What Texas State Does Better Than Texas And Why It Matters

The Texas Longhorns will be looking forward to their return to the field as they look to once again make their way to the College Football Playoff after missing out in 2025. The Longhorns will hit the field likely ranked as one of the top teams in the country in many preseason rankings.

Texas still has some time until getting back onto the field at Darrell K. Royal Stadium, with the season opener still a few months away. The Longhorns already know who they'll be preparing for with the Texas State Bobcats making the short trip up Interstate 35 to open the 2026 season on Sept. 5.

The Longhorns will look to get their season, which will be propped up by huge expectations, on the right track, while the Bobcats will look to pull off one of the biggest upsets in college football. Here's a look at what the Bobcats do well, which could threaten the Longhorns when the two teams meet.

Texas State's Offense Could Prove to Be Challenging to Handle

Texas State Bobcats head coach G.J. Kinne walks on the sidelines during the game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. | Matt Bush/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In 2025, the Bobcats didn't just have the best offense in the Sun Belt conference but had one of the top offenses in the entire country. The Texas State offense ranked No. 1 in total offense in the Sun Belt, averaging 472.8 yards per game while also being the No. 5 offense in the country for the same metric.

Texas State found plenty of success both on the ground and through the air. The Bobcats' rushing attack averaged 222.1 yards per game, which conference-wise ranked No. 3 and was No. 10 in the country ahead of teams like Michigan and Notre Dame.

And their success on the ground didn't stop the Bobcats from airing out the football. Texas State averaged 250.8 passing yards per game, which ranked No. 5 in the Sun Belt and was a unit ranked in the Top 50 in the country, ranking one spot ahead of the Longhorns.

The Bobcats bring back the orchestrators of their offensive fire power back for 2026. As starting quarterback Brad Jackson returns to San Marcos and the Bobcats' two 1,000-yard wide receivers, Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr., return as well.

While the competition in the Sun Belt is far from the competitiveness of the SEC, production has to be respected, and the Bobcats managed to put together one of the top offenses in the conference and in the nation.

The Longhorns will have to be more than ready for the challenge at hand in week one to avoid any disastrous start to the year. The game against the Bobcats is game one under new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, where Texas might be trying to work through some kinks on that side of the ball. The Texas defense will have to be ready for an explosive unit.

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