not lead to much momentum for the Bobcats, as Ragas would run it in for his third touchdown on the night. This extended Louisiana’s lead to 44-27 and proved to be too much for the Bobcats to overcome. 
After the loss, Spavital once again called on his team to be more reliable, especially on offense..
“We’re trying to put our kids in the best position to succeed, but we need to find the offensive consistency first,” Spavital said.
The game finished 44-34, with Texas State dropping to 1-7 on the season (1-3 in conference) and losing its fifth straight. Texas State will return to Bobcat Stadium at 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 for a conference matchup against Appalachian State.