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The Texas State Bobcats are home on Saturday, but with the point spread against them by 19 points, it might not be quite the welcoming they would prefer. Texas State and the Appalachian State Mountaineers will face off in a Sun Belt battle at 7 p.m. ET at Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. The Bobcats have not won a single game against Appalachian State in their most recent matchups, going 0-5 since November of 2016.
The oddsmakers predicted a rough game for Texas State last week, and boy were they were right. They suffered a grim 40-13 defeat to the James Madison Dukes. QB Layne Hatcher had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: despite one touchdown, he threw two interceptions with only 140 yards passing.
Meanwhile, Appalachian State got themselves on the board against the Citadel Bulldogs last week, but Citadel never followed suit. The Mountaineers took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 49 to nothing victory over the Bulldogs. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 35 to nothing. Appalachian State's QB Chase Brice was on fire, passing for four TDs and 265 yards on 18 attempts in addition to punching in one rushing touchdown. Near the top of the highlight reel was Brice's 80-yard TD bomb to WR Christan Horn in the third quarter.
The Bobcats are now 2-3 while Appalachian State sits at a mirror-image 3-2. A couple stats to keep an eye on: Texas State comes into the game boasting the fewest passing touchdowns allowed in the nation at one. But the Mountaineers rank seventh in the nation when it comes to passing touchdowns, with 16 on the season. We'll see which of these strengths -- offense or defense -- will win out.
