Texas State football left S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, Virginia defeated following the loss to Old Dominion. The team is now 4-3 on the season headed into the week nine bye.
The Maroon and Gold entered this matchup with hopes of remaining undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play. The team walked out with a 10-point loss, their biggest thus far into the 2024 season.
Texas State plagued itself with turnovers and third-down miscues throughout this game. The offense only converted three out of 13 third-down attempts, including an early interception from redshirt senior quarterback Jordan McCloud.
Old Dominion allowed 44.1% of third downs to be converted before playing Texas State.
Kicking problems showed up in this game for the maroon and gold, as redshirt junior kicker Mason Shipley missed both of his field goal attempts.
Texas State could not put points on the board until the middle of the third quarter when McCloud rushed for a seven-yard touchdown.
McCloud statistically had his poorest performance so far this year against the Monarchs. He threw for 173 yards, completing 17 of 33 pass attempts, including a touchdown and two interceptions. McCloud also rushed for his fifth touchdown this season.
The Monarchs are the first team to hold McCloud to under 200 passing yards this season. The first-year Bobcat quarterback finished with a 48.4 quarterback rating, his worst eight weeks into the 2024 season.
One bright spot for the Texas State offense appeared in junior running back Ismail Mahdi. Mahdi carried the rock for 139 yards on 25 attempts. He now has back-to-back games with 130 or more rushing yards.
After missing two games against Sam Houston and Troy, senior defensive end Ben Bell returned to action in week seven against Arkansas State. However, Bell did not suit up for Texas State against Old Dominion.
The Bobcat defense gave up 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground. This marks the fourth game this season that Texas State’s defense has given up 100 or more rushing yards.
Opponents are averaging 136.9 rushing yards per game against the Bobcats and have scored a total of 12 rushing touchdowns compared to Texas State’s 11.
Texas State recorded 25 total sacks coming into the game against the Monarchs. The Bobcats’ defense registered one total sack on Old Dominion, split between junior defensive end Kalil Alexander and senior defensive end Brice Bass.
The Bobcats sit at a 2-1 record in the Sun Belt West division, trailing the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Louisiana-Monroe, both 3-0. Coincidentally, both the Ragin’ Cajuns and Warhawks are Texas State’s next opponents.
Looking past the bye week, the next test on the schedule for Texas State will take place on Oct. 29 where the Bobcats play the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Kick-off between Texas State and Louisiana-Lafayette is scheduled for 6: 30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Jim Wacker Field at UFCU Stadium. The game will be available to watch on ESPN2.
