STAFF REPORTS
Texas State (3-4) held the lead at halftime, but costly mistakes in the second half saw the Bobcats fall to San Jose State 31-20 Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
The loss is the first in league play for the Cats as they drop to 1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference. The victory improves the Spartans’ conference record 2-1.
San Jose State (6-2) took an early 3-0 lead after a 20-yard field goal in the first quarter. The score would hold for the majority of the quarter, but the Bobcats would not be held scoreless in the first.
Texas State went for it on fourth and goal from the 1. Quarterback Shaun Rutherford dished the ball to Marcus Curry, who dove over the goal line from the short distance for the first Bobcat touchdown of the game. It was Curry’s sixth touchdown of the season as it gave Texas State a 7-3 lead over San Jose with 1:38 to go in the first.
Shortly into the second quarter, San Jose’s David Freeman rushed for 10 yards for a TD as the Spartans regained the lead.
Texas State was able to move the ball quite smoothly on its ensuing drive as Rutherford showed his speed as he raced for a career-high 45 yards to the end zone for a touchdown, and the Bobcats took a 14-10 advantage.
Five minutes later, Will Johnson connected on a 29-yard field with four minutes to go in the half to extend Texas State’s lead to 17-10 over the home team.
Both teams continued to trade points throughout the first half. It was a six-yard touchdown reception by San Jose State’s Chandler Jones that tied the game at 17, with a little over one minute remaining in the half.
The game would not be tied for long as Johnson connected on a 42-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the first half. The field goal gave Texas State a 20-17 edge heading into the locker room.
The Spartans registered back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter to take an 11-point lead over Texas State. The Bobcats were unable to answer as easily as they were before halftime and the end result was their first conference loss.
Texas State will continue its two-game road stand this Saturday with a trip to Utah State. Kickoff at Romney Stadium is set for 2 p.m.
