College Football: Rivas explains his departure

I tracked down former Texas State wide receiver Mishak Rivas this afternoon and asked him about his sudden exodus from the program.

Q: Why did you leave Texas State?
A: It was a decision that I had to make on my own. I wasn't too happy at Texas State and thought I could offer a lot more to the team than I did.

Q: How long did it take you to make your decision?
A: I began thinking about it near the end of last season. Once the season ended, I thought some more about it and let my family know. They were supportive throughout the whole decision.

Q: How were classes going for you at Texas State?
A: There was a lot of outside stress, so I fell behind in a few of my classes. It was tough for me to get them back to where they needed to be. (NOTE: Rivas' father is in Iraq right now fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He stopped by several of my live chats and mentioned that was one of the only ways he could check up on his son's progress during the season.)

Q: What percentage of you leaving had to do with; playing time, being closer to your family and finally grades?
A: I can't really put a percentage on it, but I'd have to say it's more of the first two than the third.

Q: Did former co-offensive coordinator Travis Bush leaving have any impact in your decision?
A: No. I found out he left after I had left. Actually, Coach Bush had been talking to me about involving me more in the offense next year.

Q: How so?
A: He wanted to put me in the backfield a bit more and use me a little at running back. We didn't know if or how fast Karrington Bush would recover, so he wanted a guy with some speed in the backfield.

Q: So your decision to leave was based off a lack of playing time in 2009 and not next year?
A: Yes. I felt that I could have helped them a lot more last year, but they cut my playing time after I was injured. I understood that, but once I was ready to go, they still kept me out. It upset me a little bit.

Q: So what do you have planned for the future?
A: Right now, I'm going to take some time off from school and spend time at home. I'm going to enroll at Texas A&M-Kingsville next year and hopefully play football.