NCAAF

Texas State Bobcats at Baylor Bears

· NCAA - Football
1-0, 1-0 Away
Final
42 - 31
0-1, 0-1 Home

Texas State gets 1st win over a Power Five team, winning Kinne's debut 42-31 at Baylor

Texas State's Joey Hobert makes incredible one-handed catch

After going three-and-out on their opening possession, the Bobcat offense started to resemble the one Kinne assembled as coach at Incarnate Word last season. That team led all of FCS with 51.5 points per game and was second with 581.2 total yards.

“That was pretty fun,” Kinne said. “I told the guys it’s a new era of Texas State football, and those guys believed from the moment I got here. I’m really proud of the players, staff, support staff, everyone involved. I’m really happy for our guys. This is a big-time win for our program, on the road against a Big 12 program.”

The Bobcats had 448 total yards and scored touchdowns on six of their next eight possessions after the initial drive. That included two first-quarter scores from Ismail Mahdi, on a 10-yard reception and 65-yard run, after they trailed for the only time at 3-0. They led 28-13 at halftime.

Finley played one season at LSU and two at Auburn after being rated as the No. 1 quarterback coming out of Louisiana in 2019. Finley appeared in 18 games (11 starts) during that time, throwing for 2,199 yards with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was named the Bobcats starter this week after a competition with Arkansas transfer Malik Hornsby.

“I wouldn’t say I silenced (the doubters),” Finley said. “As a team, we put our foot down and let everybody know we’re here and we’re coming. As far as silencing doubters, I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about winning, day in and day out.”

The Bears, who won the Big 12 championship two years ago, have now lost five consecutive games. They ended last season on a four-game losing streak for a 6-7 record.

“It’s a disappointed locker room,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “Throughout camp, we were talking about how many games are lost early rather than won. But I don’t want to take anything away from Texas State. The energy they played with, and the penetration they got, was really strong.”

Mahdi was the Bobcats’ leading rusher with 83 yards on six carries, and Joey Hobert had six catches for a team-high 105 yards.

Blake Shapen threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns for Baylor, despite missing parts of the second half with an injury. Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson added 113 yards through the air in relief but was intercepted and fumbled on Baylor’s final two possessions.

LACK OF PROTECTION

Aranda said after the game Shapen had an MCL injury in his left knee and would have an MRI on Sunday.

Shapen suffered the injury early in the third quarter but returned with a brace and heavy wrap on his leg that stretched from his mid-thigh to his ankle. Robertson took over for good for Baylor’s final two possessions.

“He gave everything he had,” Aranda said. “There was a point where we had to take Blake off the field. He had his brace on, and he wanted to play. But I just told him, ‘We can’t protect you right now.’”

THE TAKEAWAY

Texas State: Other than losing two fumbles, it was a clean game for Texas State, especially considering it has the second-most newcomers in the country with 71. Only Colorado, which upset No. 17 TCU 45-42 earlier Saturday about 100 miles away, has more with 87. The Bobcats had only four accepted penalties, went 5-for-12 on third down, 4-for-4 on fourth down, and allowed one sack.

Baylor: The offensive line was a little too jumpy for the Bears early, with four false start penalties in the first quarter. The most damaging was the first, which was on first-and-goal from the 1 on Baylor’s first drive, and it settled for a field goal. Baylor added two more on another promising drive at the Texas State 28 and 30 and again added a field goal, drawing boos from the home crowd.

UP NEXT

Texas State is on the road again to play rival UTSA (0-1) next Saturday.

Baylor plays the second of their record eight home games Saturday against No. 14 Utah (1-0), which is in its final Pac-12 season before joining the Big 12. It will be the first-ever meeting for the teams that will next year become league foes.

How To Watch

How can I watch Texas State Bobcats vs. Baylor Bears?
  • TV Channel: Bobcats at Bears 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on BIG12|ESPN+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Matchup Prediction

Bears: 93.0%
Bobcats: 7.0%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Scoring Summary

BAY FG 1st Period 10:17 Isaiah Hankins 23 Yd Field Goal
TXST TD 1st Period 7:33 Ismail Mahdi 10 Yd pass from TJ Finley (Mason Shipley Kick)
BAY FG 1st Period 2:26 Isaiah Hankins 53 Yd Field Goal
TXST TD 1st Period 1:21 Ismail Mahdi 65 Yd Run (Mason Shipley Kick)
TXST TD 2nd Period 9:11 Donerio Davenport 27 Yd pass from TJ Finley (Mason Shipley Kick)
BAY TD 2nd Period 4:06 Blake Shapen 9 Yd Run (Isaiah Hankins Kick)
TXST TD 2nd Period 0:48 Jahmyl Jeter 1 Yd Run (Mason Shipley Kick)
BAY TD 3rd Period 13:21 Drake Dabney 53 Yd pass from Blake Shapen (Blake Shapen Pass to Ketron Jackson Jr. for Two-Point Conversion)
TXST TD 3rd Period 10:18 TJ Finley 16 Yd Run (Mason Shipley Kick)
BAY FG 3rd Period 1:47 Isaiah Hankins 24 Yd Field Goal
TXST TD 4th Period 13:52 Joey Hobert 26 Yd pass from TJ Finley (Mason Shipley Kick)
BAY TD 4th Period 8:52 Drake Dabney 2 Yd pass from Blake Shapen (Isaiah Hankins Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/326.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originTXST https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/239.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBAY
20 1st Downs 22
5-13 3rd down efficiency 8-18
4-4 4th down efficiency 3-4
441 Total Yards 524
298 Passing 416
22-30 Comp-Att 27-44
9.9 Yards per pass 9.5
143 Rushing 108
39 Rushing Attempts 32
3.7 Yards per rush 3.4
4-31 Penalties 9-45
2 Turnovers 2
2 Fumbles lost 1
0 Interceptions thrown 1
26:12 Possession 33:48

Game Information

McLane Stadium

Location: Waco, TX
Attendance: 44,945 · Capacity:

Sun Belt - East

TEAM OVR CONF
James Madison 11-2 7-1
Appalachian State 9-5 6-2
Coastal Carolina 8-5 5-3
Old Dominion 6-7 5-3
Georgia State 7-6 3-5
Marshall 6-7 3-5
Georgia Southern 6-7 3-5

Sun Belt - West

TEAM OVER CONF
Troy 11-3 7-1
Texas State 8-5 4-4
South Alabama 7-6 4-4
Arkansas State 6-7 4-4
Louisiana 6-7 3-5
Southern Miss 3-9 2-6
UL Monroe 2-10 0-8
Full Standings

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