Texas State Falls Short Against Arizona State

Kyle Nachtsheim September 14, 2025 3 minutes read

The last time a Group of Five program faced a Power Five conferences in their final season before moving to a power conference was in the 2022 Military Bowl. In that matchup, UCF lost 30-13 to Duke in its final game before joining the Big 12.

Texas State, playing a Power Four opponent for the final time as a member of the Sun Belt, hoped not to repeat history.

Go time.

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Unfortunately for the Bobcats, history did repeat itself as they fell to Arizona State 34-15 on Saturday night in Tempe, Arizona.

Despite game-time temperatures around 90 degrees, the Bobcats (2-1) started ice cold. Their first two drives totaled minus two yards and ended in punts.

After responding to a Sun Devils field goal with a 39-yarder by Tyler Robles, Arizona State (2-1) took control. Four of their next five drives would result in points, with quarterback Sam Leavitt contributing to all three touchdowns.

After the game, head coach G.J. Kinne emphasized the need for stronger starts.

“I told the guys in the locker room, you know, when you play a really good team like that on the road, we got to start faster,” Kinne said. “This game will make us better in the long run.”

Redshirt freshman Brad Jackson ended the Bobcats’ offensive drought late in the third quarter, capping a 15-play, 59-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run.

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Jackson was under pressure all night, as the Sun Devils recording 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Kinne said he was impressed with Jackson’s poise under pressure.

“I think [when] we settled down and got a better feel for what they were doing on defense — what was working and what wasn’t working, what Brad was seeing, what Brad wasn’t seeing,” Kinne said.

Redshirt junior Beau Sparks led receiving corps with 70 yards on 10 catches. Lincoln Pare added 61 rushing yards on 13 carries. Defensively, the Bobcats notched a season-high three sacks, including a nine-yard loss by Kalil Alexander.

It was a physical game, and Kinne noted the importance of staying healthy if Texas State wants to compete for a Sun Belt title.

“We were banged up a little bit and we got to be, you know, who we are in the week of practice leading up to it,” Kinne said. “It was hard for us to practice like we need to go win.”

Texas State returns home next week to face Nicholls in its home opener. The former Southland Conference rivals have met 31 times, with most of those matchups coming as conference opponents. Since moving to the FBS, the Bobcats have faced Nicholls only once — a 24-3 win on Sept. 28, 2019, that gave Texas State a 16-15 edge in the all-time series.