Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Texas State Bobcats season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Texas State Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 3-9 overall, 1-7 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Jake Spavital, 1st year
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TEXAS STATE OFFENSE
– Get ready for the passing game to kick in. New head man Jake Spavital is a quarterback coach who knows how to get an offense going. He doesn’t have a Johnny Manziel or Will Grier on the roster, but his job – along with offensive coordinator Bob Stitt – is to jumpstart an O that finished 120th in the nation in total offense and averaged fewer than 20 points per game. But does he have any pieces to work with?
– It’s a three-man race for the quarterback gig. Tyler Vitt was the part of the starting mix last year, but the 6-2, 205-pounder threw ten picks along with his seven touchdowns. He can run, but Montana transfer Gresch Jensen is a baller, and sophomore Jaylen Gipson is a smart all-around athlete and was a great get for the program a few years ago. It’ll be an open fight in fall camp.
– Top target TE Keenen Brown is done after catching 51 passes. Second-leading receiver Hutch White is a mid-range receiver who caught 32 passes, and Jeremiah Haydel returns after averaging over 20 yards per catch. In all seven of the top eight wide receivers are back.
– There’s not a lot of size up front, but all five starters return. The group didn’t do much in pass protection, and the ground game only averaged 148 yards per game, but it’s a veteran line that can move a bit around decent C Aaron Brewer.
Leading rusher and former QB Willie Jones transferred, but senior Anthony Taylor is back after finishing second on the team with 312 yards and four scores. Most of the top running backs return, but the team averaged fewer than four yards per carry.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TEXAS STATE DEFENSE
– Most of the problems were on offense. The defense did a nice job in pass coverage, and it was fifth overall in the Sun Belt, but there wasn’t any pass rush and there wasn’t a lick of help at times from the other side of the ball. Ten of the top 12 tacklers return, starting with the killer linebacking duo of Bryan London and Nikolas Daniels. The two 235 pounders combined for 217 stops and can both get into the backfield.
– There’s good bulk up front, but it’s young. The 290ish tackle combination of Nico Ezidore and Caeveon Patton have to do even more on the inside, but the pass rushers have to emerge on the outside with Ishmael Davis done. The ends are smallish, but the linebackers will do most of the heavy lifting.
– All four starters return to a secondary that came up with just six interceptions and failed to get one in six of the last seven games. 6-0, 200-pound S Josh Newman is one of the team’s leading returning tacklers, and 5-9, 158-pound baller CB Jarron Morris has the upside to grow into an all-star.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP TEXAS STATE PLAYERS
Best Texas State Offensive Player
C Aaron Brewer, Sr.
The 6-3, 270-pounder can play anywhere in the interior, and he spent the first part of his career mostly at guard, but last year he was an all-star at center. He might not be all that big, but he’s a terrific athlete who’s a perfect fit for the new offensive style.
2. WR Jeremiah Haydel, Jr.
3. WR Hutch White, Sr.
4. RB Anthony D. Taylor, Sr.
5. QB Gresch Jensen, Jr.
Best Texas State Defensive Player
LB Bryan London, Sr.
The captain and the star of the defense over the last few seasons, the 6-2, 232-pounder is the face of the program with 351 tackles over his first three seasons as a thumper on the inside. He’s quick enough to be solid against the pass, can get into the backfield, or can combine with Nikolas Daniels to clean things up against the run.
2. LB Nikolas Daniels. Sr.
3. S Josh Newman, Jr.
4. DT Caeveon Patton, Jr.
5. CB Jarron Morris. Soph.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Texas State Offense
Throw, and keep on throwing. There will be balance in the new offense, but the whole idea behind hiring the new coaching staff is to ramp up the attack and make it Texas Tech/Texas A&M-under-Kevin Sumlin-like when it comes to ramping up the air show. The passing game and the quarterbacks completed just 59% of their passes with 15 touchdowns and 12 picks. For an attack that scored just seven points in each of its last three games, it starts with throwing the forward pass better.
Biggest Key To The Texas State Defense
Start getting into the backfield. The Bobcats came up with a mere 15 sacks and 58 tackles for loss – there’s too much experience across the board to be that mediocre again. The run defense is good as long as the star linebackers are doing their thing, but the entire front seven has to figure out how to get behind the line. It starts with the defensive front doing more, with the linebackers taking care of most of the heavy lifting.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Gresch Jensen, Jr.
Last year’s starter Tyler Vitt is neck-and-neck with Jensen for the job to run Jake Spavital’s offense, and Jaylen Gipson might be too good to keep off the field, but the 6-2, 225-pound Montana transfer is the right fit. He went the JUCO route, and now he’s hooking up with offensive coordinator Bob Stitt to run the Bobcat attack. There will be picks, but he’ll run, he’ll keep things moving, and he’ll bomb away … if he’s the starter.
Key Game To The Texas State Season
Georgia State, Sept. 21
The Bobcats will be better, and they’ll certainly be more experienced, but that still doesn’t mean they’ll beat Texas A&M, Wyoming or SMU to start the season. However, they were able to beat Georgia State on the road last season for the lone Sun Belt victory, and they have to do it again to have any hope of getting past the three wins of last year. Win, and with Nicholls State up next before getting a week off, this could be when the season really gets going.
– Texas State Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Texas State Fun Stats
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 107 – Texas State 27
– Field Goals: Opponents 18-of-19 – Texas State 6-of-14
– Time of Possession: Opponents 32:11 – Texas State 27:49
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. TEXAS STATE WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
The talent level might not be anything amazing, but after years of decent Sun Belt recruiting, this was when the program was supposed to take a turn under Everett Withers.
He’s gone, Jake Spavital is a rising young head coach, and now the fun should start to come.
There might not be a whole lot of wins, but with 19 starters back, a fun new offense, and some Sun Belt all-stars to work around on defense. There are pieces for the new coaching staff to work with, but it might take a while to get there.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 4
The Bobcats don’t leave Texas until the last week of October, but going to Texas A&M and SMU will likely be losses, and the entire season might hinge on whether or not they can get by Georgia State, Nicholls State, and ULM at home. Lose most or all of those, and it’s uh-oh time.
Four of the last six games are on the road – and it’ll be a stunner if at least three aren’t losses, but one of the home games in the mix is against South Alabama.
In all, there’s enough to get to four wins – making it the best season since 2014 – and maybe five.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
