TXST FOOTBALL
Bobcats host Lamar in home opener
Texas State opens their highly anticipated season at home when the Bobcats face the Lamar Cardinals.
Head Coach G.J. Kinne paid his respects to Lamar Head Coach Peter Rossomando, who led the program to their first winning season since 2018.
“I have a lot of respect for Rossomando and what he has built,” Kinne said. “I played against those guys in the Southland a couple of years ago when he wasn’t there, and it is a completely different team. He has done an incredible job of recruiting and evaluating.”
Kinne expects the Lamar offensive line to give the Bobcat defense test come Saturday given the Cardinals tendency to focus on the ground game.
“They run a great scheme on both sides of the ball,” Kinne said. “Defensively they are very multiple, and offensively they take the identity of their head coach. They want to run the football and are very sound up front. Probably one of the better offensive line groups we will play all year. They have a great technique, and you can tell both the offensive line and the tight ends are working together. They are going to present a great challenge for us.”
On the Lamar defense, Kinne expects the Cardinals to throw a lot of defensive looks at the Bobcats with the expectation to make the adjustments as the game goes along.
“I expect them to be multiple on defense,” Kinne said. “We always see a little bit of a different picture on defense because of our unique scheme. The good thing for us is our offensive staff has been together for a long time, and we are really good at identifying what defenses are trying to do and having a good game plan series to series then getting in there at halftime and seeing what is going on.”
Lamar is coming off a 6-5 season where the Cardinals clinched their first winning season since 2018. In the Southland Football Preseason Poll, Lamar was picked to finish in fourth place with one first place vote.
The Cardinals are led by quarterback Robert Coleman and running back Khalan Griffin. Coleman passed for 1,954 yards and 16 touchdowns last season while Griffin ran for 823 yards on 177 carries and five touchdowns.
Texas State has an extensive history of playing the Lamar Cardinals dating back to 1951.
Both the Bobcats and the Cardinals were a part of the Lone Star Conference from 1951 to 1962 before Lamar left the conference to become a founding member of the Southland Conference.
The series was revived in 1981 and played through 1989 when Lamar opted to shut down their football program.
The 1981 game is perhaps the most famous game between Lamar and Texas State. The Bobcats defeated the Cardinals 24-7 after Lamar had defeated the defending Southwest Conference champions Baylor.
The Cardinals later revived their football program and played Texas State in 2011 during Lamar’s first season back in the Southland.
Texas State leads the overall series 15-6-1.
Kickoff for Texas State-Lamar is set for 7 p.m. tomorrow.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
