Texas State football (1-3 overall, 1-0 Sun Belt) returns to action Oct. 10 against the Troy Trojans (1-1 overall).
With three losses in one-possession games, Texas State will have a chance to display the work it did during the bye week, along with the plethora of adjustments made to stop a historically explosive Troy offense.
“This bye week was good to look at ourselves individually and see what we need to clean up and continue to work on for our units,” Spavital said.
Dating back to 2013, Texas State is 0-5 against the Trojans. Their most recent matchup, Nov. 16, 2019, resulted in a 63-27 loss for the Bobcats. The Troy offense has put up 40 or more points in four of the five meetings against the Bobcats, winning by an average margin of 28 points.
“The improvements from last year to this year, everybody sees it, it’s noticeable,” Spavital said. “But we’ve got to find a way to finish games and win football games… I think these kids, after the Boston College defeat which was a pretty rough one, these kids are ready to get out there and start playing again.”
Texas State junior offensive lineman Tate Heitmeier is confident going into the game and thinks lessons learned in the Bobcats’ loss against Boston College are things the team can use as motivation.
“We got in there after the game last Saturday, and we were pretty fired up,” Heitmeier said. “I think it’s definitely going to help us carry into a win this Saturday. No doubt.”
The Bobcat offense has moved the ball well in the passing game, averaging 265 yards per game in the air, led by quarterbacks Brady McBride and Tyler Vitt. Both have missed games due to COVID-19 protocols. The running back trio of freshman Calvin Hill, sophomore Brock Sturges and sophomore Jahmyl Jeter have kept the Bobcats close to four yards per carry on the ground.
Senior wide receiver Jeremiah Haydel has led the Bobcats in receptions, yards and touchdowns. On the defensive side, junior cornerback Jarron Morris leads the team with two interceptions on the season, while senior linebacker Gavin Graham leads the group with 28 tackles.
Troy is going into the game 1-1 after a loss to Brigham Young University. The team struggled against BYU’s defense, giving up four sacks, six tackles for loss and scoring seven points. Despite its struggles against BYU, Troy, led by sophomore quarterback Gunnar Watson, is averaging 27 points per game this season.
“They’re an extremely high uptempo offense right now… they’re getting the ball in and out of their hand; I think their skill positions are very comparable to [Southern Methodist University],” Spavital said. “It’s a fun offense to watch; they’re going to throw some tricks, some screens at you.”
Troy redshirt junior cornerback Terence Dunlap is someone McBride and Vitt will have to take notice of, as he leads the Trojans in interceptions with two on the season. The Trojans’ pass rush has three sacks through two games.
Texas State will look to make history with its first victory against the Trojans at Veterans Memorial Stadium. This is the second consecutive game Texas State will play on ESPN3. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m., Oct. 10, in Troy, Alabama.