Troy Smashes Texas State 37-17

It was raining, it was pouring, and the Trojans got a-rolling. As Veterans Memorial Stadium got pounded with rain, Texas State got pounded into the ground.

Trojan quarterback Gunnar Watson shredded the Bobcat secondary for 338 yards and four touchdowns while his running back Kimani Vidal added 106 yards on only 12 carries.

Troy trailed 3-0 with 11:18 left in the first quarter after a Seth Keller field goal and that would be the only threat Texas State would pose all afternoon. The Trojans would rip off 23 unanswered first half points and even though the Bobcats had chances to get back in the game, Troy would find a way to preserve their grip.

Texas State would find the end zone in the third quarter to cut the lead to 23-10 when Brady McBride would hit receiver Blake Aragon with a four yard strike but the Bobcats could not get anything started on offense after that. McBride played the majority of the snaps and had one of the least efficient games in college football history as the Memphis transfer went 15/28 for 93 yards and a touchdown. That’s only 3.3 yards an attempt.

Linebacker Carlton Martial had a bounce-back game, leading the team with 7 tackles including two for losses. Kaylon Geiger was Watson’s favorite target at the senior snatched 7 catches for 121 yards and a score.

An uptempo and punishing offense has always been Troy’s calling card and the Trojans rebounded nicely after a tough loss to BYU last game that saw them get pushed around. They won the time of possession battle, holding the ball for 34:01 compared to the 25:59 by Texas State. The offensive line should get a ton of credit as they opened up holes all afternoon, bullying their defensive line counterparts and also keeping Watson from hitting the dirt.

Texas State was plagued by offensive woes. The aforementioned passing game had no effect as the ‘Cats as a team would complete less than 50% of their passes. Their third down conversion rate did them no favors, only converting two out of 15 attempts. The Bobcats also played soft coverage that allowed Watson and Troy’s receivers to torch the defense all night.

Next up for Texas State is yet another road game as they visit the South Alabama Jaguars next Saturday. For Troy next Saturday they play host to the FCS Eastern Kentucky Colonels.