Nov. 19, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

San Marcos, Texas -

Texas State looks to win its seventh game of the season when the Bobcats play host to intrastate rival Sam Houston State in a Southland Conference game on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Bobcat Stadium.

Texas State enters today's game with a 6-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Southland Conference play with both losses coming by a combined four points, which re-entered this week's national rankings at No. 25, enters tonight's game with a 6-3 overall record and a 4-1 Southland Conference mark after winning at Nicholls and Northwestern State, against No. 11-ranked Stephen F. Austin and at No. 19 Central Arkansas. The winning streak ended last Saturday, Nov. 7, when the BObcats suffered a 30-27 loss against 10th-ranked McNeese State at Bobcat Stadium.

Sam Houston State enters the game with a 5-5 overall record this season and a 3-3 mark in Southland Conference play after winning a 17-14 decision against Central Arkansas in Huntsville last Saturday.

BOBCATS ON THE RADIO AND INTERNET
All Texas State football games can be heard in the San Marcos area on KTSW-FM 89.9 beginning with a pregame tailgating show that begins 90 minutes before each kickoff. The official Texas State football pregame show featuring interviews with head coach Brad Wright , assistant coaches and Bobcat players starts 45 minutes prior to each kickoff. During the game, Brant Freeman calls the play-by-play, and Bill Culhane provides color commentary.

In addition, fans can follow each game statistically on the www.txstatebobcats.com website as well with game tracker or the All-Access pass allows fans to video and audio stream the game on www.txstatebobcats.com as well.

THE SERIES
This marks the 86th time overall that Texas State and Sam Houston State meet on the gridiron in a series that dates back to 1919, when the Bobcats won a 32-0 decision. The Bobcats own an 18-11-1 record against the Bearkats in San Marcos since 1949. The visiting team has won the last two games played between the two schools. Sam Houston State edged Texas State 29-28 on Nov. 15, 2007 and Texas State won a 48-45 overtime decision on Nov. 22, 2008.

BOBCATS LOOK TO GO TO 4-2 AT HOME
Texas State is looking to improve to 4-2 in home games after splitting their last two home games with a 30-27 loss against McNeese State last Saturday, Nov. 7, and winning 28-7 Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 31.

The Bobcats had opened the season with a 48-28 victory over Angelo State on Sept. 5 and a 52-18 victory over Texas Southern on Sept. 26 in the first two home games of the 2009 campaign.

Following Saturday's game against Stephen F. Austin, Texas State will play their final two home games against McNeese State on Nov. 14 and Sam Houston State on Nov. 21. Texas State enters Saturday's game with an all-time record of 99-69 in games played at Bobcat Stadium. During each of the previous three seasons, the Bobcats were 3-3 in home games after winning a school record nine home games and posting a 9-1 mark in home contests in 2005.

102 YEARS OF BOBCAT FOOTBALL
Texas State is in its 102nd season of playing intercollegiate football and enters the Sam Houston State game with an all-time record of 479-396-26. The Bobcats began playing football in 1904, when they opened with a 5-1 record. Texas State did not play football in 1942, 1945 and 1946. The Bobcats have won 11 Conference championships during their history, including last season when Texas State won their first outright Conference title and 2005 season when Texas State was co-champion of the Southland Conference.

BACK TO BACK WINNING SEASONS
Texas State improved its overall record to 6-3 and that guarantees that the Bobcats will have a winning season for the second straight year after posting an 8-5 mark in 2008. It marks the first back-to-back winning seasons for Texas State since 1990 and 1991 when the Bobcats finished those seasons with 6-5 and 7-4 records, respectively. In addition to the 8-5 record last season, Texas State advanced to the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs for the second time in four years.

15 WINS IN TWO REGULAR SEASONS
If Texas State wins Saturday's game against Sam Houston State it would give the Bobcats 15 wins over the course of two seasons. It would mark the first time since 1983 that the Bobcats have won 15 regular season games over the course of two seasons. The Bobcats had a 9-1 regular season record before advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA FCS Playoffs in 2005 and won five games in 2004 and five in 2006.

TEXAS STATE AT BOBCAT STADIUM
The Bobcats will look to win their fourth home game of the season when they play host to Sam Houston State. Texas State fell to 3-2 this season in home games with last week's loss against McNeese State. Texas State's three wins this season came against Stephen F. Austin, Texas Southern and Angelo State. The two losses were against McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana. The loss to McNeese State also gives the Bobcats an all-time record of 99-70 in games played at Bobcat Stadium. Texas State began playing on their home field in 1981 and had a 6-1 mark at home that season.

This season's 3-2 record in home games came after Texas State posted a 3-3 mark in home games during each of the past three years, The Bobcats won a school record nine home games in 2005 when they finished with a 9-1 record in home contests. In 2002, the stadium was renamed Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium in honor of the school's highly successful head coach and former athletics director. In his first seasons as head coach, Wacker had a 42-8 record and led Texas State to the 1981 and 1982 NCAA Division II national championships.

BOBCATS ON THE ROAD
Texas State finished its 2009 season with a 3-2 record in road games after its the 27-24 victory at No. 19 Central Arkansas. The Bobcats also won road contests with a 20-17 triumph at Northwestern State on Oct. 24 and a 34-28 victory at Nicholls on Oct. 17. Texas State opened the season with a 56-21 loss at then #15 FBS-ranked TCU on Sept. 19 and a 38-16 setback at Southern Utah on Oct. 3.

This marks the second straight season that the Bobcats have won each of their Southland Conference road games and gives Texas State seven straight wins in SLC road games. Texas State is 3-0 in SLC road contests this year after winning all four SLC road games in 2008. It is the second longest road winning streak in SLC road games by current SLC members. McNeese State won nine straight SLC road games in 2006-08. Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin won five straight SLC road contests.

Texas State's win at Nicholls marked the first time the Bobcats had won a game in Thibodaux since 1999. Texas State had lost four straight games at Nicholls before last Saturday's win. Last season, Texas State won SLC road games at McNeese State, Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Louisiana and Sam Houston State.

5-2 SLC RECORD
Texas State looks to equal its 5-2 Southland Conference play with a victory over Sam Houston State. It would mark the first time in school history that the Bobcats won five SLC games in back to back seasons since joining the league in 1987. The five wins also would equal the highest single season total for a Bobcat team in Southland Conference play. Texas State was 5-2 in 2000, 5-1 in 2005 and 5-2 last season. The Bobcats were SLC co-champions in 2005 and won their first outright SLC championship and first outright conference championship since 1983. Texas State has already surpassed its best two-year Southland Conference record with nine SLC wins in the last two seasons.