Arizona State University traveled to San Marcos to take on the Texas State  Thursday night, and this game did not disappoint. Unfortunately for Texas State, the Sun Devils came out on top 31-28 after a back-and-forth second half at Jim Wacker Field at UFCU Stadium.

Texas State jumped out to a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. Around the same time, the offense slowed down, and the defense gave up a few big plays, leading to the loss.

“Obviously [we’re] disappointed, we were right there,” Texas State Head Coach G.J. Kinne said. “We had a pretty big lead there for a little bit, but [ASU is] a good team.”

Redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud played notably the entire game, posting 268 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. That interception showed threatening potential, as it was late in the fourth quarter and gave Arizona State the chance to put the game away.

Senior wide receiver Jaden Williams and sophomore wide receiver Beau Sparks both made play after play to try and will the Bobcats to victory. Williams reeled in four catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and Sparks snagged five receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Senior wide receiver Joey Hobert made the play of the game as he turned a short gain into a 20-yard catch and ran after hurdling a defender.

“It’s not offense, defense, special, teams or coaches [fault], it’s collectively as a group,” Kinne said. “Message after [is] we’re staying together, just staying together, and we’re gonna go win a whole bunch of ball games.”

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, scrambled for 40-plus yards late in the game and helped the Sun Devils tie the score. Leavitt finished with 246 yards and one touchdown.

Texas State’s defense played well most of the game— it was simply big plays given up late in the game that allowed Arizona State to get back into it.

” [The defense] played really well, and I’m proud of those guys,” Kinne said. “[ASU] put them in some tough situations, but they responded almost every time.”

This was Texas State’s first-ever game broadcast on ESPN, and the fans continued to show up, which changed the entire atmosphere of the game.

“[The home crowd] was awesome, we’re [going to] continue to need it,” Kinne said. “I think it’s awesome [being on ESPN], I think we performed well, and I think we earned a lot of respect in this country tonight.”

Texas State will look to rebound from the loss against its final non-conference opponent, Sam Houston State.

Kickoff between Texas State and Sam Houston is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, September 28, at NRG Stadium in Houston. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.

Editor’s note: The headline has been updated to accurately reflect the story. This is not Texas State’s first national game.