Bobcat Historic Performance Shines Bright Under the San Marcos Lights

By Ian Graffunder

 KTSW Sports Reporter

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State Bobcats kicked off their Pac-12 home opener on Thursday against Colorado State. The Bobcats were able to win in dominating fashion 66-27 in a game where the rushing attack had a historic night. The Bobcats broke program records in team rushing yards, QB rushing yards, total offensive yards, and tied the program record with eight rushing touchdowns in the game.

The Bobcats offense exploded in this game, scoring on nine straight drives between the first and third quarters, with eight of those nine drives ending in touchdowns. Torrence Burgess Jr. was in line for more of the workload with backfield partner Davian Jackson ruled out for the game.

Burgess stepped up to the plate when the team needed him most, rushing for 224 yards with an average of 9.3 yards per carry. He also had four touchdowns on the night pushing his total up to five on this season. Burgess came into the game third in the nation in rushing yards, and moved to number two in the nation with 838 rushing yards on only 108 carries through six games. Burgess is also the first running back in the nation to have over 200 rushing yards in a game.

Quarterback Brad Jackson was asked about how it feels being able to hand the ball off to Burgess Jr. and watch him make the plays that he does.

“It’s a cool feeling. He’s an unbelievable guy, I’m so proud of him and the success that he has been able to have. He deserves each and every yard that he gets, each and every touchdown.”

Brad Jackson had a dominant day in a dual threat role. Jackson went 14-19 through the air for 213 yards and a touchdown to Ty Stamey. But the stat that caught everyone’s attention was his 181 rushing yards and three touchdowns, setting the program record for the position. When questioned about his ability to create through the air and on the ground, Brad talked about doing whatever the game called for.

“Going into this game, if you told me I was going to rush for 181 yards I would’ve been like, “What?” you know? Sometimes that’s how the game rolls. I give all credit to the guys up front. They make my life a lot easier.”

Colorado State was able to get some momentum in the 2nd quarter, as the Rams were able to drop 21 points in the second quarter behind two Durell Robinson touchdowns. The Rams were able to score a quick touchdown coming out of the halftime break before getting shut out for the rest of the game. Coach Kinne was asked about the scoring run and if any adjustments were made during halftime on the defensive side of the ball.

“We gave them those early points with the muffed punt, got into a little bit of a lul. But we have been a lot better in the second half as a defense. Don’t like the way we came out to start the half so that’s something we will continue to look at why that’s happening.”

The 3-3 Bobcats will next play against the 2-4 Utah State Aggies next Saturday. This game will also be the homecoming game for the Bobcat faithful. The game will kick off at 6:30 p.m. at UFCU Stadium.