College Football: Bush bolts for UTSA

Spring football practice begins in less than a month and a half for Texas State and the Bobcats are left with one offensive coordinator.

Texas State associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator Travis Bush parted ways with Texas State Wednesday afternoon to join Larry Coker’s staff at UTSA. Bush will be the sole offensive coordinator for the Roadrunners, who don’t begin competitive play until 2011.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to be part of UTSA and San Antonio,” Bush told GoUTSA.com. “I’m excited about the chance to work for Coach Coker and to be part of the amazing staff he’s already put together.”

UTSA will be Bush’s third collegiate stop since 2001. He worked as a graduate assistant at Texas Christian from 2001-04, joined the Bobcats in 2005 as the wide receivers coach and then assumed the role of co-offensive coordinator in 2007 once Brad Wright took over as head coach at Texas State.

Bush helped build the Bobcats’ offense into a powerhouse in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Texas State finished the 2008 regular season as the fifth-best offense in nation after putting up 460 yards and 38.3 points per game. The Bobcats dropped off in 2009, but still posted 422 yards of total offense per game and finished the regular season ranked 12th.

Bush also helped mold former Texas State quarterback Bradley George into a standout passer in the Southland Conference. George passed for 9,556 yards in his career with the Bobcats, all of which were under Bush’s supervision.

Texas State head coach Brad Wright wasn’t able to be reached for comment, but said through the school’s Sports Information Director that, “This is a good move for (Bush) and his family.”

Bush, who began his coaching career at San Marcos High, couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday night.

College Football: Some recruiting news

• Texas State is in the running for Antonio Johnson, a two-star offensive tackle from Diboll High (Class 3A).
• The Bobcats are one of two teams vying for Johnson. North Texas is the other.
• According to the Dallas Morning News, Johnson had given Louisiana-Monroe a soft commit, but pulled it back once the Warhawks' head coach was fired.
• Johnson is 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds.
• He is scheduled to visit Texas State this weekend.
  

College Basketball: An unlikely injury and a transfer

• Many of you at the Texas State men's basketball game last Saturday afternoon might have been wondering why Bobcats head coach Doug Davalos was limping on the sideline. Well, Davalos dislocated his kneecap playing pick-up basketball last week. He underwent surgery Monday afternoon to repair the damage.
• Wednesday edit: Davalos won't be missing any time on the sideline.
  
• Davalos should be walking normally again in six to eight weeks.
• Those of you at the game last Saturday afternoon might have also noticed two new faces at the end of Texas State's bench.
• One is Matt Staff, a who is in the process of transferring from the University of New Mexico, and the other is Eddie Rios, a walk-on practice player from the University of Miami (Fla.).
• Staff is a 6-foot, 9-inch forward from Houston. He averaged 19 points, 13.8 rebounds and three assists per game in high school.
• Rios, is a 6-foot, 190-pound point guard from Miami (Fla.). He was considered the 17th-best point guard in the nation coming out of high school in 2006-07.
• Rios ran out of favor with the Hurricanes after running into some legal trouble. Take it as you may.
  

More on Johnson's big game

• Cameron Johnson scored 34 points Saturday afternoon to lead Texas State to a 78-76 win against Central Arkansas.
• Johnson went 11-for-16 from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked three shots and stole two passes.
• 25 of his 34 points came in the second half.
• In his previous seven games, Johnson was 20-for-72 (26 percent).
• Johnson was one of four players for the Bobcats who played more than 30 minutes. He registered 34, which was second on the team to John Bowman's 35.
• Johnson eclipsed his previous career high (24 points) late in the second half.

Bobcats land an FBS transfer

Three weeks remain until National Signing Day, but the 2010 recruiting class is beginning to take shape for Texas State.

The Bobcats just finalized the transfer of Jarrad Stewart, a 5-foot, 9-inch defensive back, from the University of Utah. Stewart was heavily recruited out of Pearland High, where he played alongside current Texas State center Steven Kenney.

When he was a senior in high school, Stewart received offers from Baylor, Houston and Kansas State, but decided to play for the Utes. You can watch Stewart's high school highlights here.

Stewart should make an immediate impact in Texas State's secondary. He will most likely vie for a starting spot beside fellow FBS transfer Drenard Williams (Iowa State) and push Derek Lopez into nickel coverage.

College Basketball: Islanders sink the Bobcats

By Tyler Mayforth
Daily Record Sports

San Marcos — Texas State lives and dies a step behind the 3-point line.

If the Bobcats knock down their 3-pointers early, there’s usually a good chance they’ll win. Should Texas State struggle to find its shot, like it did Wednesday night against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, it’s going to be a long game for the Bobcats.

Texas State missed 18 of its 23 attempted 3-pointers in the 68-59 loss to the Islanders. The Bobcats fell to 7-9 overall and 1-1 in the Southland Conference.

“When they got open looks, they hit them. When we got open looks, we didn’t,” Texas State head coach Doug Davalos said. “I have no idea why we don’t hit open shots. It’s not like we don’t shoot the ball in practice.

“This happened in our gym too; this is what surprises me. This is the same gym we shoot in all the time. So it’s not the lighting, it’s not the court and it’s not anything else but just stepping up and knocking down the shots we needed to.”

You can read the rest here.

Jackson dismissed from team

Texas State head men's basketball coach Doug Davalos dismissed sophomore guard Roshun Jackson last Thursday due to a violation of team disciplinary rules.

Jackson didn't play much for the Bobcats, seeing eight minutes per game in 2008-09 and 12.3 in 2009-10. When he was on the floor, Jackson was a non-factor, averaging 2.2 points per game.

Jackson's dismissal marks the fourth departure by a Texas State player in the last two years under Davalos' watch. Tre Nichols and Gordon Taylor left the team only a few games into the 2008-09 season and Ty Gough transferred to Dallas Baptist last summer.