Texas State Turns Over, Rolls Over Rice in SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
DALLAS – Regardless of the outcome, the first-ever bowl appearance by the Texas State Bobcats promised to be memorable.
Winning made it that much sweeter.
Texas State claimed the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl with a 45-21 victory Tuesday night over Rice before a largely-Bobcat crowd of 26,542 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
“This was a great win for the team and Texas State’s first bowl win,” Bobcats coach G.J. Kinne said. “We couldn’t have done this without the hard work of all our players and coaches. I feel like this has been a real landmark season for our team and program, and we could not be happier.”
Texas State (8-5) outlasted the instate Owls – Lone Star State schools had never met before in a First Responder Bowl before – with a balanced attack and opportunistic defense. The Bobcats forced six turnovers and scored on two pick-6 interceptions by Brian Holloway, who transferred from SMU.
Being back on his old field felt good for the senior linebacker and game MVP.
“To be able to do it at SMU, the school where I started, it’s the ultimate full circle story,” Holloway said. “It’s unbelievable. I’m at a loss for words. It’s crazy.”
Bobcats quarterback TJ Finley threw for 152 yards. Running back Jahmyl Jeter rushed for a season-high three touchdowns, tying a season high. Ismail Mahdi ran for 122 yards.
Rice (6-7) capped its second straight bowl campaign with its fifth postseason game in Dallas. The other four being the Cotton Bowl, with the last in 1958.
Down 21-7 in the second quarter, the Owls rallied to tie it before the period was up on scoring runs by Dean Conners. The junior running back finished with 64 yards on the ground.
Rice quarterback AJ Padgett threw for just 85 yards and was intercepted three times. The Owls managed just 197 yards of offense.
“Things snowballed today,” Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren said. “We couldn’t go on to the next play like I thought we could. We got shook. The running game can be your best friend, but we couldn’t get that going. Everyone on offense didn’t play on offense well enough.”
Texas State managed a field goal at the halftime gun to take a 24-21 lead into the locker room. The Bobcats broke the game open with two touchdowns in the third quarter.
Finley engineered a short 30-yard drive that ended with a lateral and 3-yard run by left tackle Nash Jones, who was lined up eligible. Holloway followed with his second pick, taking it 48 yards for a 38-21 lead.
The Bobcats found the end zone twice in the first quarter, capping long drives with touchdown runs by Jeter. The first covered 29 yards for the game’s first score less than two minutes into the game. He added a 1-yard after Rice’s first touchdown.