Last night (1/13/10) was my first game of the season and all I can say is that we should not lose a home game to that A&M CC team.  There is enough talent there to be a top 3 team in the conference but I believe we will finish towards the bottom.  Sure we may get free trip to a suburb of Houston, but if that is this team’s goal then I want no part of it.  The goal should be to win the conference and/or the conference tournament.  As of right now, that looks unlikely by the poor performance I saw last night.

The players appear to have the talent but their 3-9 record against DI competition is an embarrassment to this University.  Considering that we are in Davalos’ 4^th year I don’t blame this on the players.  They appear to be trying but I don’t see a lot of improvement since Davalos’ second year despite what would appear to be significant talent upgrades and time to recruit his own players.

In consideration of this being Davalos’ 4^th year and his DI record is 3-9 and this being Fox’s 13^th season and she is 0-9 against DI competition I am very disappointed and someone needs to be held accountable.  The records and the 99-18 losses are getting embarrassing, either Dr. Teis needs to do something or he needs to step aside for some one who will.

I don’t see how Fox can salvage the season but I could be wrong.  Davalos needs to win 15 games or I will be disappointed, or let me put it to you another way he needs to win 8 more conference games, giving him a 9-7 record and if he is around next year I expect a 20 win season.   The bar isn’t set very high, lets hope he can get over it.

All and all, I am tired of being a supporter of a consistent loser, some people have a breaking point and I think Davalos has just about found mine.  Maybe I should write Dr. Teis a thank you letter for finding out just how much losing I can take.

Jody Campbell

jody@bobcatfans.com

Yes, we need attendance to reach our goals but it is not total attendance for the year; yet, it is the average attendance for home games that matter. I don’t mind 5 games a year if it means playing Rice, UNT, or SMU, all teams we currently would be competitive against. The game is not that far away and we have sizable Alumni bases in the area. After all, we need to continue to build our alumni base and one way to get the alumni in Houston and Dallas interested is to play football games in their city. Get them interested and then you can get them to make the drive back to the mother ship. And I kid not when I say that with our alumni base in Houston and the passionate student body and alumni that would be willing to make the trip we could possibly have 7,500 to 10,000 Bobcat fans at a Rice / UofH game. You don’t have to believe me but think about these facts; Houston has the most living alumni out of anywhere and the Houston Alumni Chapter is our strongest chapter.

Take the next step. If you want to eventually play in the FBS then we need to start playing FBS games. Play 2 a year, but at least 1 has to be very winnable and hopefully the second one isn’t a forgone conclusion. Don’t be a scared ninny and no conference is impressed with playing Texas Southern, Southern Utah, and Angelo State. We need to remove Southern Utah and Angelo State. The key is at least 1 of the FBS games has to be against a Texas FBS team and it should be a winnable game. Also, if we can get UTSA on the schedule that is a bonus, with the game either to be at a sold out Bobcat Stadium or just up the road in San Antonio. Obviously if you played at UTSA you would need to schedule an additional home game, probably Texas Southern.  Playing UTSA would help to develop a regional rivalry, but we will get into that in a future class.

Proposed 2011 Schedule

3 out of Conference Games which are to include 1 FCS and 2 FBS teams

Texas Southern/UTSA

North Texas/ UofH / LA Tech / LA Monroe / LA Lafayette

Rice/ SMU / LA Tech / LA Monroe / LA Lafayette

Southland Conference Games would include – 4 at home and 4 Away

Sam Houston

SFA

Lamar

McNeese

Northwestern LA

Nichols

Southeastern LA

Central Arkansas

This schedule is a lot more attractive to students, alumni and prospective athletes. FBS is potentially around the corner and we need to prepare ourselves for that and not be a bunch of sissies. The way I see it either we start steeping up to the plate and give it our best shot or we get complacent. TXST has to keep pushing itself and that includes not being scared to play up.

This time TXST dominated except on the defensive side of the ball for about 10 minutes of the late 3rd and early 4th qtr. It seemed that when TXST went up 34-7 we expected Angelo State to quit, when they didn’t it took a big play by Darren Dillard to get the team going again.

It’s my opinion that this Angelo State team is probably improved over last year. So year over year we have seen marked improvement from your Bobcats. If last year’s team managed an 8-4 regular season record and the team seems to pick up where it left off, I am expecting an 8-3 to 9-2 campaign. I know that is one less game than last year but if I have to explain that then you might be in the wrong class.

Some naysayer’s seem to think that there is no hope but I see a team that could improve on last year’s mark, but if you still think there is no hope just go over to the BobcatFans politics message board and try and change Malleus’ view on anything…..Now that’s having no hope.

After seeing some of the game film it appears that the offensive line did a solid job of pass blocking but the run blocking seemed to be off; however, that could improve once Karrington Bush is back from injury in 3-4 weeks. I was more concerned that Angelo State passed the ball 37 times and we didn’t sack their QB once. Anyone who doesn’t see the problem there needs to go back and take football 101. The run-d seemed strong with only 93 yards given up against the run, not sure why some think we need to work on the run-d when we gave up 281 passing yards.

Last but not least, did anyone see that sick WR corps? These Cats can flat out ball from top to bottom. Who is this Cedric Alexander kid and why was he previously playing football at sisters for the poor? If someone can answer that question they get an “A” in the Class, until then see you next week.

Oh yeah, I am sure I made several grammatical errors, but frankly sir it is my class and I don’t give a damn.

-Jody Campbell

jody@bobcatfans.com

Among other things, this move will help build new athletic facilities and improve upon existing facilities. We could see a football stadium that seats 25,000 fans, an improved press box, as well as a remarkable game day experience that we will all be able to enjoy not only as students but as alumni. We would have the opportunity to come back to Bobcat Stadium as alumni and see our Bobcats take on the likes of Houston, SMU, UTEP, Rice, and maybe even Oklahoma State or Baylor. This could bring in additional revenue and national recognition to our university. Before you naysayers declare this as impossible, don’t forget that a former Southland Conference foe, Troy, was able to bring in the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys and defeat them this past season.

Not only does this give Texas State the opportunity to compete at the highest level in college football, it also elevates every sport in which Texas State participates. For example, the student fees will allow two of our most nationally competitive sports, Baseball and Softball, to take their programs to a different level. As of now both teams are very competitive, but through the additional student fees, we will be able to build a new Baseball and Softball Complex. This new complex will allow the Bobcats to bring in top competition for non-conference games, which give these respective teams the experience needed to excel in conference, as well as prepare themselves for the NCAA tournament. Furthermore, the new facilities will allow Texas State recruiters to bring in the best talent available to this University that we all love.

Changing conferences would also place Texas State into a conference that often receives multiple NCAA tournament bids in volleyball, basketball, and baseball. Currently, we are in the Southland Conference. Generally speaking, the conference is a one bid conference for all sports aforementioned. This means if you don’t win the conference tournament, you are sitting at home when it comes time for the NCAA tournament. This in turn nullifies any success that the Bobcats may or may not have had during the regular season.

All of this being said, there is no guarantee that Texas State will land itself in the FBS and consequently in a different conference. However, since we already compete at the highest collegiate level in every sport except football, with the students’ vote to move to FBS it is now very possible for Texas State to have the facilities necessary to be even more competitive, regardless of the conference the Bobcats are in. After all the facilities are built, Texas State would have a football atmosphere that is very attractive, allowing us to either be competitive at the FBS level or possibly dominant at the FCS level. Seems like a win-win situation for our Bobcats.

The students have now set a new vision for what Texas State is to become- a University with not only solid academic rigor, but also some of the finest collegiate athletic programs within the Lone Star State. Because of the Texas State students’ vision and dedication, the future is now brighter than ever at the Rising Star of Texas.

By: Jody Campbell jody@bobcatfans.com