AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the first time in FBS program history, the Texas State Bobcats are playing a game outside of the regular season.
Texas State (7-5, 4-4 Sun Belt) will take on Rice (6-6, 4-4 American Athletic) Tuesday in the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. The opening kick is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN.
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The Bobcats are led by the nation’s most productive all-purpose back, sophomore Ismail Mahdi. He averaged 167.83 all-purpose yards per game to lead FBS and was the only FBS player to amass more than 2,000 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving and kick returns). Quarterback TJ Finley had a nice season with 273.92 passing yards per game, No. 19 in FBS, and he helped guide the Bobcats offense to its most total yardage in FBS program history at 5,661.
Head coach GJ Kinne turned things around in his first year at the helm. He took over a program that hadn’t won more than five games in the season in almost a decade and put them in a bowl game. The Texas State administration is so fired up about it that they extended KInne’s contract through the 2028 season last week.
“We’re a program on the rise right now,” Kinne said. “We have a lot coming back next year and I think this program is headed to new heights. I think we can do something special next year, but we want to finish this season off the right way.”
Rice won’t have the services of quarterback JT Daniels against the Bobcats. He medically retired after suffering multiple concussions throughout his college career that spanned three schools and six years. Redshirt freshman AJ Padgett will take the snaps for the Owls. Rice won its last two games in the regular season to become bowl-eligible.
Padgett will have wide receiver Luke McCaffrey to throw to. Son of former NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, Luke hauled in 68 passes for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season, including a score against the Texas Longhorns. He torched Florida Atlantic for 12 catches and 141 yards in the final game of the regular season.
Kinne said while the Bobcats had some “year one things go on,” he was proud of how they came together and made this a historic season for the school,
“It took everyone to make this a special year we won’t forget,” he said. “We grew a lot as a team, and those kids love each other and it showed out on the field.”
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