Quarterback Shaun Rutherford

SUBMITTED REPORT

The Texas State football team won its third straight game in dominant fashion as Bobcats defeated Nicholls 38-12 on Saturday night at Bobcat Stadium.

Junior quarterback Shaun Rutherford threw three touchdowns, while Terrence Franks ran for another TD and cornerback Darryl Morris became first Bobcat to return an interception for a touchdown since 2008.

Texas State jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on its first drive of the game when Rutherford hit sophomore tight end David Lewis with a 13-yard touchdown pass.

When the Colonels came right back to score a touchdown on a 19-yard run by quarterback LaQuinton Caston, the Bobcats maintained a 7-6 lead when Texas State blocked the extra point kick by Andrew Dolan.

The Bobcats added to their lead when Will Johnson kicked a 34-yard field goal to close out the first quarter with Texas State leading 10-6.

The Bobcats extended their lead with two more touchdowns in the second quarter. First, Rutherford hit Marcus Curry for a 20-yard touchdown and then, Terrence Franks ended the first half scoring with a 23-yard touchdown run to give Texas State a 24-6 lead at halftime.

Texas State opened the second half with another touchdown drive when Rutherford hit Isaiah Battle for a 13-yard touchdown pass to give the Bobcats a 31-6 lead.

Morris scored the final points for the Bobcats when he intercepted a pass by Beaux Hebert at the Colonels’ 23-yard line and returned it for the touchdown, marking the first time a Bobcat has returned an interception for a touchdown since Joe Bell accomplished the feat at Northern Colorado in 2008.

Dolan scored the final points in the game with a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter. His first was from 32 yards with 14:55 left in the game. He also scored on a 47-yard kick with 10:21 left to play.

Dolan kicked a pair of field goals for Nicholls in the final quarter to close out the scoring. His first field goal came with 14:55 left in the game when he connected from 32 yards out. Dolan added a 47-yard field goal with 10:21 left in the game to make the final score 38-12.

Rutherford finished the night completing eight of his 12 passes for 109 yards. He also ran the ball six times for 18 yards.  Franks also led the Bobcats with 105 yards rushing on 15 carries to go along with his touchdown. It marked the second straight game a Texas State runner has rushed for 100 yards. In addition, Tim Hawkins gained 55 yards on 10 carries. Lewis led Texas State’s receivers with three catches for 65 yards.

Hebert completed 10 of 19 passes for 94 yards, while Gaston led Nicholls in rushing with 60 yards on 16 carries.

The game was played in front of a crowd of 15,502. It marks the first time since 2005 that Texas State has played a home game with an attendance over 15000 in back-to-back games since playing two FCS playoffs in 2005.

The win improves Texas State’s record to 3-2 this season, while Nicholls drops to 1-4 overall this year. The Bobcats travel to McNeese State next Saturday before returning home to play host to Lamar on Oct. 15.