Who’s Playing
Troy Trojans @ Texas State Bobcats
Current Records: Troy 5-2, Texas State 5-2
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, October 28, 2023 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium — San Marcos, Texas
- TV: ESPN+
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
What to Know
Troy is 7-0 against Texas State since November of 2016, and they’ll have a chance to extend that success on Saturday. After each having a week off, the two teams will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. ET on October 28th at Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. Texas State does have the home-field advantage, but Troy is expected to win by six points.
Troy had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 19.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four two weeks ago. They didn’t even let Army onto the board and left with a 19-0 victory.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Troy to victory, but perhaps none more so than Gunnar Watson, who threw for 227 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.8 yards per attempt. Jabre Barber also helped out with an impressive 138 receiving yards.
Troy’s defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB six times. Leading the way was Richard Jibunor and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Texas State slipped by UL Monroe 21-20 two weeks ago.
Among those leading the charge was Joey Hobert, who picked up 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Hobert is on a roll when it comes to receiving yards, as he’s now posted 100 or more in the last three games he’s played. Another player making a difference was TJ Finley, who threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
One of those touchdowns was the difference in the game. Texas State was down by five with only three minutes and 15 seconds left when they drove 78 yards for the winning score. Finley hit Hobert from 22 yards out and that was all she wrote.
Troy’s victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Texas State, their win was their third straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 5-2.
Here’s a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday’s matchup: The Trojans have been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 185.6 rushing yards per game. However, it’s not like the Bobcats struggle in that department as they’ve been even better at 208.7 per game. It’s looking like Saturday’s match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Troy skirted past Texas State 17-14 in their previous matchup back in October of 2022. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Texas State’s Lincoln Pare, who rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 71 receiving yards. Now that he won’t be playing on Saturday, will it be that much easier for Troy to walk away with another win? There’s only one way to find out.
Odds
Troy is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Texas State, according to the latest college football odds.
The over/under is set at 53 points.
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Series History
Troy has won all of the games they’ve played against Texas State in the last 7 years.
- Oct 15, 2022 – Troy 17 vs. Texas State 14
- Oct 16, 2021 – Troy 31 vs. Texas State 28
- Oct 10, 2020 – Troy 37 vs. Texas State 17
- Nov 16, 2019 – Troy 63 vs. Texas State 27
- Nov 17, 2018 – Troy 12 vs. Texas State 7
- Nov 24, 2017 – Troy 62 vs. Texas State 9
- Nov 26, 2016 – Troy 40 vs. Texas State 7
