Cats Cradle

We've Moved!

2011-08-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

All of the contents of this blog are now at TexasStateSports.com.

If your browser hasn't redirected you, you can visit our new blog by clicking HERE.

College Football: Fact book odds and ends

2011-08-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

While flipping through the Texas State Fact Book, a few things jumped out at me...

The Bobcats had some ball-hawking defensive backs back in the day. Lee Lundin set a school record in 1986 with nine interceptions while three other players — Mac Sauls (1965), Adrian Simpson (1983) and Don Caldwell (1969) — have eight. No player had five or more interceptions since Walter Musgrove in 2006.
No Texas State player has returned an interception for a touchdown since linebacker Joe Bell in 2008.
Former All-America wide receiver Da'Marcus Griggs finished six catches shy of tying for the career record in pass receptions. Johnny Parker set the mark from 1969-71 with 160. Griggs had 154.
Not sure if anybody is ever going to touch Claude Mathis' record of 45 career rushing touchdowns. The same goes for Cameron Luke's touchdown reception mark of 17.
Sterling Rogers forced seven fumbles in 2001 for Texas State. The last player to force five or more was Courtney Smith in 2008 with five.

College Football: A video frenzy!

2011-08-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

Here are two of the many interviews conducted at Texas State's 2011 media day.

Junior cornerback Darryl Morris

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Arndt

College Football: Welcome Back, Bobcats!

2011-08-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Texas State opens fall camp tonight at 6 p.m.

College Football: Checking on the WAC

2011-08-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

One of the major FBS polls released its Preseason Top 25 this morning.

The USA Today Coaches' Top 25 came out with Oklahoma on top with 42 first-place votes, followed by Alabama (13), Oregon (2) and LSU (2).

Two Western Athletic Conference teams graced the "Also Receiving Votes" category as both Hawaii and Nevada found their way in. The Warriors got eight votes, while the Wolf Pack got one.

MLB: Goldschmidt Watch

2011-08-02T22:59:00.001-07:00

All former Texas State slugger Paul Goldschmidt does is hit.

One night after going 1-for-3 with a single in his big league debut, Goldschmidt belted a two-run home run off two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum. Goldschmidt put the Arizona Diamondbacks up 2-1 with one swing of the bat, propelling them to a 6-1 win.

You can watch Goldschmidt sending Lincecum's fastball deep into the bleachers by clicking HERE.

Major League Baseball: Goldschmidt gets his call

2011-08-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

Former Texas State slugger Paul Goldschmidt finally got his call to the big stage Monday night. Goldschmidt joined the Arizona Diamondbacks for a crucial three-game series against the San Francisco Giants.

In Monday's game, Goldschmidt went 1-for-4 with a single.

Goldschmidt faced Matt Cain on Monday and gets an equally, if not tougher, test on Tuesday when Tim Lincecum throws against the Diamondbacks.

WAC Football Preview (Video Update No. 4)

2011-07-29T12:29:00.001-07:00

WAC Football Preview (Video Update No. 4)

2011-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

WAC Football Preview (Franchione's Plan)

2011-07-28T22:37:00.001-07:00

Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Karl Benson briefly touched on Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione having a "plan" to ease scheduling in 2012 and possibly 2013 for the remaining schools. Benson didn't want to steal Franchione's thunder, declining to comment further.

Well, Franchione's plan was to have each team in the WAC play a "travel partner" twice, with the second game not counting towards conference standings.

So, Texas State would play UTSA twice in 2012, once in San Marcos and once on the road. Whatever game was second, wouldn't count toward conference standings, but would be tacked onto the overall tally.

It's an interesting thought for sure.

WAC Football Preview (Video Update No. 3)

2011-07-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

WAC Football Preview (Video Update No. 2)

2011-07-28T14:03:00.001-07:00

WAC Football Preview (Hawaii AD Jim Donovan)

2011-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Spoke with Hawaii AD Jim Donovan about the scheduling fiasco earlier this month as well as the future for the Warriors. Here is the interview...

Hawaii AD Jim Donovan by smdrtyler

WAC Football Preview (Karl Benson speaks)

2011-07-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

Benson said this is a year of transition, but the WAC knows how to handle it.
Rumors of Utah State leaving the WAC have "no substance."
Benson hopes to find two schools to make a move, either from the FCS to the FBS or current FBS member in the current WAC footprint to join the conference.
Benson said the WAC needs to "get through this stage" of having seven football-playing schools.
"Right now, we're going to take some time off [from looking for new teams]," Benson said. "Beginning in January, going through the first of April, my United Airlines miles will increase significantly. I guess you can call that recruiting."
Due to NCAA mandates, the WAC only has one bowl tie-in beginning in 2012.

WAC Football Preview (Video Update No. 1)

2011-07-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

WAC Football Preview (Part 1)

2011-07-27T20:50:00.001-07:00

So this is Las Vegas.

After two flights, a short delay in Denver and a cab ride, I'm finally settled into the Orleans Hotel right off The Strip. Outside my window, I can see Sin City beckoning, but right now, it's all about coverage of the 2011 WAC Football Preview, and more importantly, Texas State.

For the Bobcats, this is their first chance to impress the WAC. Texas State couldn't have sent a better ambassador in head coach Dennis Franchione. Fellow media members and officials from the WAC have nothing but positive things to say about him.

Franchione will talk with the print media Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. and I'll try to have it broadcasting via uStream at that time. You can also find it on the WAC's web site shortly after completion.

Stay tuned for more photos, stories and videos from the 2011 WAC Football Preview.

College Football: Franchione speaks on Hawaii

2011-07-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione loves coaching against the Hawaii Warriors. In fact, Franchione is the only coach in college football history to bring three different teams to Honolulu and walk out with a win each time.

With six wins, there wasn't a doubt in Franchione's mind that he wanted another crack at Hawaii to get number seven in the near future.

"I'm the guy that brought it up [to Texas State Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis]," Franchione said after delivering a keynote at the first Bobcat Club luncheon of the season. "With the postseason being up in the air in 2012, I thought it would be a treat to our players, fans and a good game for us."

Then Franchione took a peek at the Bobcats' schedule in 2012.

"It looks pretty demanding," Franchione said. "If we added that game, it would have been tough on our guys. Then to cut out another week of recruiting, I don't know if we should do it right now. I would like to do it in the future, but I'm not sure if 2012 was the correct time."

Once Franchione decided against the game, which would have begun a three-game, away-home-away series with the Warriors, Teis pulled out of talks with Hawaii AD Jim Donovan.

While Franchione would like to get a crack at the Warriors in the near future, Donovan's remarks to the Honolulu Star Advertiser lead one to believe there won't be another opportunity.

"We won't be working with Texas State anytime in my tenure," Donovan told the paper.

When told of that, Franchione simply responded, "That's his prerogative. There will be another AD someday."

College Football: Potential series with Hawaii scuttled

2011-07-12T11:28:00.001-07:00

According to the Hawaii Star Advertiser, a potential away-home-away series with the University of Hawaii was recently thrown into the trash.

The Warriors were left with an open spot in their 2012 schedule and Texas State, due to its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision, won't be able to reach a bowl, thus allowing it to play 13 games in the regular season.

When the Bobcats upped the asking price for the game, UH complied, however, it soon went for naught.

At least Texas State will get an opportunity to play the Warriors other sports, right? Well, not UH athletic director Jim Donovan is gone.

"We won't be working with Texas State anytime in my tenure," Donovan told the Star Advertiser.

You can read the story here — Franchione knows how to put the hurt on the Warriors

College Football: Roundtable

2011-06-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a part of today's roundtable with Brant Freeman and Brent Thibodeaux...

San Marcos — Texas State recently underwent its first evaluation of the 2011 season as Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine released its annual position-by-position scouting reports.
The Bobcats received one A, five B’s and two C’s and now it’s time to put those grades to the test. Joining me in discussing if those marks are ‘Too High,’ ‘Too Low,’ or ‘Just Right’ are Brant Freeman (radio play-by-play voice of the Bobcats) and Brent Thibodeaux from BobcatReport.com.
Quarterbacks: B+
Tyler Mayforth: Not sure what DCTF was thinking, but it’s too high. Right now there are just too many questions to justify that grade. How healthy is Tyler Arndt? Do the Bobcats actually trust Tim Hawkins to throw the ball? Is Shaun Rutherford a true option under center for Texas State? If Arndt bounces back, Hawkins completes more passes to his teammates than the ground and Rutherford shakes off a few years of rust, the potential is there. Right now, that’s all it is.

Brant Freeman: Wow. Since there are so many questions regarding the position, it’s tough to say. There isn’t much to go off of when you take a look at the body of work for everybody involved. Tyler Arndt started four or five games as a freshman, but his injury set him back. Tim Hawkins was inconsistent, but showed flashes in his four starts and now we throw Shaun Rutherford into the mix. If you look at potential, B-plus is just about right, but right now, it’s a bit too high. I almost want to give it an incomplete.

Brent Thibodeaux: I’d say that’s just right. With With Tyler Arndt coming back from knee surgery, getting him healthy is priority number one. A 100-percent Arndt means this Bobcat team has their true gunslinger at quarterback. Hawkins is a capable back-up that can step into the starting role, if called upon. Rutherford has shown flashes at the position but his skills may be best suited at receiver.

For the rest, click HERE.

College Football: Bobcats get graded

2011-06-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Dave Campbell's 2011 Texas Football magazine recently hit newsstands packed with scouting reports and projections for the upcoming college and high school football seasons.

For each Division I team in Texas, the magazine ranks the squad by position, assigning letter grades to each spot. Here is how the magazine graded Texas State...

Offensive Line: B-
Running Backs: B
Wide Receivers: B+
Quarterbacks: B+
Defensive Line: C+
Linebackers: A-
Secondary: B-
Special Teams: C

In comparison, take a look at how DCTF evaluated Texas-San Antonio...

Offensive Line: C
Running Backs: B
Wide Receivers: B
Quarterbacks: B
Defensive Line: B-
Linebackers: B
Secondary: B
Special Teams: C-

And what about Sam Houston State?

Offensive Line: B+
Running Backs: A-
Wide Receivers: B
Quarterbacks: B
Defensive Line: B
Linebackers: A-
Secondary: B-
Special Teams: A-

And just for kicks, Texas Tech...

Offensive Line: B
Running Backs: B-
Wide Receivers: C
Quarterbacks: C+
Defensive Line: C
Linebackers: C+
Secondary: B+
Special Teams: C+

As you can see, the Bobcats seem to be in good company when put on paper, but only time will tell how they look when they get on the field.

College Athletics: WAC adds Seattle University

2011-06-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

Seven months after undergoing its first round of expansion, the Western Athletic Conference chose to add one more school to its footprint Wednesday afternoon. WAC commissioner Karl Benson announced Seattle University accepted an invitation to join the conference beginning July 1, 2012.

The Redhawks' inclusion now brings WAC membership up to nine schools as of the turn of the 2012 school year, but only seven football-playing members (Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Texas State, UTSA and Utah State).

Seattle University was picked in front of Cal State Bakersfield and Utah Valley University.

College Baseball: Kubitza signs

2011-06-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

Texas State will need to find a new third baseman next year. Current junior third baseman Kyle Kubitza decided to forgo his senior season to sign with the Atlanta Braves.

College Football: Bobcats release 2012 schedule

2011-06-08T13:05:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at Texas State's 2012 football schedule, which would be its first year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Sept. 1 — at Houston
Sept. 8 — Texas Tech (Home Opener)
Sept. 22 — Stephen F. Austin
Sept. 29 — Nevada
Oct. 6 — at New Mexico
Nov. 17 — at Navy

Then, dispersed among those are the usual slate of game against teams from the WAC. Home games will be against — Louisiana Tech, Idaho and New Mexico State, while road games will be played at — San Jose State, UTSA and Utah State.

College Baseball: Bobcats in 2011 MLB Draft

2011-06-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

Junior third baseman Kyle Kubitza went in the third round to the Atlanta Braves.
Kubitza batted .310 this season for Texas State with 10 HRs and 66 RBIs. He wasn't that great with his glove (23 errors), but drew a team-leading 54 walks.
Junior pitcher Carson Smith went in the eighth round to the Seattle Mariners.
Smith went 9-3 with a 1.99 ERA for the Bobcats with 129 strikeouts.
Junior first baseman Casey Kalenkosky went in the 13th round to the Washington Nationals.
Kalenkosky clubbed 21 HRs in 2011, breaking a previous school record set by Paul Goldschmidt and Luke Cannon.

College Baseball: Why Smith pitched

2011-06-06T17:35:00.001-07:00

Got a few questions as to why Texas State head coach Ty Harrington brought in junior pitcher Carson Smith in the ninth inning Sunday afternoon against Texas.

Spoke with Smith after the 4-3 loss in which he allowed the game-winning hit to the Longhorns' Kevin Lusson and he told me he was always going to come in, especially if the Bobcats had a ninth-inning lead. Smith said Harrington told him he wanted him to get the last three outs of the game.

It still raises a question as to whether or not it was a smart move, since Smith was just one day removed from throwing 124 pitches in last Friday's loss to Kent State. Smith's pitches against Texas lacked any movement and six of the nine he threw were balls.

"I felt good in the 'pen, got the call with two men on and went in," Smith said. "I was a little tired, but it was nothing I hadn't thrown through before. I was just missing by two inches every time."

It was a tough way for Smith to end his career at Texas State, as he will most likely be a high draft pick in tomorrow's continuation of the MLB First-Year Players Draft.

College Baseball: Texas State can't knock out Texas

2011-06-05T15:36:00.001-07:00

AUSTIN – Texas State didn't go down without a fight Sunday afternoon against Texas in an elimination game of the NCAA Baseball Austin Regional.

While the Bobcats lost, 4-3, they countered everything the Longhorns threw their way.

Crowd making too much noise? Texas State briefly silenced the Burnt Orange Army with a two-run home run by Kyle Kubitza in the top of the fourth inning.

Kubitza crushed a 2-0 change-up from Texas starting pitcher Cole Green over the right-field fence for his 10^th home run of the season. It scored Bret Atwood, who hit a lead-off single.

“When we played them earlier this year, they wouldn't give me a fastball to hit when I was up in the count, so I was looking for something off-speed middle-in,” Kubitza said. “He left his change-up up a little bit and I got a hold of it.”

When the Longhorns (44-16) countered with a run in the fifth and then two in the sixth to take a 3-2 lead, the Bobcats stayed the course. Even though runs weren't going to be easy to come by against Green after he zoned in – faced one more than the minimum in his next four innings, striking out five – Texas State (41-22) waited.

It just so happened that the Bobcats tied it up against a recent nemesis, Texas closer Corey Knebel. In Texas State's two previous games with the Longhorns, Knebel struck out the side both times, earning two saves.

Maybe the Bobcats needed to go down in order twice to figure him out, because they tied it up in the ninth. Atwood singled, stole a career record 49^th base, advanced to third on a throwing error by Texas catcher Jacob Felts, then scored on Kubitza's sacrifice fly.

Just like that, Texas State dealt a blow to the mighty Longhorns and for the second time; the momentum was on the Bobcats' side.

“Having the momentum in this ballpark is huge,” Texas State catcher Andrew Stumph, who collected a team-high four hits in the regional, said. “Once you know you have that momentum, you ride that the whole game, try to keep it up until the end of the game.”

The Bobcats, however, couldn't swing into the lead and yet again, suffered another heartbreaking loss to Texas.

Following a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Loy that moved Mark Payton, who singled, to second, Texas State head coach Ty Harrington chose to intentionally walk Erich Weiss to set up the double play. Harrington then brought in junior pitcher Carson Smith, who threw 124 pitches two days earlier, in hopes of getting to the tenth.

It never happened.

Smith walked Paul Montalbano on five pitches and Kevin Lusson singled to deep right on a 2-1 count.

“I was told, that if we had the lead, I was going to get the last three outs of the game,” Smith said. “We lost the lead, but got the run back in the ninth and Coach Harrington said, 'Carson, if we get a guy on, go get ready.'

“I felt good in the 'pen, got the call with two men on and went in. I was a little tired, but it was nothing I hadn't thrown through before. I was just missing by two inches every time.”

And with that, the Bobcats' knockout punch missed, leaving them open for the counter.

College Baseball: Texas State gets the 'Horns

2011-06-04T20:21:00.000-07:00

Texas State junior pitcher Mitchell Pitts wasn't shy about letting a small group of media know who he'd like the Bobcats to play Sunday afternoon in an elimination game.

"We want Texas," Pitts, who pitched Texas State past Princeton earlier, said.

It went from Pitts' mouth to the ears of the baseball gods, as the Longhorns, with staff ace Taylor Jungmann on the mound, lost to Kent State in Saturday night's winners' bracket game. The Golden Flashes pounded Jungmann for seven runs on eight hits, including a grand slam in the sixth inning, dealing him his first career loss at home.

Texas made a valiant attempt at a comeback in the ninth, down 7-2, but only managed to get three back on a three-run home run by Kevin Lusson.

Kent State's Andrew Chafin earned the win after holding the Longhorns to a pair of runs in 8 2/3 innings. Chafin struck out eight.

"Somewhere down the line, you have to just take off your hat and say the other team played a great game," Texas head coach Augie Garrido said.

If the Bobcats want to end the Longhorns' season tomorrow, they'll have to do it against Texas' Sunday starter, Cole Green. Texas State counters with Colton Turner.

Game time is set for 1 p.m. Winner plays Kent State five hours later, while the loser goes home.

College Baseball: Scouting the Austin Regional (Kent State)

2011-06-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

About The School
Name: Kent State University
Year Founded: 1910
Mascot: Golden Flashes
Enrollment: 19,000

About The Team
Overall Record: 43-15
Conference: Mid-American
Conference Record: 21-5
Notable Out of Conference Win(s): Georgia Tech, Coastal Carolina
Leading Hitter: Ben Klafczynski (.368 AVG., 10 HR, 54 RBI, .450 OBP)
Leading Pitcher: Andrew Chafin (7-1, 1.90 ERA, 97 SO, .193 BAA)

Fun Fact
Did You Know? The Golden Flashes have three starting pitchers with an ERA under 2.00.

College Baseball: Scouting the Austin Regional (Texas Longhorns)

2011-06-01T12:39:00.001-07:00

About The School
Name: University of Texas
Year Founded: 1883
Mascot: Longhorns
Enrollment: 51,000

About The Team
Overall Record: 43-15
Conference: Big XII
Conference Record: 19-8
Notable Out of Conference Win(s): Stanford (2 of 3), Texas State (2 of 2)
Leading Hitter: Erich Weiss (.368 AVG., 4 HR, 38 RBI, .510 OBP)
Leading Pitcher: Taylor Jungmann (13-0, 0.95 ERA, 122.2 IP, 116 SO)

Fun Fact
Did You Know? The Longhorns have appeared in 33 College World Series, winning six national titles.

College Baseball: Bobcats among good company

2011-06-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament with accompanying RPIs from Boyd's World...

Texas State — 37
Miami (Fla.) — 16
Southern Miss — 20
Arkansas — 14
Oklahoma State — 36
Creighton — 29
Stanford — 15
FIU — 24
East Carolina — 27
Fresno State — 21
Oklahoma — 22
Baylor — 28
UCF — 18
Arizona — 25
Connecticut — 46
Stetson — 23

A lot of people in the national media are arguing that Texas State is one of the weakest No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and if you solely look at RPIs, you might be able to understand why.

But, now, let's take a look at strength of schedules, according to Warren Nolan.

Texas State — 63
Miami (Fla.) — 11
Southern Miss — 52
Arkansas — 17
Oklahoma State — 29
Creighton — 127
Stanford — 24
FIU — 60
East Carolina — 54
Fresno State — 84
Oklahoma — 47
Baylor — 5
UCF — 30
Arizona — 41
Connecticut — 137
Stetson — 51

It doesn't look too bad now, does it?

OT: The last time Texas State made ESPN's Top Plays

2011-05-31T15:33:00.001-07:00

College Baseball: Scouting the Austin Regional (Princeton Tigers)

2011-05-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

About The School
Name: Princeton University
Year Founded: 1746
Mascot: Tigers
Enrollment: 7,494

About The Team
Overall Record: 23-22
Conference: Ivy League
Conference Record: 15-5
Notable Out of Conference Win(s): LSU (Mar. 6)
Leading Hitter: Sam Mulroy (.324 AVG, 31 R, 7 HR, 39 RBI, .371 OBP)
Leading Pitcher: Zak Hermans (5-1, 2.85 ERA, 52 SO, .245 BAA)

Fun Fact
Did You Know? Princeton hasn't played a game since May 8.

College Baseball: Atwood

2011-05-30T13:27:00.001-07:00

Here is Bret Atwood's catch from Saturday night...

College Baseball: Austin it is!

2011-05-30T10:41:00.001-07:00

Texas State found out its NCAA Tournament destination Monday morning as the 64-team bracket was released. The Bobcats will travel to Austin to compete in a regional hosted by the University of Texas.

When Texas State opens play Friday as the No. 2 seed, Ty Harrington's club will play No. 3 Kent State. Texas is the No. 1 seed and plays No. 4 Princeton.

College Baseball: Texas State vs Nicholls State (Win Or Go Home)

2011-05-27T17:38:00.004-07:00

Texas State's run through the losers' bracket continued this afternoon when Ty Harrington's club beat up Sam Houston State. Now, the Bobcats hope to stave off elimination once again as they take on Nicholls State, the same team that shut them out Wednesday night.

First pitch is set for 7:50 p.m. with Travis Ballew taking the mound against Mike Wisecarver.

First Inning

Texas State gets a bloop single from Casey Kalenkosky, but nothing else. Bear Comer led off with a single for Nicholls State, but a fortunate bounce turned into a double play in the next at-bat, then a line out ended the frame.

Second Inning

Texas State wasted an opportunity with two on and one out. Cory Falvey and Clint Vest reached base, but Bret Atwood grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Nicholls State goes down in order. Ballew has faced the minimum thus far.

Third Inning

Texas State gave Ballew a four-run lead after four runs on five hits. Andrew Stumph and Kyle Kubitza each roped RBI doubles and Falvey (2-for-2) singled home another. Nicholls State got a single by Philip Lyons, who advanced to second on a pitch in the dirt, but Ballew struck out Comer to end the inning.

Fourth Inning

Texas State's bats continue to come alive as it collected five hits -- two for extra bases -- and three runs. Things are looking good for the Bobcats as they lead 7-0. Nicholls State goes down in order.

Fifth Inning

Texas State put two on with no outs, but a poor bunt by Atwood turned into a double play and then Gallegos grounded out. Ballew wrapped three outs around a Nicholls State triple.

Sixth Inning

Texas State gets nothing, but Nicholls State put two across to slice the Bobcats' lead to five.

Seventh Inning

Four runs on five hits for Texas State as the Bobcats open up a nine-run lead. Stumph struck out with the bases loaded to end a threat. Ballew struck out the side in the Nicholls State side of the inning, wrapping it around a single.

Eighth Inning

Texas State goes down in order. Nicholls State puts up another zero.

Ninth Inning

Texas State tacks on three more behind five hits. The Bobcats have 24 hits tonight, tying a season high. Nicholls State can't mount a ridiculous rally.

Game over.

College Baseball: Texas State vs Sam Houston State (Someone Has To Go Home)

2011-05-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Texas State avoided elimination yesterday against Southeastern Louisiana thanks to a five-run seventh inning that included a critical error by the Lions' left fielder Jeff Harkensee. For the Bobcats to stay alive today, they'll need to beat a tough Sam Houston State team.

Click below to follow our live inning-by-inning blog. Texas State is the road team and will send Colton Turner to the mound against Sam Houston State's Brent Powers.

First Inning

It didn't take long for Texas State to jump on the Bearkats. Tyler Sibley crushed the third pitch of the game 400-some-odd feet to left-center for a 1-0 lead. Turner did a good job of shutting down Sam Houston State in the bottom of the frame. One hit, but it wasn't a home run.

Second Inning

Ugly inning by the Bearkats allows Texas State to increase its lead to 5-0. The Bobcats had two men on and no outs when Bret Atwood delivered an RBI single, followed by two errors by SHSU shortstop Braeden Riley that led to runs. Sam Houston State gets on the board with an RBI single by Kevin Miller, but Turner continues to pitch effectively. Turner has induced five ground outs this afternoon.

Third Inning

Texas State blew it open with four more runs on four hits, including a two-run single by Sibley. The Bobcats have seven hits through three innings. Sam Houston State scored a single run in the bottom of the frame before Turner settled in to strike out two batters. This is the kind of start Texas State needed from Turner this afternoon.

Fourth Inning

Texas State posts another multi-run inning. The Bobcats got a run on an RBI single by Kubitza, then Vest picked up his third RBI of the day with a ground out. Texas State leads by nine, 11-2. Sam Houston State goes down in order.

Fifth Inning

Nothing going in the fifth. Texas State put two on with no outs, but three consecutive fly outs crushed its hopes. Sam Houston State just can't get anything going against Turner.

Sixth Inning

Texas State gets a single from a two-out single from Clint Vest, but that's it. Sam Houston State went down in order again.

Seventh Inning

Texas State tacked on two more thanks to a towering two-run home run by Casey Kalenkosky, his 20th of the season. Kalenkosky joined five other players with 20 or more home runs. Turner shuts down Sam Houston State and the Bobcats win.

College Baseball: Kalenkosky sets a school record in the SLC Tournament

2011-05-26T10:55:00.001-07:00

Texas State junior first baseman Casey Kalenkosky just clubbed his 19th home run of the season, breaking a previous school record set by Luke Cannon (2006) and Paul Goldschmidt (2009). Kalenkosky's bomb sailed well over the net above the left-field wall to put Texas State up 5-2 against Southeastern Louisiana in a Southland Conference Tournament Elimination Game. The Bobcats went on to win by the same score.

College Baseball: Texas State vs Nicholls State (Inning-By-Inning Analysis)

2011-05-25T17:12:00.000-07:00

First Inning

Nicholls State went down 1-2-3 on eight pitches as Mitchell Pitts' longest battle was six pitches against Chase Jaramillo, who flew out to Cory Falvey in right. Texas State wasted a perfect opportunity to get on top when Jeff McVaney roped a one-out single. Kyle Kubitza followed with a walk, but Andrew Stumph grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Second Inning

Nicholls State collected two hits, but Scott Moseley was caught in between first and second trying a delayed steal following his single. Austin Flores followed with a single of his own, which could have put runners at first and second with one out, but with two outs, Beau Faulk's pop out ended the frame. Texas State got a one-out double from Cory Falvey, but couldn't bring him around when Bret Atwood lined out to center field and Cody Gambill's long fly ball to center settled into Bear Comer's glove. Both teams seem to be hitting the ball hard, but nothing is falling.

Third Inning

Nicholls State got on the board with an RBI single from Chase Jaramillo. The Colonels had two on with one out, but a ground out and strikeout ended the threat. Nicholls State has five hits so far, so the Colonels are getting to Pitts. Texas State got runners on first and second with no outs, but McVaney failed to get a bunt down and two consecutive fly outs killed the Bobcats' chances. 1-0, Colonels.

Fourth Inning

Nicholls State went down 1-2-3. Pitts looked like he settled in a little bit, keeping the Colonels' batters off-balance. Texas State can't string hits together against Webster. The Bobcats got a lead-off single by Kalenkosky but three consecutive pop outs ended it.

Fifth Inning

Nicholls State does nothing against Pitts, who is rolling. Pitts only needed five pitches to shut the Colonels down. Texas State can't execute tonight at the plate. The Bobcats got another lead-off single by Gallegos, but Sibley stepped out of the box on a bunt attempt he put down, which resulted in an automatic out. After McVaney struck out, Texas State caught a break on an error on a ground ball by Kubitza. Stumph grounded out to second in the next at-bat.

Sixth Inning

Nicholls State got a one-out double by Jeremy Hill, who was moved to third on a ground out by Blake Bergeron. Scott Moseley, who has been a thorn in the Bobcats' side, roped a run-scoring single to plate Hill. Moseley was thrown out on the next pitch trying to steal second. Texas State got its fourth lead-off hitter of the game on (Kalenkosky walked), but still fail to execute. The Bobcats haven't put together enough solid at-bats to warrant the lead yet. 2-0, Colonels.

Seventh Inning

Nicholls State keeps getting stung by its own base-running blunders. Flores led off with a single, but tried to stretch it into a double and was thrown out. The Colonels got another single and a walk to put two runners on, but Pitts struck out Comer on a back-door breaker after a conversation with pitching coach Derek Matlock. Texas State can't move across Gallegos who reached base to begin the inning. It was the fifth Bobcat to get on to begin a frame tonight, but three consecutive fly outs ended any threat.

Eighth Inning

Nicholls State opens it up a bit with three runs on three hits and an error by Falvey in right. Many expected Texas State to roll in this tournament, but as the Bobcats have proven year in and year out, they don't have what it takes to put it together in tournament play. Texas State got ANOTHER lead-off runner on (Stumph singled), but Kalenkosky grounded into a 1-6-3 double play and Falvey popped out. Pressure is on the Bobcats and they haven't responded well.

Ninth Inning

Nicholls State adds another run on Chase Jaramillo's second RBI single of the evening. Jaramillo is seeing the ball well (3-for-5). The Colonels lead, 6-0. Texas State gets two consecutive singles to open the bottom of the ninth, but Gallegos grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. Sibley strikes out to end it.

College Baseball: Texas State vs Nicholls State (SLC Tournament)

2011-05-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here are the starting lineups for tonight's game in the first round of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament.

NICHOLLS
------------
Bear Comer (CF)
Chase Jaramillo (SS)
Jeremy Hill (LF)
Blake Bergeron (1B)
Scott Moseley (RF)
Austin Flores (3B)
Beau Faulk (DH)
Jason Dennis (C)
Philip Lyons (2B)

Seth Webster (P): 6-3, 2.54 ERA, 64 K

TEXAS STATE
---------------
Tyler Sibley (2B)
Jeff McVaney (LF)
Kyle Kubitza (3B)
Andrew Stumph (C)
Casey Kalenkosky (1B)
Cory Falvey (RF)
Bret Atwood (CF)
Cody Gambill (DH)
Christian Gallegos (SS)

Mitchell Pitts (P): 5-2, 3.74 ERA, 65 K

Lineup Analysis for the Bobcats: Texas State head coach Ty Harrington decided to flop the order a little bit with McVaney batting second and Atwood seventh. McVaney provides the Bobcats a bit of pop out of the two spot and can get on base (.458 OBP, 33 BB).

College Football: Maroon and Gold Game Predictions

2011-04-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Maroon Offensive MVP — QB Shaun Rutherford
Reason: Rutherford is incredibly athletic and seems to have a better grasp of the playbook than the other quarterbacks. His arm is coming around and he can scramble. Plus, the Maroon offensive line is going to make him look like Superman.

Maroon Defensive MVP — DL DeShun Williams
Reason: Williams has been a standout thus far in spring practice. Improved his center of gravity, leaving him nearly unblockable if he gets the right push. There has to be a reason he was the Maroon team's second pick.

Gold Offensive MVP — RB Marcus Curry
Reason: If Curry played last season, he had a chance to be the Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year. Unfortunately, Curry ruptured his Achilles tendon, ruining his season. Curry is back to full strength, looking phenomenal in spring practice. If he doesn't put the ball on the ground too much, look for him to have a big game.

Gold Defensive MVP — LB Jolpo Bartu
Reason: Out of the entire Gold defense, Bartu is the anchor. Bartu should get a healthy amount of tackles, as well as a turnover. During the draft, when Bartu was picked, Franchione told the Gold team, "I've seen you've done your homework."

Game MVP — RB Marcus Curry
Reason: Curry was the top pick in the draft. If Gold's offensive line can create some holes, Curry will find his way through them. Should the Gold offensive line not be able to make space, the nod goes to either Rutherford or WR Daren Dillard, both on the Maroon team.

Game Prediction — Maroon wins by 7.
Reason: Maroon had a great draft. With Rutherford, Terrence Franks and Dillard on the same team, it gives Maroon three big-play guys on offense. Williams, Ron Jackson and Prestin Brown should pick through the Gold offensive line, giving Bryan Iwuji and Brian Lilly time to wreak havoc in the backfield. The Gold team will have its big plays, but it won't be enough.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments.

College Football: Polling the Spring Game

2011-04-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Judging by the rosters, who wins the spring game and by how much?Market Research

College Football: Preliminary rosters for the Maroon and Gold Spring Game (Post-Draft)

2011-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Maroon
QB — Rutherford, Arndt
RB — Franks, Reddic
FB — Whiteley, Blackburn
WR — Dillard, Matthews, Amerson, Miller, Porterie
TE — Doll
OL — Vernon (Capt.), Kenney (Capt.), Watkins, Baker, Fissell, Conoly, Grant, Simone, Hannan
DL — Eshraghipour (Capt., INJ), DeShun Williams, Jackson, Holmes, McCollouch, Brown, Kirpes, Piriano
LB — Lilly, B. Iwuji, Minde, Hamilton
CB — Lopez, Benning, Ward
S — Stewart, Tr. Johnson, Coffey, Dickey
P — Follis
K — Matlock, Guzman
LS — Long

Gold
QB — Hawkins, Hill
RB — Curry, Imade
FB — Lovelady
WR — Bolden (Capt.), Garcia, Milburn, Scott, Gilmore, Alexander, Bean
TE — Lewis, Goodwin, Guiberteau
OL — Hall (Capt.), Chambers, Tuttle, Williams, Torres, LeBlanc, Emuka
DL — Clermond, Clavell-Head, Haywood, Norfleet, Alvarez, Johnson, George
LB — Bartu, Luna, Paige
CB — Morris (Capt.), Mager, Asemota, Robinson
S — McLean, Daniels, Harris, Wiggins
P — Chisum
K — Ammar, Bristol
LS — ?????

Notes

These rosters can still change between now and Saturday. Coaches will look them over to make sure there are no glaring weaknesses, like six WRs on one team and no CBs on the other.
Teams were drafted by players with (Capt.) next to their names.
Marcus Curry (RB, Gold) was the No. 1 overall selection. Shaun Rutherford (QB, Maroon) was No. 2.
Kickoff is set for Saturday at noon. The game will feature four, 10-minute quarters.

College Football: Maroon and Gold Game (Upcoming Notes)

2011-04-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

Texas State holds its spring game Saturday at noon.
Two groups of three players will draft their teammates into Maroon and Gold teams Wednesday afternoon beginning at 3:45 p.m. One group will be headed by Steven Kenney, Jon Vernon and Adley Eshraghipour with Darius Bolden, D.J. Hall and Darryl Morris leading the other.
Both teams will compete in four, 10-minute quarters.
Before, during and after the game, seven Be Our Bobcat hopefuls will compete in three drills, with the headliner billed as the 40-yard dash.

College Football: Garelick deemed medically ineligible

2011-03-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Texas State sophomore kicker Justin Garelick was recently deemed medically ineligible and will no longer be kicking for the Bobcats. Garelick was diagnosed with Spinal Facet Arthropathy.

You can read more about Spinal Facet Arthropathy by CLICKING HERE.

As a freshman in 2009, Garelick converted 28-of-32 extra points and made all six of his field goals within 30 yards. Garelick was also named Southland Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after knocking home two field goals in the fourth quarter against Northwestern State, including a game-winning 21-yard chip shot with 0ne minute, 55 seconds to play.

Garelick struggled with his accuracy as a sophomore, missing 8-of-12 attempts. He was 2-of-9 from 30-49 yards.

Texas State now has three kickers on its roster (Taylor Matlock, Joshua Nino de Guzman and Zac Ammar) with a heralded freshman coming in the fall (Will Johnson). Ammar saw action in 2010, converting both of his attempted field goals.

College Football: Observations from spring practice (3-26)

2011-03-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

It looks as if the No. 1 secondary, at least for Saturday, was Derek Lopez and Darryl Morris at the corners, Jason McLean, Xavier Daniels and Matt Harris at the safety spots.
Coaches have been impressed by Harris' work ethic on the field and in the weight room.
Phillip Benning had a tough day, but made up for it late. Benning was beat by Daren Dillard early in practice for about a 30-yard touchdown but Benning broke up a touchdown pass at the end of practice.
Texas State had a ton of mistakes on offense, especially when trying to run the option. Counted at least five fumbles during those exchanges.
Tyler Arndt and Tim Hawkins are splitting duties at the No. 1 QB spot, with Shaun Rutherford getting time at the No. 2 spot. Bryan Hill is the No. 3 guy.
Players seemed surprised at the amount of people that showed up for Saturday's Bobcat Bonanza.

College Football: Notes from Pro Day

2011-03-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

Scouts from three teams (Packers, Panthers and Texans) watched several soon-to-graduate Texas State seniors participate in agility, speed and strength drills Wednesday morning.
Cornerback Drenard Williams had the best vertical (37") and broad jump (10'3") out of those seniors put through their paces with wide receiver Da'Marcus Griggs coming in a close second (32", 10'2").
Griggs lowered his personal best 40-yard dash time from 4.6 to 4.3 while Williams clocked a 4.4.
Griggs' marks in the 40, broad jump and vertical leap were all personal bests.
Sam Pier knocked out 22 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press while Marcus Clark and Woody McClendon each got 19.

College Football: Spring practice update

2011-03-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione had the practice fields rearranged so that the Bobcats now have two 80-yard fields instead of one full-sized pitch.
Former Texas State defensive coordinator Fred Bleil was out at Tuesday's practice to help chart plays for Franchione. Bleil, who had to go to the hospital not too long ago, lost a lot of weight but said he's feeling healthy.
Franchione said the coaches decided to move former TE Devin Baker to offensive line. Baker supported the move and Franchione said Baker could be a "great" tackle if he bulks up and learns the technique.
The Bobcats will don the pads again Thursday afternoon.

College Basketball: Breaking down the brackets

2011-03-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

First No. 1 seed to fall — Pittsburgh
If only one No. 1 seed reaches the final, it is — Kansas
Upset Alert: East — No. 11 Marquette vs. No. 6 Xavier
Upset Alert: West — No. 13 Oakland vs. No. 4 Texas
Upset Alert: Southwest — No. 12 Richmond vs. No. 5 Vanderbilt
Upset Alert: Southeast — No. 11 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 St. John's
Final Four — Ohio State (East), Arizona (West), Kansas (Southwest), Kansas State (Southeast)
Absolutely bananas pick — Old Dominion to reach the Elite Eight

College Basketball: Bobcat opponents in the NCAA Tournament

2011-03-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

Texas-San Antonio will play Alabama State in the play-in game for the right to take on Ohio State.
Long Island will play North Carolina in the first round.
Texas will play Oakland in the first round.

Halftime Update: McNeese State 37, Texas State 29

2011-03-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

The Bobcats finally found a team that can run with them -- or better than them. The Cowboys have 10 fast-break points to Texas State's zero.
The Bobcats aren't shooting well, only knocking down 36 percent of their shots from the field (9 of 25).
McNeese also has 24 points in the paint, compared to 12 by Texas State.
The Cowboys are also outrebounding the Bobcats, 21-15.
Texas State needs to a better job of running its fast-break offense and defending McNeese's secondary break, when its shooters settle into their places.

College Basketball: Lede-ing the way

2011-03-09T23:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a preview of my story in Thursday's Daily Record:

KATY -- Like the stars that they are, Texas State seniors Tony Bishop’s and Ryan White’s performances get better as the spotlight and stage grow.

Wednesday night in the quarterfinals of the Southland Conference Tournament, Bishop and White carried the Bobcats like they had throughout league play.

Bishop and White combined for 44 of Texas State’s 72 points in a 72-68 victory against Southeastern Louisiana. With the win, the Bobcats advanced to their first semifinal since 2003.

“These two guys next to me,” Texas State head coach Doug Davalos said during the post-game press conference, pointing at Bishop and White, “have two of the biggest hearts in the country. There’s not anybody else that I’d say have bigger hearts than these two guys.

“Whether it be laying out on the floor, trying to dive for a loose ball or battling against bigger or thicker guys every game, these guys give it their all and you saw what Ryan did tonight.”

For the rest, pick up a print edition of the Daily Record or check our Web site later Thursday afternoon.

College Basketball: Bobcats EARN a victory

2011-03-09T22:15:00.001-08:00

Texas State head coach Doug Davalos made the best point of his post-game press conference in the middle of the nine-minute, 31-second interview.

After fielding a question from a reporter about what it meant to beat Southeastern Louisiana, Davalos took a breath and then spoke about the resolve of his team.

"These guys are just so resilient and I think it's because they've been through so much together that they don't ever think they're going to be out of a game," Davalos said. "I'd like [this win] to be a little bit easier, but in the postseason, you have to earn it."

Davalos' squad did exactly that Wednesday night. The Bobcats finally delivered for a full 40 minutes in the Southland Conference Tournament.

Not only did it advance Texas State into the semifinals for the first time since 2003, it got a two-year weight off its back. In their last two trips to the Merrell Center in Katy, the Bobcats choked away double-digit leads in losses to Nicholls State (2009) and Southeastern Louisiana (2010).

Texas State didn't let another disappointment happen again as it held the Lions to eight points in the final six minutes. The Bobcats recorded four stops (two steals), grabbed three defensive rebounds and went six-for-six from the free-throw line during that span.

After a 22-hour break, Texas State is back on the court Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. against McNeese State. The Bobcats lost to the Cowboys earlier this season, 97-92, but were without Cameron Johnson, who played one of his best, if not the best, defensive games of the season Wednesday night.

College Basketball: Quick poll

2011-03-07T12:59:00.001-08:00

With two days to go until the SLC Tournament, I am feeling ____________ about what Texas State might do.survey software

College Basketball: An opportunity lost

2011-03-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

Time to take stock of what Texas State lost yesterday in failing to defeat Sam Houston State:

A share of its first regular-season title in the Southland Conference since 1998-99
An automatic berth in the NIT, should the Bobcats not win the SLC Tournament
A No. 2 seed in the SLC Tournament
An opportunity to play UTSA again
An opportunity at a winning record in the regular season

College Football: Darryl Morris, ladies and gentlemen

2011-03-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

I prepared to write a Pulitzer Prize-winning blog entry about the first day of spring football practice and then I talked with Texas State junior cornerback Darryl Morris.

Take it away, Darryl.

On what it feels like to be back on the field — "It's exciting for everybody now. It's not like, 'Ugh, practice.' It’s like 'Yeah, practice.'"

On what it's like with the new coaching staff — "It's crazy out here. Every coach is just yelling, coaching up everybody left and right. In one day, I feel like we elevated all of our games up that much more than before. When we were doing workouts, just lifting, we were like 'This is good stuff.' Then we started meeting up with our coaches and everybody could tell this is going to be something special. We can trust the coaches now because they know what they're doing."

On if he felt the previous coaches were holding the team back (Morris led on throughout his answers that this was the case and when asked, he was given ample opportunity to pass on the question or say 'No comment') — "Yeah. I don't mind answering that. It's just a totally different atmosphere. It's exciting. I feel like we're getting coached better. The coaches we had here before, they were cool, but I feel like with these guys, we took a step up. We're going to the WAC. We have coaches that are actually Division I coaches. And just look at it out here [Morris points around the field]. It looks way different. We have all new equipment. A new board. The other time keeper board we had like tape wrapped around it. Sometimes it didn’t work at all. People actually care now. It’s fun to be out here.

College Basketball: Fox to retire

2011-03-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

Texas State women's basketball coach Suzanne Fox will retire following Saturday's game against Sam Houston State.

You can read Texas State's release by CLICKING HERE.

College Football: Bobcats add two to 2012 schedule

2011-03-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Texas State announced this afternoon that Nevada and New Mexico have been added to the 2012 schedule. The Bobcats will host the Wolfpack on Sept. 29, 2012 and travel to play the Lobos the next week.

Spring practice for the 2011 season begins Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

College Basketball: Scenarios, scenarios

2011-03-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

For the Texas State men:

The Bobcats can clinch the West Division with a win OR a loss by Stephen F. Austin.
The Bobcats can earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament if; they win out and McNeese State loses one of its final two games (both at home).

For the Texas State women:

The Bobcats are currently out of the Southland Conference Tournament picture with two games remaining.
Texas State needs to win one of its last two games and have Southeastern Louisiana and Texas-Arlington lose out.
The Bobcats don't have a forgiving schedule, with 12-2 Lamar coming to Strahan Coliseum Wednesday night and Sam Houston State traveling to San Marcos on Saturday.

What do you think will happen?

College Basketball: Bishop named POTW

2011-02-28T15:02:00.000-08:00

Texas State head coach Doug Davalos can rest a bit easier this week since senior forward Tony Bishop was named Southland Conference Player of the Week.

You can read the SLC's press release by CLICKING HERE.

Spring Training Update

2011-02-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Former Texas State first baseman Paul Goldschmidt launched a three-run home run in the Arizona Diamondbacks' game this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies. Goldschmidt's bomb, which you can see here by clicking here, tied the game in the ninth inning.

College Basketball: Texas State/UTSA

2011-02-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

Texas-San Antonio leads Texas State by five at halftime, 38-33.
Got a little bit chippy in the first half as four technical fouls were dished out. UTSA's Larry Wilkins and Texas State's Tony Bishop got tangled up in the paint and then Doug Davalos and Brooks Robinson got into it a little bit.
Not sure why the Bobcats decided to sit in a 1-3-1 zone while the Roadrunners lit them up in the first half from beyond the arc. UTSA knocked down 6 of its 12 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes.
Texas State won at home again, thanks to a pair of free throws by Ryan White with 0.3 seconds left in the game. The final score was 82-80.

College Basketball: If the SLC Tournament began today...

2011-02-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

Texas State's men would be the No. 2 seed at 9-4 even though it has the same record as McNeese State. The Cowboys own a tiebreaker against the Bobcats from a win earlier in the season.
Texas State's women wouldn't be in the tournament as Suzanne Fox's team is currently sits in ninth. The Bobcats fell to Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday night and the Lions improved to 4-9, earning a tiebreaker against Texas State.

How about a poll?

2011-02-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

What are you anticipating the most as a fan of Texas State athletics?online survey

College Football: Wright hired by Wharton ISD as AD/HC

2011-02-21T14:49:00.001-08:00

Former Texas State head coach Brad Wright was hired by Wharton ISD as its new athletic director and head football coach. Wright will make $80,000 per year, according to the Wharton Journal-Spectator.

College Basketball: If the SLC Tournament began today

2011-02-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here are the seeds in the men's tournament...

1. Texas State (8-3)
2. McNeese State (7-4)
3. Northwestern State (7-4)
4. Southeastern Louisiana (6-5)
5. Stephen F. Austin (6-5)
6. Sam Houston State (6-5)
7. Texas-San Antonio (6-5)
8. Texas-Arlington (6-5)

Here are the seeds in the women's tournament...

1. McNeese State (10-1)
2. Lamar (9-2)
3. Sam Houston State (8-3)
4. Texas-San Antonio (7-4)
5. Central Arkansas (7-4)
6. Stephen F. Austin (6-5)
7. Northwestern State (6-5)
8. Texas State (4-7)

College Basketball: Texas State finds place in recent Bracketology

2011-02-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

According to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Texas State is the favorite to earn the Southland Conference's bid to the NCAA Tournament. Lunardi released his recent "Bracketology" report this afternoon.

The Bobcats would play Florida Atlantic in the first round play-in game and if they won, Texas State would tangle with Ohio State.

College Basketball: Davalos sounds off

2011-02-10T15:32:00.000-08:00

Talked with Texas State head coach Doug Davalos this afternoon about his team's recent success and senior forward Tony Bishop. Eventually the topic about Bishop NOT being named Southland Conference Player of the Week came up and this is what Davalos had to say...

"The guy they gave it to (Devon Baker) had a good week, but it was all offensive," Davalos said. "He’s the worst defensive player in the conference but they gave it to that guy, because he scored."

Baker averaged 24 points per game last week to lead Northwestern State to a pair of wins.

Bishop put up 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds Wednesday night against Central Arkansas, so another big performance Saturday afternoon against Texas-Arlington might put him in line for the award.

College Basketball: A Graphical Representation

2011-02-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

StatSheet.com does a great job of putting together pages for each team in Division I with graphical representations of who leads said team in each category. As you can tell for the Bobcats, it's pretty close to being equal across the board in several categories.

NCAA Basketball

College Football: Signing Class Breakdown

2011-02-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Offensive Linemen — 6
Wide Receivers — 4
Defensive Backs — 4
Defensive Linemen — 3
Tight Ends — 2
Linebackers — 2
Running Backs — 2
Kicker — 1

College Football: How the rest of the WAC fared on National Signing Day

2011-02-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of how the rest of the remaining teams in the WAC did on National Signing Day according to Rivals.com.

Louisiana Tech — 17 3* commits — Click Here
Utah State — 8 3* commits — Click Here
San Jose State — 6 3* commits — Click Here
Idaho — 5 3* commits — Click Here
New Mexico State — 4 3* commits — Click Here

No WAC schools pulled in any four-star recruits, but out of the 25 players Louisiana Tech will bring in for the 2011 season, 17 were three-star recruits.

College Football: National Signing Day

2011-02-02T09:23:00.001-08:00

Stay tuned for updates throughout the day.

To tide you over, take a look at the list Rivals has of verbal commitments by CLICKING HERE.

Here is the list of signed recruits from the Texas State web site.

Here's a quote from new Texas State offensive line coach Dennis Darnell on his recruits — "We don't have any of what people call, 'hogs,' or those who just line up and can only run straight at you. We have some athletic kids with great strength backgrounds. We want to have the strongest line in the state. We're not there yet, but we will get there."

Here's a quote from new Texas State defensive coordinator Craig Naivar on the defensive recruits — "Tylond Robertson and David Mims really stood out to us on tape. Those guys have an immediate ‘It’ factor and speed off the edge but every single one of these guys can play."

College Football: Talking recruiting

2011-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

Had a chance to talk about Texas State and its recruiting with Christopher Lyke, the owner of TexasHSFootball.com. You can check out the interview by CLICKING HERE.

National Signing Day, by the way, is tomorrow (Wednesday).

College Football: Some notes about the 2011 schedule...and beyond

2011-01-29T15:29:00.001-08:00

Spoke with Texas State Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis at halftime of the women's basketball game and here is what I gleaned...

Teis looked into an FCS team to come to San Marcos for the home opener, but all of the schools wanted a home-and-home series. Since Texas State is going to the FBS in 2012, the Bobcats are unable to agree to that deal.
With Texas State deemed FBS transitional in 2011, the school was able to schedule 12 games instead of 11.
Teis is in the process of talking with about 20 FBS teams to lock down the 2012 season opener. He told me those schools were in conferences like the Mountain West, Conference USA and Sun Belt.

College Football: 2011 Schedule

2011-01-29T09:57:00.000-08:00

Sept. 3 — at Texas Tech
Sept. 10 — at Wyoming
Sept. 17 — Tarleton State
Sept. 24 — at Stephen F. Austin
Oct. 1 — Nicholls
Oct. 8 — at McNeese State
Oct. 15 — Lamar
Oct. 22— at Southeastern Louisiana
Oct. 29 — Northwestern State
Nov. 5 — Prairie View A&M
Nov. 12 — at Central Arkansas
Nov. 19 — Sam Houston State

What are your thoughts on the schedule?

College Baseball: USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Preseason Poll

2011-01-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

USA Today and ESPN released its 2011 Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll this afternoon. You can take a look at it here — CLICK THESE WORDS.

Texas State will play six teams this season who either were ranked in the preseason or received votes. The Bobcats take on No. 2 TCU, No. 7 Texas, No. 13 Texas A&M, No. 17 Rice, No. 24 Arkansas and Baylor (also receiving votes).

The 2011 season starts Feb. 18 when Texas State hosts Nebraska, Missouri State and Air Force for a tournament.

College Football: Texas State will not play TCU in 2011

2011-01-27T12:53:00.001-08:00

Talked with someone in the Texas State athletic department yesterday at the basketball game and confirmed the Bobcats won't be playing TCU in 2011.

College Football: A funny story about scheduling featuring Brad Wright

2011-01-26T11:29:00.001-08:00

So Texas State might meet up with TCU in Week 3 of the 2011 season, giving the Bobcats four consecutive road games to open the slate (Texas Tech, Wyoming, TCU and Stephen F. Austin). With the news of Texas State playing the Horned Frogs again, it reminds me of a conversation I had with former head coach Brad Wright about scheduling.

When Wright took over as head coach in 2007, he told me he asked Texas State Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis to not schedule three teams as long as he was head coach — TCU, Houston and Texas Tech — because the Bobcats would lose face in front of in-state recruits.

Who did Texas State play in 2009? TCU. Who did the Bobcats play in 2010? Houston. And who is Texas State slated to play in the 2011 season opener? Texas Tech.

College Football: Fran's new staff

2011-01-21T23:23:00.001-08:00

Here is a list of Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione's new assistant coaches and their responsibilities:

Mike Schultz — Assistant Head Coach, Co-Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks Coach
Darrell Dickey — Co-Offensive Coordinator, Running Backs Coach
Craig Naivar — Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach
Dennis Darnell — Offensive Line Coach
Jason Johnson — Wide Receivers Coach
Brad Franchione — Linebackers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator
Mike Hudson — Defensive Line Coach
Reuben Vaughn — Defensive Tackles Coach
Charlie Reeve — Tight Ends Coach (?), Director of Football Operations, Recruiting Coordinator

OT: The rich get richer...

2011-01-19T10:59:00.001-08:00

I'm sure by now many of you have seen the new deal the University of Texas got from ESPN. The network will pay the Longhorns $300 million over a span of 20 years to broadcast Texas' games and such.

With the yin, comes the yang, and while it's not directly related, it's a shame in itself.

The University of Delaware announced today it would cut men's cross country and outdoor track and field from varsity status to comply with Title IX. Last year, the Blue Hens regulated the men's indoor track and field team to club status.

As many of you know, I graduated from the University of Delaware and ran four years of Division I cross country and track and field.

While Title IX is important in the grand scheme of things, it's sad that after this year, no other male runners at the University of Delaware will be able to experience what I — and my teammates — did from 2003-07.

College Football: Recruiting News (Part 1)

2011-01-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

Texas State is close to landing another solid JUCO transfer.

The Bobcats, who already have Blinn College wide receiver Shaun Rutherford on campus, are close to reeling in Navarro College tight end Chase Harper, who also has offers from Nebraska and Miami. Harper had an offer from the Cornhuskers last season, but couldn't join the team since he failed to qualify academically.

Harper, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, also played basketball at Navarro.

More on this as it develops.

College Football: Coaching staff nearly complete (Naivar returns to San Marcos)

2011-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

New Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione hired Rice defensive line coach and special teams coordinator Craig Naivar this afternoon. Naivar will reportedly become the new defensive coordinator for the Bobcats. This will be his second stint with Texas State as he was the defensive coordinator under David Bailiff from 2004-06.

College Football: Talking about Schultz

2011-01-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

Had a brief conversation with Bob Asmussen, the Illinois beat writer at The News-Gazette in Champaign, Ill., about new Texas State offensive coordinator Mike Schultz. Asmussen covered Schultz when he was the offensive coordinator with the Fighting Illini.

On what type of offense Texas State fans can expect to see: "He wants to run the ball first and foremost. You saw what he did at TCU and that's what he wanted to do at Illinois, but it was tough. He came in to Illinois with a quarterback (Juice Williams) already in place, so Mike had to adapt to him and not the other way around."

On how much blame Schultz should take for the Fighting Illini's short-comings as an offense in 2009: "I wouldn’t throw all of the blame at him. He was asked to do the impossible. I was surprised that he took the job. He was asked to take a position that didn’t fit him."

On if he thinks Schultz will succeed at Texas State: "Mike is back in his comfort zone now. With his Texas roots, he'll be able to recruit the area and build that program up. Going into the WAC couldn't be a better situation for him."

College Football: Franchione building staff one day at a time

2011-01-12T11:55:00.001-08:00

Only one coach (Charlie Reeve) kept his job in the transition between former Texas State head coach Brad Wright and new head coach Dennis Franchione.
Reeve is a solid recruiter but it's unknown what his job will be under Franchione.
It looks more and more like Franchione will hire current Middle Tennessee State offensive coordinator Mike Schultz for the same position with the Bobcats.
According to Football Scoop, Franchione is offering a position to former Kentucky defensive backs coach Chris Thurmond.

More as it develops.

College Football: My conversation with Teis from last Thursday night

2011-01-11T11:25:00.001-08:00

Following Thursday's hiring of Dennis Franchione as head football coach, I tracked down Texas State Director of Athletic Dr. Larry Teis to talk about Franchione. This is what he had to say about Franchione and the process the day before the press conference.

On if Franchione was on the original list of candidates he had himself: "To be honest with you, I probably had 20 guys in mind if I had to do this. That’s what a good athletic director does. When it happened, I went to President Trauth and we talked and said we have some names and thought it would be better off if we went into a national search firm."

On whether or not he had some extra say in the hiring of Franchione: "I was 20 percent of the vote. That's why we had five people in the committee. I won’t tell you what the actual vote was. People need to understand this isn’t a Larry Teis decision, this is the whole University decision."

On whether or not Franchione's job hopping worried him: "I laugh all the time when you say coaches aren't loyal. Ninety-nine percent of the nation isnit loyal when it comes to getting a better opportunity. All I hope is that if someone leaves us, that they leave us in a better position than when they got here."

On why the process took so long: "The only people who panicked are on the outside. You don't work on the fan's timetable, you work on the one that best fits the administration. We felt it was in our best interest to get everything in order before we moved forward. We salvaged three weeks of recruiting. If you lose three or four kids [because of the delay], that’s not worth chancing the future of this program at the most important juncture."

On if this was the most-important hire to this date of his tenure and for the future of the program: "Probably, just because where we sit today and where we're trying to go and how the national landscape is. We wanted somebody who had the knowledge and the experience before, that's why it’s very critical for where we are today and where we want to go. Experience was going to outweigh everything."

On whether or not this process weighed heavily on his mind: "Oh, God, yes. You don't know how many ADs I called in the last three to four days. Thank God I wasn't the only person making this decision. I'm glad it wasn’t on me and me alone. No one person should make this important decision."

College Football: Final TSN Poll

2011-01-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Here is my final ballot for The Sports Network Top 25 Poll:

1. Eastern Washington
2. Delaware
3. Villanova
4. Georgia Southern
5. Appalachian State
6. Wofford
7. North Dakota State
8. Pennsylvania
9. Lehigh
10. New Hampshire
11. William & Mary
12. Jacksonville State
13. Montana State
14. SE Missouri State
15. Western Illinois
16. South Carolina State
17. Bethune-Cookman
18. Montana
19. Grambling State
20. Jacksonville
21. Dayton
22. Liberty
23. Stephen F. Austin
24. Northern Iowa
25. Cal Poly

College Football: New staff beginning to take shape

2011-01-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

New Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione is already hard at work putting his staff together for the upcoming season. Along with Montana linebackers coach Mike Hudson, Franchione is poised to bring in current Blinn College offensive line coach Dennis Darnell and University of New Mexico offensive coordinator and running backs coach Darrell Dickey.

Hudson has experience in the Southland Conference as he was the defensive coordinator at Sam Houston State from 2003-04. He began his coaching career at Texas State in 1987.

Darnell most recently spent a season at Blinn College on Franchione's son's (Brad Franchione) staff. Prior to Blinn, Darnell was offensive coordinator at Northern Colorado but was fired following the 2009 season.

Dickey was the head coach at North Texas from 1998-2006 before moving to Utah State and then New Mexico. With the Lobos, Dickey's offense only averaged 15 points and 256.7 yards of total offense per game in 2010.

College Football: Fran's press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m.

2011-01-07T05:10:00.001-08:00

You can watch it live on the Texas State University athletic web site at that time.

Franchione's Press Conference — Click Here

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 14) — Reading The Fine Print

2011-01-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Just talked with a source close to Oklahoma defensive assistant Bobby Jack Wright. Here's what the source had to say:

Wright was very much a finalist after having a solid interview with the administration at Texas State. He left the meeting feeling good about his chances of landing the job.
His interview went so well that the Bobcats did extend a contract offer, but this is where it gets dicey: Included in Wright's contract was a stipulation that Texas State could fire him at any moment but then reassign him to another position within the University system.
Wright took a look at the contract with his lawyers and turned the job down.
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops was in Wright's corner the whole time, letting him have the freedom of seeking another position, especially one with his alma mater.
Wright left the process feeling Texas State Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis already had a guy in mind.

College Football: Is Fran the man?

2011-01-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

ESPN's Joe Schad reported earlier that Dennis Franchione will be the next head coach at Texas State. I am trying to confirm.

No calls have been returned but there is a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.

College Football: Your portal to the Bobcat Live Chat (Coaching Edition)

2011-01-06T09:56:00.001-08:00

In case you missed it in the previous post, the Bobcat Live Chat is today (Thursday) at 1 p.m.

Click Here To Access The Live Chat

College Football: Bobcat Live Chat

2011-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

We're going to hold a Bobcat Live Chat tomorrow at 1 p.m. on the San Marcos Daily Record web site to discuss the Texas State coaching search. If it's done by then, great, we can discuss the new head coach. If not, then we can still discuss those who were offered the position.

See you then and tell your friends.

Update: Also considering pushing it back an hour to 1 p.m. after getting some e-mails from folks taking a late lunch. Leave a comment to let me know what you prefer.

Double Update: The Live Chat will now begin at 1 p.m. Link to be provided shortly.

Triple Update: Here's the link you'll need to follow along. Click here to join the Bobcat Live Chat.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 13) — Possibly A Lucky Number?

2011-01-05T18:03:00.000-08:00

A source told me that if former Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins won't accept a pay cut to coach at Texas State, the Bobcats are prepared to move forward with either San Diego State defensive coordinator Rocky Long or former Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe.
Long's decision might be tough depending on what San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke does. Hoke evidently is the front runner for the open position at Michigan now that Rich Rodriguez was fired and it's known that Long would be the coach-in-waiting at SDSU.

More as it comes clearer.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 12) — Making Sense Of It All

2011-01-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

This is what it's going to come down to and it's from a quote I heard from my friend a while ago: "What a piece of bread looks like depends on the man who is describing it."

Those remaining candidates know how much Texas State is offering. It was reported here a while ago that the base salary would be between $300-400K.

Those remaining candidates also know how much Texas State will offer to pay any assistants they want to bring on board. While an official number hasn't been released, it's not a staggering amount. Former head coach Brad Wright fought hard to get the administration to improve his assistants' salaries but it just didn't happen.

Most of the remaining candidates would need to take a pay cut from their previous jobs to assume a job at Texas State with a lot more responsibility, yet they've stayed in because they want to either get their foot in or back in the door at this level of responsibility.

So who wants it more? Who is the hungriest candidate?

We'll find out soon.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 11) — A Decision Is Coming

2011-01-05T15:19:00.000-08:00

Here is a comprehensive list of the finalists according to several folks I talked to once former Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster pulled his name out of the running:

Former Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins
Missouri linebackers coach Dave Steckle
Oklahoma defensive assistant Bobby Jack Wright
Tulsa defensive coordinator Paul Randolph
Former Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe
San Diego State defensive coordinator Rocky Long
Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson
Former Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione

Heard contradicting information from a few of my sources about Franchione. One said Franchione pulled his name out of the running while another said Franchione is still in. This all happened within an hour of each other. His name remains until I can get concrete proof that he is out.

Also heard that Watson removed his name from contention.

More as it comes out.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 10) — All jumbled up

2011-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Remember that pecking order of candidates I posted not too long ago on this blog and on Twitter? Well, it's all been jumbled up with the influx of new candidates given to Texas State from Parker Executive Search.

According to a source, the administration has been impressed with each interview and right now it's tough to pinpoint a clubhouse leader.

More to come as it develops.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 9) — Two schools of thought

2011-01-05T10:59:00.001-08:00

As BobcatReport stated earlier, Dennis Franchione withdrew his name from contention to become the new head coach at Texas State. In talking with some folks last night at the basketball game, I got this feeling too, but wanted to wait until today to confirm it.

Ended up talking with a source about this matter and he told me there are two trains of thought going around about Franchione deciding to take his name out of the running.

Franchione felt the other candidates listed had a better résumé in recent years than he and thought with the expanded search, there was no way he'd get the job without someone thinking the fix was in.
Franchione did it in consideration of his friend, Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis.

UPDATE: Heard from someone else Franchione didn't pull his name from the race.

DOUBLE UPDATE: Franchione is still very much in the mix for the position.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 8) — Interviews have commenced

2011-01-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

Three candidates have been scheduled to or have interviewed Tuesday with Texas State president Dr. Denise M. Trauth, Director of Athletics Dr. Larry Teis and Parker Executive Search — San Diego State defensive coordinator Rocky Long, Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson and former Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster.
From what I've been told by sources, both Long and Watson left those in attendance impressed. Brewster, according to another source, is set to interview Tuesday night in Austin.
It seems as if Brewster is trying very hard for the job, coming to Austin to interview and reportedly studying up on the players he'd inherit as well as having a staff in mind should he get the job.
Expect Oklahoma defensive assistant Bobby Jack Wright to interview Wednesday with former Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins to put in a late charge soon after, according to a source.
Former Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione won't interview on campus, according to a source.
When asked about the candidates, one player said he "...liked everyone they have named" and when it comes to the type of style he'd like to see the coach bring, the player said he "...likes the balanced attack but we need to take some more chances downfield."

College Football: Coaching Poll (No. 5)

2011-01-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

It's getting around that time. So, who do you think will get the job? Feel free to write in your own answer but include it in the comments.

Who will be the new head football coach at Texas State?Market Research

College Football: Players Meeting

2011-01-03T15:35:00.001-08:00

In case anybody had any questions about the players only meeting held by Texas State yesterday (Sunday), it was much ado about nothing.

They didn't announce a head coach since the Board of Regents just granted Texas State president Dr. Denise M. Trauth permission to go ahead with a hire once she, Dr. Larry Teis and Parker Executive Search find the proper candidate.

It was meant more to discuss the upcoming semester and offseason workouts.

College Football: Coaching Search Update (Part 7) — Results from B.O.R. Meeting

2011-01-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to what was discussed at today's Texas State University System Board of Regents Meeting — actually a teleconference. Click here to take a look.

Basically, the Regents granted Texas State president Dr. Denise M. Trauth the ability to pursue the hiring of a new head football coach. Trauth was unable to move forward without this blessing.

The teleconference lasted all of 24 minutes and the next meeting was originally scheduled for Feb. 10-11.

Salary parameters weren't discussed and will be at the discretion of Trauth when a prospective candidate is offered the position.