Despite Texas State's dominance over Houston Christian, coach Jake Spavital sees flaws

SAN MARCOS — Texas State is 2-0 at home to start the season for the first time since 2013 after downing Houston Christian 34-0 Saturday. It is the first shutout for the Bobcats since 2014 (Arkansas Pine Bluff, 65-0), the largest win since 2015 (Prairie View A&M, 63-24) and the fewest total yards allowed (142) since joining the FBS in 2012.

Texas State coach Jake Spavital credited a defense that played “extremely well” but still acknowledged some flaws, specifically the third-quarter performance of his team. A field goal against the Huskies provided the only points scored in the third quarter by the Bobcats this season.

Texas State notebook: In his sixth season, DB Kordell Rodgers says Bobcats a 'brotherhood'

“We’ve studied” the third quarter, Spavital said. “I thought today (Houston Christian) played way harder than we did. They were loading the box up, and they were blitzing guys from all over. They caught us in some plays, but at the end of the day we’ve got to play harder. (Houston Christian) was playing harder than us in the second half. That’s something I won’t stand for, and we’ll get it fixed.

“When we got out in the second half, I didn’t feel like we were playing with that edge. We were moving a lot of bodies in. Trying to save some guys, but that’s not the expectation we have. It’s not OK that you can’t move the ball like that even though we are moving in guys. We didn’t play with the edge and passion we did in the first half, and I’ve got to fix that.”

After an interception ended the first series for Texas State’s offense, quarterback Layne Hatcher finished the game with 362 yards passing, four touchdowns and a 66% completion rate (27-for-41). Three of Hatcher’s touchdowns came in the first half — a 19-yard pass to Julian Ortega-Jones and a 3-yard pass to Ashtyn Hawkins in the first quarter and a 38-yarder to Marcell Barbee in the second. A 27-yard field goal by Seth Keller as time expired in the second quarter gave the Bobcats a 24-0 advantage at the break.

Texas State extended its lead on another Keller field goal (33 yards) with 1 minute, 11 seconds left in the third quarter. The Bobcats' first two drives of the final quarter were three-and-outs, but the third one yielded a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hatcher to Donnovan Moorer with 46 seconds left.

Texas State notebook: Bobcats' Nelson Mbanasor is happy to finish career closer to home

Despite leading by multiple scores throughout most of the game, Spavital said he didn’t feel comfortable giving time to backup quarterbacks Ty Evans and CJ Rogers. Hatcher took every snap in nonconference play. Evans is a sophomore transfer from North Carolina State in his second year at Texas State. Rogers is a freshman transfer from Baylor who joined the team in the summer.

The game “wasn’t really out of hand,” Spavital said. “At the end, it was just can we sustain a drive and keep the defense off the field. … I wanted to get both of those guys in (Evans and Rogers). That was the whole plan. We wanted to play a lot, but we just never got to that point.”

Barbee finished the game with six catches for 112 yards and a score. Hawkins also had six grabs for 52 yards and a touchdown. Javen Banks had two catches for 80 yards — a 41-yarder and a 39-yarder.

More:The only thing consistent with Texas State? The Bobcats' inconsistency, Spavital says

Lincoln Pare, an Arkansas State transfer in his first season at Texas State, paced the Bobcats with 84 yards rushing on 19 carries (4.4 yards per carry) and had four catches for 39 yards. Calvin Hill added 61 yards on 17 carries (3.6 per carry).

Defensive back Jarron Morris, middle linebacker Sione Tupou and outside linebacker Jordan Revels led the team with seven tackles, with Revels recording half a sack and a tackle for loss. Three defensive linemen registered sacks — Ben Bell (1½), Levi Bell (one) and Nelson Mbanasor (one) — and corner Kordell Rodgers grabbed his third interception of the season.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas State defeats Houston Christian in Bobcats football dominant win