Jackson State football vs. Texas State: Score prediction, scouting report for Week 4

The Road Warriors are finally going to be playing the last of their four consecutive games away from Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. Jackson State football coach T.C. Taylor will need to get his team to give a super effort against Texas State.

The Tigers are coming off a dominating performance against Southern. The defensive line produced six sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the 27-14 win. On offense, JSU had a bounce-back effort from quarterback Jason Brown, who was sacked only once and did not throw an interception and guided the Tigers to 405 yards total offense.

Here's what to know about the Jackson State (2-1) before kickoff Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN+).

Texas State pulls upset over Baylor

The Bobcats (1-1), a member of the FBS Sun Belt Conference, have a new coach, G.J. Kinne. He was hired from Incarnate Word after leading the school to its first FCS semifinal game and 12 wins in his only season.

Kinne, the starting quarterback for three seasons at Tulsa, has developed a reputation as a quarterback guru. Lindsey Scott Jr., his quarterback at Incarnate Word, last season won the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in FCS.

Texas State's quarterback, Auburn transfer TJ Finley, sparked the upset of Baylor by passing for 298 yards and accounting for four touchdowns

Week 2 struggles

Texas State's offense was shut down by UTSA in a defensive battle losing last week 20-13. This was not the same Bobcats team that upset Baylor 42-31 a week earlier. If Jackson State is to have any chance, it must shut down the running game of Ismail Mahdi and the big plays from Finley.

Unlike Jackson State's spread offense, Texas State wants to use its spread to set up the pass, whereas JSU wants to pound the ball between the tackles and then set up the short passing game and, when the opportunity comes, go over the top.

This is the perfect game for Jackson State to show who it is as a football team. The Bobcats are littered with FBS talent and a couple of pro prospects. If the adrenaline is flowing and the team is focused, the Tigers can upset Texas State. But they will need a complete game, something Jackson State has yet to do this season.

JSU SHOWED TOUGHNESS IN WIN Jackson State football shows toughness in bounce-back win over Southern

Players to watch: TJ Finley, Ismail Mahdi, Brian Holloway and Ben Bell

Running back Ismail Mahdi is the heart and soul of the offense. TJ Finley is the man that makes the business decisions with the ball in his hands. JSU must slow him down and get off the field on third downs.

On defense, Jackson State needs a player motivated to block linebacker Brian Holloway, who has 24 tackles and three quarterback hurries in two games. Bobcats defensive end Ben Bell had eight tackles, one tackle for loss and two sacks against UTSA.

Score prediction

Texas State 42, Jackson State 21: With its fourth consecutive game on the road, look for JSU to give a solid effort. But once JSU gets behind by double digits, the game will get out of hand. Look for Taylor to think big picture and keep his starters healthy before playing seven consecutive SWAC games.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State score prediction vs Texas State: College football Week 4