Texas State football had high expectations coming into the season, but with two games left and a record of 6-4, one could argue the team’s focus should be on next season. Many times this season, the team was competitive throughout games but still managed to lose close, important games like Sam Houston and Arizona State.
Despite the defensive flaws and inconsistent offensive drives, a notable pattern in the losses has come from star junior running back Ismail Mahdi.
Mahdi entered the season with high hopes after a seemingly successful 2023 campaign, rushing for over 1,300 yards and ten touchdowns, and racking in six awards, including All-Sun Belt first team and First Team All-American. Mahdi was also named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, an annual award given to the most talented college football players before the season.
The junior has taken a complete dump-off in yardage this year, recording only 956 total yards through 10 games compared to 1269 total yards through the first 10 games last season.
Mahdi has been sharing the ball this year with a healthy redshirt junior Lincoln Pare and a dependable third-string back in Torrance Burgess Jr. So the issue with Mahdi this season is not the lack of yards; it is finishing games without turning the ball over in crucial moments.
Head Coach G.J. Kinne benched Mahdi in the fourth quarter against Louisiana after he fumbled late in the third quarter. Mahdi similarly had a late-game fumble in a close matchup against Arizona State. The fumbles against Arizona State and Louisiana killed the Bobcats’ momentum, leading to two Bobcat losses.
Flashbacks to the Arizona State game are an example of opportunities wasted.
In a tied game with nine minutes left, the Sun Devils got deep into Bobcat territory in prime position to score. The defense stood tall, however, and forced Arizona State to punt the ball, giving Texas State nine minutes to chew the clock. The first run play from Mahdi ended in a straight strip, and Arizona State got the ball in the red zone, ultimately scoring the game-winning field goal from that turnover.
Mahdi’s ongoing struggles were managed in the win over Southern Miss, where he shined with two touchdowns and 58 total yards.
Still, with a win over Arizona State earlier in the season, Texas State would have started 3-0 and would be in better standing today.
Although the Bobcats did qualify for a bowl game for the second straight year, the fear that sits high for fans is if they play a good team. Will Mahdi’s early season struggles return?
The speculation is that a more balanced run regime has been in place and will continue to be, with players like Burgess, Pare, and senior Deion Hankins getting good playing time and carries.
With the season coming to a halt and bowl season around the corner, knowing Mahdi had a regressed year, the question that circulates is whether we will see the same Ismail Mahdi we saw one year ago.
