Texas State Falls 31-29 at San Diego State Despite 565-Yard Night

Texas State outgained San Diego State 565-263 yet lost 31-29 in its Pac-12 opener; the Bobcats' first home league game arrives Thursday against Colorado State.

San Diego State beat Texas State 31-29 on Saturday night in San Diego, spoiling the Bobcats' first football game as a Pac-12 member. Texas State fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Aztecs outscored the Bobcats 28-12 in the second half to decide the game.

The statistics described a Texas State rout that never materialized. The Bobcats outgained the Aztecs 565 yards to 263, ran nearly twice as many plays and limited San Diego State to 1-of-10 on third down. Texas State finished with 34 first downs to the Aztecs' 12 and controlled possession by 20 minutes. The Bobcats' 310 first-half yards were more than San Diego State produced in the entire game.

The unraveling began on the opening kickoff of the second half. Aztecs wide receiver Jaylon Hawkins returned it 96 yards for a touchdown, and after Texas State stopped San Diego State on fourth-and-1, Bobcats quarterback Brad Jackson threw an interception that preceded a touchdown by Aztecs running back Josiah Lucas four plays later. Punter Tom Flintoff then fumbled a snap following a three-and-out, giving San Diego State the ball at the Texas State 10. The Bobcats managed 22 total yards in the third quarter after rushing for 53 in the second, while the Aztecs converted 86 yards into 21 points in the period.

In the fourth quarter, linebacker Cameron Cooper tipped a Jackson pass, intercepted it and returned it for a touchdown that put San Diego State ahead 31-22 with 2 minutes, 47 seconds left. Texas State answered when Jackson found wide receiver Beau Sparks for a 40-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to two. The Bobcats used all of their timeouts, forced a punt and took possession with 1:26 remaining, needing only to reach field-goal range.

The final drive came undone on multiple fronts. Jackson tried to force passes that were not open, and a 4-yard run on second down with no timeouts left burned valuable seconds. At the Aztecs' 44-yard line with 20 seconds to go, Jackson took the snap instead of spiking the ball to stop the clock and was sacked for a 4-yard loss.

Coach GJ Kinne said the plan there was to catch San Diego State off guard and possibly produce another big gain, and he acknowledged the gamble failed. "Probably should have spiked it there," Kinne said. "We didn't have any timeouts. Got to be better in that situation."

His players' mood, Kinne said, matched his own. "They're frustrated, just like I am," Kinne said. "I told them we got to stay together." Reviewing the third quarter, he added: "Just couldn't get out of our own way in the third quarter."

Texas State now prepares for the first home game of its Pac-12 era. Colorado State visits San Marcos on Thursday at 7 p.m., with the game televised on CBS Sports Network. The Bobcats enter that matchup still searching for their first conference victory.