Texas State topples Georgia Southern, becomes bowl-eligible and then hits the river

SAN MARCOS — Fans rushed the field and Texas State President Kelly Damphousse jumped in the San Marcos River on Saturday night to celebrate the Bobcats' becoming bowl-eligible after a 45-24 win over Georgia Southern.

Texas State (6-3, 3-2 Sun Belt) is bowl-eligible for the third time since joining the FBS in 2012 and the first time since 2014 after eight consecutive losing seasons. It was the Bobcats’ first win over Georgia Southern (6-3, 3-2) since 2005, with Texas State losing the previous five matchups as Sun Belt foes.

“Really proud of players, really proud of our staff and really proud of our administration, the university, everyone that was involved,” Texas State coach G.J. Kinne said. “That was a big-time win against a really good opponent. As a team, we wanted to get this done for everyone involved at home. That’s what we challenged our guys to do, and they went out and got it done. … To have six wins was obviously one of the goals we had. Really happy for those guys.”

Damphousse, who promised the river jump after a sixth win before the season, wasn’t the only one to jump in after the game. Athletic Director Don Corryell, Kinne, players and staffers followed suit, honoring a Texas State tradition of jumping in the San Marcos River after graduating.

“That was fun,” Kinne said at the postgame press conference by the river. “It was one of those deals where for a couple weeks now we were waiting to get that sixth win. You feel a sense of relief. You do. Just to get that one, now you can play free. You better watch out.”

Texas State scored on the opening possession of the game with a 23-yard pass from TJ Finley to Joey Hobert, who tied a program record with 13 catches against the Eagles, finishing with 141 yards. He now has the most yards in a season (804) by a Texas State receiver since the school join the FBS.

Georgia Southern took a 10-7 lead into the second quarter after a 29-yard field goal by Michael Lantz and Jalen White's 39-yard touchdown run. White finished with 159 yards on 17 carries and two scores, and it was his third consecutive 100-yard game.

“I thought (Georgia Southern) played really well, and that’s a dynamic offense right there,” Kinne said. “The run game, that running back (White) and those receivers are some of the best in the (Sun Belt). I thought we got after the quarterback (Brin Davis) and affected him. (Davis) turned the ball over and that’s what we were trying to do.”

In the second and third quarters, the Bobcats scored 38 unanswered points. It started with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Finley to Konner Fox to make it 14-10. After a Brian Holloway interception, Finley tossed his third score on an 8-yard pass to Kole Wilson to make it 21-10. A 31-yard field goal by Mason Shipley and a 16-yard touchdown run by Finley made it 31-10 at the break.

Finley found the end zone again in the third quarter with a 12-yard run to make it 38-10. He finished 25-for-31 for 301 yards, with three touchdown passes and two touchdown runs. He is the first Texas State quarterback with three 300-yard passing games in a season since Tyler Jones in 2016.

Donerio Davenport tacked on to the lead, capping an 11-play drive with a 1-yard score. He finished with 75 yards on 11 carries off the bench, while starter Ismail Mahdi finished with 99 yards on 20 attempts. The Bobcats now lead the Sun Belt in rushing yards per game at 201.

Georgia Southern finally responded with 25 seconds left in the third on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Davis to Jjay McAfee. White scored again on a 3-yard run with 8:40 left to cement the final score at 45-24.

Texas State defensive end Ben Bell, from Cedar Park, finished with two sacks, four tackles and a forced fumble. He is now fourth in the Sun Belt with seven sacks and sixth in tackles for a loss with 12. Texas State is second nationally in tackles for a loss with 78, passing a program record of 77 set last season.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas State football becomes bowl-eligible in 45-24 victory