Texas State football (1-4 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt) will play the University of South Alabama (1-2 overall) Oct. 17 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
Both Sun Belt Conference teams, coming off losses, look to pick up momentum and learn from their mistakes in previous weeks. Texas State Head Coach Jake Spavital says he will be focusing on the defensive line and linebackers this week.
“They’re going to run the football, so we gotta get extra hats in the box to stop the runs,” Spavital said. “But at the same time, that’s gonna leave some guys in some one-on-one battles that we have to win.”
The teams’ last matchup came during Texas State’s 2019 Homecoming game. Then sophomore, now junior, quarterback Tyler Vitt threw for three touchdowns and 373 passing yards to lead the Bobcats to a 30-28 victory. With 1:08 left in the game, South Alabama attempted a 28-yard field goal for the win, and the kick sailed wide. 
Texas State is coming off a 17-37 loss to Troy, a game the Trojans dominated offensively, totaling 488 yards of offense compared to Texas State’s 254. 
South Alabama has not played since Sept. 24, a matchup it lost 10-42 against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. South Alabama sophomore running back Carlos Davis’ 114 yards on the ground was not enough to pick up the team’s offensive struggles.
“We’re expecting a lot of run play, a lot of stretch and a very little bit of zone scheme, but [South Alabama does] a lot more run plays than Troy,” senior defensive lineman Nico Ezidore said.
Texas State has lost three one-possession games this season but has only played two conference games, resulting in a 1-1 Sun Belt record. It has a chance this week to go above .500.
“I think the morale is still up,” Spavital said. “They understand that a lot of things that happen with us right now are self-inflicted—and we put our head down and went back to work.”
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and will broadcast on ESPNU.