Texas State entered its first season in the Pac-12 with an opportunity to build on the momentum the program has created under head popular but still unproven head coach G.J. Kinne. At five games into the season, the Bobcats find themselves searching for answers.
A 31-29 loss at San Diego State in Texas State's first Pac-12 conference game dropped the Bobcats to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The record itself is not impossible to overcome, especially with most of the conference schedule still ahead, but the way Texas State has gotten there has created legitimate concerns. Saturday's loss may have been the most frustrating example yet.
Texas State took a 17-3 lead into halftime and statistically controlled much of the game. The Bobcats finished with 565 total yards compared to just 239 for San Diego State and ran a program-record 102 offensive plays. Brad Jackson threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns, while also leading Texas State with 80 rushing yards.
Yet none of it resulted in a win.
San Diego State scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter, including a half-opening kickoff return by the Aztecs and multiple defensive line interceptions inexcusably thrown by QB Brad Jackson, and some horrible special teams mishaps completely flipping a game Texas State appeared to have under control. The Aztecs eventually escaped with a two-point victory, leaving the Bobcats with a difficult question early in their first Pac-12 campaign: how does a team producing that much offense continue finding ways to lose?
That has become one of the defining frustrations of Texas State's start and seemingly Kinne's whole time at TXST.
The offense has now produced more than 500 yards in three consecutive games. Against San Diego State, Texas State held the Aztecs to a season-low 239 total yards and only 109 through the air. On paper, those are numbers that should normally produce a comfortable win. Instead, turnovers, special teams mistakes, and a disastrous third quarter outweighed nearly everything Texas State did well.
At 2-3, it is far too early to completely write off the season. Texas State has played only one Pac-12 game, and there is still time to turn things around, but the margin for error is getting smaller.
The Bobcats return home Oct. 15 against Colorado State, and that game could tell us considerably more about the direction of this season. A win would put Texas State back on track at 1-1 in conference play. Another loss would move the Bobcats to 2-4 and 0-2, making an already disappointing start much more difficult to overcome.
If that happens, another conversation should begin: how much should Texas State prioritize its young players? The Bobcats have an intriguing group of freshmen and redshirt freshmen who could become important pieces of the program's future.
The young Bobcats have already started making their presence felt this season. Davian Jackson has emerged, scoring a touchdown in each of Texas State's first five games while contributing as a receiver, runner, and returner. Freshmen La'Keyleon Graves, Dameon Crowe and Juntavious Harris have also seen the field offensively, while other first-year players have earned early opportunities on defense and special teams. Rather than simply representing the future of the program, Texas State's freshman class is already beginning to contribute during its first season in the Pac-12.
That does not mean Texas State should abandon the season after five games or immediately replace established starters with freshmen. But if the Bobcats reach a point where competing for a Pac-12 championship is no longer realistic, getting meaningful snaps for players who could become major contributors in 2027 should become part of the equation.
Texas State is navigating more than a normal season. This is the program's first year in a new conference, and establishing itself as a legitimate Pac-12 program will take more than one season. Developing young talent now could pay off when those players are asked to become starters and leaders in the years ahead.
For now, though, Texas State still has an opportunity to change the conversation; the Bobcats have shown they can move the football. They have shown flashes of the explosive offense that has characterized the Kinne era. And despite the 2-3 record, they are only one game into conference play; what they have not shown is the ability to consistently turn those performances into wins.
The next few weeks will determine whether the slow start becomes just that, a slow start, or the defining story of Texas State's inaugural Pac-12 season. If it becomes the latter, the focus may need to shift, not necessarily toward giving up on 2026, but toward making sure something valuable comes from it.
