Texas State Football Observations vs Navy

By Warren Schorr
KTSW Sports Director

Tonight the Bobcats fell to the U.S. Naval Academy’s Midshipman 35-21. Here are some quick thoughts on the game.

1.) Navy’s Offense: In the first half, Navy had five possessions, scoring a touchdown on the first four and taking a knee on the fifth and taking the game to halftime. Navy starting quarterback Keenan Reynolds did not play tonight due to an injured knee he suffered in the fourth quarter last week against Temple. Backup quarterback Tago Smith made it seem like he was the starter with the triple-option offense not missing a beat. When throws needed to be made Smith made the big throws. Smith ran 27 times for 96 and was 5 of 7 throwing for 117. Every big play Navy made came after a timeout and was through the air and was perfectly called. Great coaching.

2.) Texas State’s Defense: In the first half they didn’t make one stop. In the first half the linebackers couldn’t shed the blocks of the offensive line because the defense was playing with two defensive lineman and Navy’s offensive line could get to the second level quickly. Whatever adjustments defensive coordinator John Thompson made at halftime worked. Coming out of his defense, the Bobcats made three consecutive stops, giving the offense the chance to put some points on the board and make it a game. Mike Orakpo left in the first half and was on crutches on the sidelines in the second half, but Coach Fran didn’t have an update on him post game.

3.) Texas State’s Offense: The offense’s own enemy tonight was themselves. Shooting themselves in the foot with costly penalties of unsportsmanlike conduct, offensive face mask and ineligible man downfield. Tyler Jones ran for 82 yards from 19 carries and was 24-36 231 1TD, 1 INT through the air. The offense ran 80 plays tonight and the time between end of the play and snap was 15-25 seconds, right where they want it. Offense had a total of 442 yards, but just couldn’t find the end zone to put points on the board.

4.) Final Thoughts: What a great crowd on hand tonight at Bobcat Stadium. 32,007 were on hand which is the second largest crowd in school history. The pregame flyover and the full field American flag really were a nice touch. Captain America himself, Roger Staubach was on hand to watch his alma matter play, and I assume he was pleased with the result tonight. In the press box tonight the two trays of cookies shockingly weren’t finished. Guess there has to be a first time for everything.

Next up for the Bobcats is a trip to Illinois at 3 p.m. on Saturday on ESPNNews. The game can also be heard on KTSW 89.9 FM.