Tag Archives: Sun Belt

May 21, 2013 · 7:20 pm

College Football: 13 Bobcats on Phil Steele’s list

Even though the 2013 season is more than three months away, publications began to release their preseason all-conference teams.

On Tuesday, Phil Steele disclosed his 2013 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team. Texas State landed 13 players on the list, headlined by four first-team selections, three second-team honorees and six third-team members.

Like many others, Steele felt junior linebacker Mike Orakpo and senior defensive lineman D.J. Yendrey will make an impact in 2013 and awarded them first-team mention. Orakpo (Colorado State) and Yendrey (TCU) have yet to play a meaningful down for the Bobcats, as they each transferred to the program and had to sit out the 2012 season.

Also landing on the first team were junior punt returner Andy Erickson and sophomore kick returner Jafus Gaines. Erickson averaged 16.7 yards per return, while Gaines went 28.9 yards per return with a long of 65.

Second-team honors went to junior kicker Will Johnson, junior cornerback Craig Mager and senior punter Zach Robinson. Johnson converted 12 of his 17 attempts in 2012, Mager tied for the team lead with four interceptions and Robinson averaged 46.2 yards per punt.

Third-team honors went to senior wide receiver Isaiah Battle, junior transfer running back C.J. Best, senior cornerback Xavier Daniels, junior linebacker David Mayo, senior defensive lineman Blake McColloch and junior offensive lineman Charlie Will Tuttle. Of those names, Best is the most surprising since he was a member of the 2013 signing class.

Texas State opens the 2013 season Aug. 31 at Southern Mississippi.

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May 20, 2013 · 12:27 am

College Athletics: A sunny rebranding

“Together We Rise” is the new mantra for the Sun Belt Conference after its recent rebranding.

On Sunday, the Sun Belt unveiled its logo and mantra to the public. It worked with SME, Inc. throughout the process.

Take a look at the new logo.

Looks a little bit like Frost Bank’s logo, no?

Those blue rays of the sun stand for different traits the Sun Belt felt its conference is molded by: adventurous, ambitious, authentic and loyal.

In comparison, here is what the old logo looked like.

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April 15, 2013 · 9:23 pm

College Football: Official post-spring depth chart

Interested in knowing the depth chart after spring camp?

Want to know which quarterback is listed first on the depth chart?

You don’t need to wait any longer, as here is the official post-spring two-deep.

TXST Post-Spring Two Deep

A few thoughts…

1. Surprised there’s not an ‘or’ between Arndt and Moore. For the last two seasons, head coach Dennis Franchione put one between Arndt and Rutherford until Rutherford won the job outright.

2. Youth is served with redshirt freshman Felix Romero owning the top rank at one guard spot, with fellow redshirt freshman Ryan Melton right behind him.

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March 25, 2013 · 11:47 pm

College Football: Sun Belt is growing

According to multiple reports, the Sun Belt Conference will add up to four members in the next few days.

Beginning in 2014, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern will join the Sun Belt in all sports, while Idaho and New Mexico State tag along as football-only members. Currently, both Appalachian State and Georgia Southern play in the Southern Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision.

To many, adding Appalachian State and Georgia Southern were obvious decisions by Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson and the rest of the league’s governing bodies. Not only do Appalachian State and Georgia Southern have stellar backgrounds (nine FCS championships between them), but they are both well within the Sun Belt’s geographic footprint.

Idaho and New Mexico State would bring the Sun Belt’s total football membership to 12 (if nobody absconds between now and 2014), which would allow for a conference title game.

Here is a list of Sun Belt football teams as of July 1, 2014.

  • Appalachian State
  • Arkansas State
  • Georgia Southern
  • Georgia State
  • Idaho
  • Louisiana-Lafayette
  • Louisiana-Monroe
  • New Mexico State
  • South Alabama
  • Texas State
  • Troy
  • Western Kentucky

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March 1, 2013 · 7:44 pm

College Football: Spring has sprung; dates finalized

Friday marked two firsts for Texas State — its first spring practice and the first time it got to see its 2013 schedule with every date filled in.

To begin with, the Bobcats went through their first of 12 two-a-day practices. Texas State worked out before sunrise in 29-degree temperatures, then returned to Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium eight hours later to close things out.

“They did a great job today,” Bobcat head coach Dennis Franchione said. “Their effort, enthusiasm, work habits and everything was really good. Their retention of what we do was really good. We threw a lot at them today and they did a pretty good job with it.”

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February 6, 2013 · 10:51 pm

College Football: Signing class analysis

With another National Signing Day in the books, it’s time to take a look at Texas State’s 2013 crop.

  • Head coach Dennis Franchione easily brought in one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory. Pundits rated the Bobcats’ class as high as 60th in the nation (ESPN) and eight, 3-star recruits signed (as rated by Rivals).
  • Texas State attacked its needs head-on: defensive back and tight end. After graduation left the cupboard nearly bare at each position, the Bobcats reloaded with seven defensive backs and four tight ends. Of those defensive backs, four transferred in from junior colleges and could make an immediate impact: the same goes for three tight ends.
  • Franchione made a statement in signing 11 JUCO athletes. He doesn’t want Texas State to wait a few years to compete for a championship in the Sun Belt Conference. Franchione expects the Bobcats to win now.
  • Coaches have high hopes for Stephenville quarterback Tyler Jones. Franchione said, unprompted, that he feels Jones could come in right away and compete for a starting job. Confidence waned in soon-to-be senior Tyler Arndt’s favor and it looks to be a three-horse race for the starting job in the fall: senior Duke DeLancellotti, Jones and redshirt freshman Jordan Moore. DeLancellotti and Moore should have leg up on Jones, as they’ll have spring ball too.
  • Texas State struggled to break down the pocket last year, so Franchione signed a few playmakers on the defensive line to help out in the future. Expect Jeff Banks, Karee’ Berry and Kingsley Ike to redshirt (unless Ike is granted a waiver after transferring from Purdue) and Marcus Dallas, Jr. to be in the mix for a starting job.
  • Impressed with what I see of C.J. Best and Jamel James. Best is a shifty burner and James is a brutal downhill runner.

What are your thoughts on the 2013 signing class?

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February 1, 2013 · 10:32 pm

College Football: 2013 schedule released

Even though dates and times of conference games weren’t released, Texas State put out its 2013 home-away schedule.

Home

  • Prairie View A&M (Sept. 7)
  • Wyoming (Sept. 28)
  • Louisiana-Lafayette*
  • Louisiana-Monroe*
  • South Alabama*
  • Western Kentucky*

Away

  • Southern Mississippi (Aug. 31)
  • Texas Tech (Sept. 21)
  • Idaho (Nov. 2)
  • Arkansas State*
  • Georgia State*
  • Troy*

* Denotes Sun Belt Conference game

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November 30, 2012 · 3:27 pm

College Football: 2013 schedule coming into focus

In case you missed it earlier, Southern Miss and Texas State agreed to a game on Aug. 31 of next year. That would be the season opener for both teams.

With the addition of the Golden Eagles, the Bobcats now have three non-conference games on their schedule. Texas State faces Texas Tech in Lubbock on Sept. 21 and returns home to play Wyoming on Sept. 28, both of which complete a home-and-home series.

Look for the Bobcats to add a game against an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision (probably a former Southland Conference foe) to fill out the final non-conference slot.

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May 8, 2012 · 1:34 pm

College Football: Sun Belt ties

Texas State has a few ties to Sun Belt programs. Let’s take a look at some of them.

  • Current co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Schultz came to Texas State after one season at Middle Tennessee State as its offensive coordinator. Schultz directed the Blue Raiders‘ offense to 371.9 yards and 26.5 points per game.
  • Ronald Antoine, the husband of current head women’s basketball coach Zenarae Antoine, used to be the wide receivers coach at South Alabama. The Jaguars, like the Bobcats, will play their first season in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012.
  • Thanks to a tip from a helpful person on Twitter, USA strength and conditioning coach Justin Schwind is a Texas State graduate (2004).
  • Former strength and conditioning coach Ben Pollard is now the strength and conditioning coach at Georgia State. Pollard spent a year at Texas State before leaving the program. The Panthers join the Sun Belt Conference in 2013 after several seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association.
  • Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Mark Hudspeth spent five years in the Southland Conference at Central Arkansas (1992-93, 1998) and Nicholls State (1994-95).

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· 12:48 am

College Athletics: Polling the Sun Belt move

Texas State sports fans, it’s been a few days since the move to the Sun Belt Conference was announced and we’re wondering about your opinion on what transpired.

Last Wednesday, fans were either at peace with the change or predicting Armageddon. What say you a few days later?

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