Texas State football (3-5, 0-4 SBC) fell flat on its face when it met a buzzsaw in the James Madison Dukes (7-1, 5-0 SBC) Tuesday Night at UFCU Stadium. Here are some takeaways from the Bobcats’ fourth straight disappointing conference loss.
Offensive woes
The Bobcats were held to under 30 points for the first time in conference play all season, as the run game could not get going against a stout Dukes defense.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Jackson did not play his best game either, throwing three interceptions for the first time in his collegiate career. Albeit, one of the interceptions was not on him as Kylen Evans allowed the ball to bounce off his chest into a defender’s hands.
“[Jackson] is doing some really good things out there; it is just a part of it,” head coach GJ Kinne said. “We have to play better around him and we have to coach better around him.”
Second half unraveling
A major theme of the season has been second-half meltdowns from the Bobcats, typically on the defensive side of the ball. On Tuesday, both sides of the ball completely imploded as the Bobcats turned the ball over twice and were outscored 24-0 in the second half of play.
Heading into the half, the Bobcats trailed 28-20 and looked to get a stop to continue clawing their way back into the game. Those hopes were erased in an instant when James Madison junior quarterback Alonza Barnett dropped the ball right in the bucket on a 76-yard bomb over the middle of the field to senior wide receiver Nick DeGennaro.
The Bobcats went on to lose by 32 points despite starting the half down by only eight.
Chunk Plays
The Bobcats found themselves getting gashed by both the run and pass all night against James Madison.
Busted coverages and a lack of third-down stops led to the Bobcats giving up huge plays. The Dukes had five passing plays of 15+ yards and seven rushing plays of 10+ yards.
“As the season has gone on, we have changed things up and tried new stuff, but [James Madison] exposed us tonight,” head coach GJ Kinne said. “We have to put our defense in better situations and play complementary football.”
Four games into conference play and the Bobcats are still looking for both their first conference win and to hold their opponent to under 30 points.
The next chance to accomplish these feats comes at 4 p.m. against the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns on Saturday, Nov. 8, at Cajun Field. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
