After 242 days, it’s officially Texas game week once again. The Texas State Bobcats will come into Austin this Saturday to kick off the season, bringing an explosive offense with them. GJ Kinne led the Bobcats to a 7-6 season in 2025, with four of the losses coming by one possession or less.
The Bobcats enter this season in a new conference, the remodeled Pac-12, and are eyeing a CFP berth. Can the Longhorns make sure the Bobcats get off to a slow start?
Here’s how the Bobcats stack up heading into the matchup:
Texas State Bobcats Offense
This is where Texas State is uniquely dangerous. The Bobcats ranked as the 12th best offense a season ago, on the back of their star QB Brad Jackson. Jackson totalled 3,200+ passing yards and 700+ rushing yards a season ago, proving himself
as a top dual-threat QB in the country. He’s back for another year and is joined by his two favorite targets, Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr..
The pair of junior WRs racked up 1,000+ receiving yards last season, the only team in the country to have that distinction. They are back for their senior campaigns and represent one of the best WR duos in the country. Despite the returners at WR, the loss of Lincoln Pare at RB looms large. Greg Burrell was set to take his place, but was dismissed from the program in April. That leaves Torrance Burgess Jr. and Jaylen Jenkins to carry the load at RB, despite just 51 carries and 265 yards between them a season ago.
This is a very dangerous offense. Brad Jackson, Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. are one of the best offensive trios in the country. Eliminating Jackson’s running ability is a major key to slowing down the Bobcats attack. The Texas defense should be able to control the line of scrimmage, slow the run game and keep the Bobcats from finding their footing offensively.
Texas State Bobcats Defense
As good as the Bobcats offense was, the defense was just as bad. Texas State finished the season at the No. 95 ranked defense in the country, giving up 29 points per game a season ago. They gave up an average of 382 yards per game, 164 coming on the ground. Considering the run game is a point of emphasis for Texas this season, this could be a confidence building start. The pass defense was not much better, again giving Arch Manning the chance for a strong start to the season.
Now, Kinne and the Bobcats have taken steps to make sure that performance isn’t repeated this season. Will Windham was hired as the new defensive coordinator, joining from South Alabama. During his time with the Jaguars, his pass defense was strong but the run defense struggled. It’s impossible to know exactly how this product will look but the run game should be successful on Saturday.
With the addition of Windham and a few major transfers, this will be an improved unit this season. However, that improvement shouldn’t be obvious against Texas this weekend. Like many OOC games, Texas should be able to use their talent to get a rather comfortable offensive performance. If they can’t, I’d venture to say it’s more a Texas failure than a Texas State triumph.
Final Take
This is a good Group of 6 team. Brad Jackson, Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr. will create problems for defenses all year. The new-look defense will be improved, particularly defending the pass. Despite that, this is not a game Texas should struggle with. The Longhorns should be able to match, if not exceed, the 30.5-point spread in their favor.
This is a great Group of 6 team for Texas to play. They’re unlikely to beat the Longhorns, but Jackson’s athletic ability will prepare the Texas defense for future QBs. The WR duo will force the secondary to match smart, high-level players on the outside. The new-look defense will force the offense to adjust on the fly, as Windham’s defense begins to take shape.
This should be a win, and a comfortable one. However, it’s a great barometer for how clean and confident the Longhorns are coming into the season, heading into the Ohio State matchup.
Follow us on X/Twitter at@LonghornsWire.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Kinne, Jackson lead Texas State Bobcats into Austin this week
