Texas State at Ohio
Saturday, Sept. 3, 3:30 p.m. ET
Peden Stadium, Athens, OH.
The Bobcats are guaranteed to win this one. Of course, one must note both teams are nicknamed Bobcat.
Texas State posted an overall record of 3-9 last year andwent 2-6 in the Sun Belt Conference. The Tex-Cats broke even at 3-3 at home but were winless on the road (0-6).
TSU embarks on a new season with a new coach as Everett Withers takes over the reins. His squad returns 14 starters – 4 on offense, 6 on defense and 4 from special teams.
Quarterback Tyler Jones is a dual threat. He rushed 139 times for 583 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. He also completed 223 of 382 passes, totaling 2,517 yards, along with 14 TDs.
Safety Damani Alexcee regisgtered 79 tackles, with 3 tfl and 2.0 sacks. Linebacker Karee Berry owned 39 stops with 5.5 tfl and 3.0 sacks, while Stephen Johnson had a pair of picks and 27 tackles.
As for Ohio, the Oh-Cats are flush with experience. They return . . .
Quarterback Greg Windham saw limited action last year, completing 19 of 40 passes for 298 yards and a touchdown. However, he is surrounded by talent, including Wide receiver Sebastian Smith (65 receptions, 779 yards, 7 TDs). Junior running back A.J. Ouellette is a workhorse who totaled 692 yards with six scores in 2015.
Linebacker Quentin Poling is a key defender who made 69 stops with 10 tfl and 4.0 sacks last year. He also owned four interceptions. Tarell Basham was productive upfront, recording 43 tackles, 10 tfl and 56.5 sacks.