The Texas State Bobcats began their 2016 season with a road upset of an Ohio team which very nearly knocked Western Michigan out of the Cotton Bowl three months later. Texas State had a right to feel very good about itself after that win over Ohio. Confidence flowed through the program. Nearly 11 months after that big victory, however, the outlook could not be more different – or more grim – for the Bobcats and head coach Everett Withers. All appearances suggest that the 2017 season will simply have to prepare the program for 2018, and little more.
How Did They End 2016
The Texas State Bobcats won two games in the first four outings of the season, establishing a healthy and welcome pace to finish at .500, which would have been a tremendous achievement. However, the first third of the season did not flow into the second or third chunks. Texas State lost its last eight games, and in the final six games – the whole second half of the season – the Bobcats lost each contest by a minimum of 22 points. The team had absolutely no answers on either side of the ball.
Offseason Changes
The Texas State Bobcats thought they had addressed their weakness at quarterback when they convinced a graduate transfer from an SEC school to play for them. This is exactly what schools in Texas State’s position should do, so when Mississippi State backup quarterback Damian Williams agreed to transfer to San Marcos, Texas, and the Bobcats, Withers felt he had found the 2017 answer to his problems. However, Williams was recently suspended by Withers for academic and personal reasons. A group of entirely unknown freshmen will try to take his spot. This was not the time for a transfer quarterback to lose focus and do something stupid.
What also recently happened is that 2016 leading rusher Stedman Mayberry left the team. Texas State therefore has gaping holes at quarterback and running back, thereby crippling the offense in general, but also forcing the coaching staff to make adjustments just weeks before the season starts. Withers and his assistants didn’t really have much time to prepare other options and alternatives.
Team X-Factor
The players who are asked to play quarterback and running back – Texas State might easily go to a rotation by committee for each position – will be asked to do a lot. With little advance preparation, young players are going to do a lot of learning on the job. It will be very, very ugly at first, so the ability of those players to learn lessons and not lose faith in the middle of the season will be the biggest thing to watch with this team in 2017.
What To Expect From The Bobcats This Year
This team can’t be expected to do much with all its weaknesses, its relative lack of depth, its recent suspensions, and the problems connected to the skill positions on offense. How can a program withstand all these hits at once?
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 2-10
2015: 3-9
2014: 7-5
2013: 6-6
2012: 4-8
Schedule and Outlook
Texas State starts the season with a manageable when Houston Baptist visits on September 2nd. After that, though, things ramp up quickly with a visit to Colorado – a team that has made significant improvements in the last couple of seasons – and will be very tough to beat. Then they’ll have to come home to host a quality Appalachian State side.
The other challenge for this team is that there are a lot of road games starting at the end of September. They’ll go to Wyoming on September 30th to face a team who has what many consider to be the top NFL quarterback prospect. That’ll be the first of five road games in their final eight contests to end the season.
The Bobcats might not play in a strong conference, but they will be among the weakest teams in college football regardless of their opposition. It will take some doing for this team to grab any wins. Texas State could struggle early in the season and never figure things out. Sadly, that just might be the case.
Regular Season Win Prediction: Under 2.5
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