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Baylor Week 3 Opponent Preview: Texas State Bobcats

The Bears welcome the Texas State Bobcats of the Sun Belt conference to Waco on Sept. 17

Author:
Zach Dimmitt
Publish date:
Sep 12, 2022 2:55 PM EDT

The Baylor Bears will wrap up non-conference play for the 2022-23 college football season when the Texas State Bobcats of the Sun Belt head into Waco for a meeting with the Bears on Saturday

Baylor is 8-0 all-time against Texas State, with the first meeting occurring in 1909 and the most recent happening last season in San Marcos. The Bears narrowly avoided an upset last season, defeating the Bobcats 29-20 in the first game of the year.

But after winning a Big 12 title and the Sugar Bowl this past season, Baylor should be in better position to win convincingly over a Texas State team that has had just 12 wins over the last four years.

The Bobcats went 4-8 last season with a 3-5 conference record. Still, this was good enough to earn the team a second-place finish in the West Region of the Sun Belt. But in a conference dominated by 13-1 Louisiana, 11-2 Coastal Carolina, and 10-4 Appalachian State, Texas State just couldn't keep up.

All four of the Bobcats' victories came within one possession, including two overtime wins. The team's best wins of the season consisted of a 23-17 four-overtime victory over South Alabama and a two-point win over Arkansas State to end the season.

But the Bobcats had some crushing defeats, including a 45-0 loss to Louisiana and a 42-34 loss at home to Incarnate Word, a team that made the move to Division 1 in 2013.

Be sure to stick with InsideTheBears.com as we preview every aspect of the matchup with the Bobcats throughout the week.

Texas State Bobcats

2022 Record: 101

Head coach: Jake Spavital

Spavital heads into his fourth year with the program and is set to be the lead offensive play-caller for the third-straight season. He was hired in Nov. 2018 as the 20th head coach in program history and has amassed a 10-28 record since.

Offensive Scheme: Air Raid

Defensive Set: 3-3-5

The Bobcats were middle-of-the-pack in just about every major offensive category in the Sun Belt. They were fourth-worst in offensive yards per game (342.3), third-worst in passing yards per game (193.1), and averaged the sixth-most rushing yards per game (149.2). Texas State also averaged the fourth-fewest points per game (22.9).

Projected offensive starters:

QB Layne Hatcher

RB Calvin Hill

WR-X Marcell Barbee

WR-Z Javen Banks

WR-Y Ashtyn Hawkins

TE Jackson Lanam

LT Dalton Cooper

LG Jaydan Smith

C Russell Baker

RG Kyle Hergel

RT Nic Fulwider

The Bobcats allowed the third-most points per game (33) in the Sun Belt last season to go along with giving up the fourth-most offensive yardage (430.4), the fourth-most passing yards (246.8), and the second-most rushing yards (183.6).

Some of the telling numbers to prove how ineffective Texas State's defense was is the team's 18 sacks and just three interceptions last season, both fewest in the Sun Belt.

Projected defensive starters:

DE Nico Ezidore

NT Samuel Obiang

DT Gjemar Daniels

OLB Jordan Revels

WILL LB Sione Tupou

MIKE LB London Harris

CB Chris Mills

CB Kordell Rodgers

Nickel: DeJordan Mask

SS Kevin Anderson

FS Tory Spears