Louisiana Stands Alone in SBC (Nov 24′)

By Mikah Lusby

SAN MARCOS, Texas- The Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns extend their undefeated conference season by ending Tuesday night’s game against the Bobcats with a final score of 23-17. Texas State has yet to get a win against the University of Louisiana in program history. 

The Bobcats started the game offensively heavy. They led in time of possession by a great margin, 10:19 to 4:41. They got the ball to the red zone twice, but were not able to finish the job and had to settle with field goals. Texas State ended the game with only one touchdown scored by running back Ismail Mahdi during the third quarter.

Head Coach GJ Kinne spoke on the scoring of this game. “Just disappointed. We were moving the ball, just kicking too many field goals. We have to put the ball down in the end zone versus a good team.” 

The Bobcat’s faced many disadvantages during Tuesday night’s loss. Jordan McCloud was helped off the field due to an ankle injury. He was seen on the sidelines warming up, but did not return. RJ Martinez was subbed in and took snaps in McClouds absence. This was also a very injury-prone game. Both teams had players down all throughout the night. 

Martinez ended the night with 113 yards and went 11-14 for completions. “I thought he played really well. The kid is a gamer, he went out there and didn’t let the team down.” He said. “He made a couple of big drives and some key decisions” 

Ismail Mahdi scored a touchdown in the third quarter to tie the game 14-14. During a huge first down play, Mahdi fumbled the ball and that was recovered by Louisiana. He was taken out of the game and wasn’t seen on the field for the rest of the night. DJ Kinney spoke on Ismail Mahdi’s tough situation.  “I hate that for him. “It’s never about one play, he will bounce back. He is a good kid with great character.” 

The Bobcat’s defense struggled greatly against a tough Louisiana offense. Quarterback Ben Woolridge and Running back Dre’lyn Washington had a  combined yardage of 346 yards and two touchdowns. The holes in Texas State’s defense gave Louisiana wide open looks that cost them a ton of first downs. 

A win for the Bobcats would have put them only one game away from bowl eligibility.  DJ Kinney talked about how it will be like coming off a game like this.  “It’s gonna be tough. I’ll say this though, our group is resilient. We have had some tough losses this year. I feel like we haven’t caught a break.” He said. “The only way you can change that is by going to work, and I know our guys will do that.” 

This “Midweek Madness” gives the Bobcat a huge gap between their next game. They will next face off against LA- Monroe on November 9th at 11:00 am at Malone Stadium.  Texas State is hoping to get their third conference win and increase their chances of bowl eligibility.