By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
As excitement continues to build for Baylor football’s home opener against Texas State University on Saturday, The Baylor Lariat reached out to The University Star to get some insight into what the mindset is like on the Bobcats’ campus in San Marcos.
The University Star is the student-run newspaper on Texas State’s campus, and sports editor David Cuevas and sports contributor James Horton shed some light on how their fans are feeling.
The Bears will play the Bobcats for the third-straight season after knocking them off 29-20 in San Marcos (2021) and 42-7 in Waco (2022). Given that track record, Horton said he expects Texas State to ultimately fall on Saturday.
“I mean, I don’t think we’re going to beat them,” Horton said. “Obviously, that’s a Big 12 team. Every position is going to be by committee, maybe besides the receivers. I think there’s a few guys that are guaranteed to play there, and probably Calvin [Hill] will get the most carries in the backfield, but pretty much everything else is going to be an evaluation.”
In terms of student outlook at Texas State, Cuevas said there isn’t a whole lot of confidence rolling into this season. He said it’s different for him and Horton, who are actually in the media bubble covering the team. Cuevas added there’s a running joke in San Marcos about the level of engagement students have at home games.
“It’s kind of a joke, like everyone goes to tailgates and then leaves,” Cuevas said. “It’s pretty much a running joke. I can’t speak for the student body, but I’m more optimistic. Personally, I’m a believer in [head coach G.J.] Kinne.”
Horton bounced off that joke and said the main reason students aren’t that invested is because the Bobcats haven’t had much success over the last few years.
“To be honest, it’s not really a conversation that students have very often,” Horton said. “I mean, even in the classes I’m in, some people don’t even know we have a new head coach. Everybody that’s on campus right now — no one’s experienced a good season. It’s been so long.”
G.J. Kinne, Texas State’s new head coach, took over the program following a dominant year at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio. He led the nation’s No. 1 offense with the Cardinals and is looking to continue that success with the Bobcats. Kinne stepped in and brought both of his coordinators with him, pretty much building the roster up from scratch with transfers.
Horton said the new presence is a positive one, and it gives the opportunity to flip the switch from previous years.
“I think the biggest difference is going to be their attitude,” Horton said. “This head coach is totally different. He has so much experience, and even in the way he recruited in the offseason, he seems super aggressive. I don’t think we’re going to get punched in the mouth [by Baylor] as much as we did last year or the year before. It’s going to be a totally different culture.”
Given that Kinne’s UIW offense averaged over 50 points a game last season, Cuevas said he’s looking at the quarterback position as being the X factor for Saturday’s lid-lifter. With so many unknowns about Kinne’s new-look team, Cuevas said he wants to see strong play under center.
“Definitely the quarterback because [of] the offense — that’s what Kinne does,” Cuevas said. “Last year, look at his quarterback, he’s on the staff here now, working with the quarterbacks.”
Both Cuevas and Horton said McLane Stadium is going to be an imposing atmosphere on Saturday. Even though the Bobcats rolled into Waco last year, not everyone on the 2023 Texas State roster got to experience that game. They said the loud crowd will be a strong test for the Bobcats as they use their non-conference schedule to prepare them for competition in the Sun Belt Conference.
“It’s probably going to be one of the most packed crowds we’ve played in front of all year, and everybody is basically brand-new on the team,” Horton said. “As long as it’s not 42-7 like it was a year ago. If we compete in that atmosphere, it’s going to do a lot, because we’re not going to play in an environment like that again unless we make it to a bowl game.”
Keep up with The University Star on its website and on X, formerly known as Twitter. Kickoff between Baylor and Texas State is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium. The game will also be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.