SAN MARCOS – Texas State football found a way to win Saturday night, clinching a 37-35 victory over Fresno State in a type of game that the Bobcats used to lose, often in heartbreaking fashion.
The Bobcats (6-4, 4-2 Pac-12) made a habit of squandering leads in 2025, and have done so three times in 2026. But the hardships they endured toughened Texas State’s resolve, head coach GJ Kinne said, and it showed in the fourth quarter against Fresno State (5-5, 2-4).
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“Sometimes adversity early on in the season, as bad as it is … I think it helped us tonight and in that fourth quarter,” Kinne said.
MORE: Bobcats squeeze out win over Bulldogs
‘Next play mentality’ for Texas State
Texas State got off to an explosive start, scoring touchdowns on four straight drives. The offense cooled as rain poured down in the second half. It entered halftime up 28-21 and the lead evaporated when Fresno State running back Bryson Donelson scored in the fourth quarter to put his team up 35-31.
The Bulldogs put on a coaching clinic, Kinne said. Fresno State quarterback Jayden Mandal was nails on third down, converting 8 of 13 attempts. The Bulldogs pulled off a fake field goal in the third quarter with kicker Ryan Kobzeff running in a 19-yard touchdown. And when Texas State running back Torrance Burgess Jr. fumbled at the 1-yard line with just under six minutes remaining, the outlook seemed bleak.
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But Bobcats defensive back Michael Patterson III had other ideas. Patterson said Mandal had been trying to look him off all game. He didn’t bite on third-and-11, undercutting the quarterback’s throw for an interception with 3 minutes and 39 seconds left.
“We hadn’t played our best game up to that point,” Patterson said. “But it’s always a next-play mentality.”
Texas State Bobcats wide receiver Jordan Martin (14) celebrates after beating the Fresno State Bulldogs 37-35 at UFCU Stadium in San Marcos, Nov. 14, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
Texas State needed to make it count, but hadn’t scored a touchdown since midway through the second quarter. The offense had chances to win against San Diego State and Boise State, coming up short both times. Would it happen again?
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Quarterback Brad Jackson, who threw for 355 yards and three touchdowns, came up big on the final drive. Facing a fourth-and-2 in Fresno State territory, he ripped a quick slant to wide receiver Chris Dawn Jr. for a first down. Dawn set the program record for career receptions in the second quarter, and on that clutch catch, showed why Kinne has believed in him since his days at Mesquite Horn High School.
“That’s the play we’ve been missing, right?” Kinne said. “Last time we’ve been in these situations, we haven’t got it done.”
On the cusp of a title-game appearance
Texas State running back Davian Jackson punched it into the end zone with a minute left, but a blocked extra point gave Fresno State life. Down 37-35, the Bulldogs needed a field goal to win.
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Two plays later, Texas State recovered a fumbled snap to seal the win along with becoming bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive year. It’s cause for celebration, but not enough for Kinne. He’s transformed the Bobcats from a bottom-tier mid-major to go 30-20 since his hiring in 2022, but a conference championship has eluded him.
With two regular-season games left, Texas State controls its fate. Washington State (1-8, 0-5) is its remaining conference opponent, as the flex week counts toward each Pac-12 team’s nonconference record.
Texas State is on the cusp of shattering its glass ceiling: competing for a first conference title since becoming an FBS program instead of just talking about it. Kinne is usually reserved in his news conferences, dodging declarative statements, and refusing to look too far forward. But Saturday, after the Bobcats’ win, he thinks this is the championship squad. That this is the “group that can do it.”
“And now we got to prove it,” Kinne said.
This article originally published at How Texas State has made it to the cusp of Pac-12 championship game berth.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
