TJ Finley threw for 298 yards with three touchdowns and ran for another score as Texas State beat Baylor 42-31 on Saturday night, with the Bobcats getting their first-ever win over a team from a Power Five conference in coach GJ Kinne’s debut.
After going three-and-out on their opening possession, the Bobcat offense started to resemble the one Kinne assembled as coach at Incarnate Word last season. That team led all FCS teams with 51.5 points per game and was second with 581.2 total yards.
The Bobcats had 448 total yards, and scored touchdowns on six of their next eight possessions after the initial drive. That included two first-quarter scores from Ismail Mahdi, on a 10-yard reception and 65-yard run, after they trailed for the only time at 3-0. They led 28-13 at halftime.
Mahdi was the Bobcats’ leading rusher with 83 yards on six carries, and Joey Hobert had six catches for a team-high 105 yards.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Blake Shapen threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns for Baylor, despite missing parts of the second half with an injury. Mississippi State transfer Sawyer Robertson added 113 yards through the air in relief but was intercepted and fumbled on Baylor’s final two possessions.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas State: Other than losing two fumbles, it was a clean game for Texas State, especially considering it has the second-most newcomers in the country with 71. Only Colorado, which upset No. 17 TCU 45-42 earlier Saturday about 100 miles away, has more with 87. The Bobcats had only four accepted penalties, went 5-for-12 on third down, 4-for-4 on fourth down, and allowed one sack.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
Baylor: The offensive line was a little too jumpy for the Bears early, with four false start penalties in the first quarter. The most damaging was the first, which was on first-and-goal from the 1 on Baylor’s first drive, and it settled for a field goal. Baylor added two more on another promising drive at the Texas State 28 and 30 and again added a field goal, drawing boos from the home crowd.
UP NEXT
Texas State is on the road again to play rival UTSA (0-1) next Saturday.
Baylor plays the second of their record eight home games Saturday against No. 14 Utah (1-0), which is in its final Pac-12 season before joining the Big 12. It will be the first-ever meeting for the teams that will next year become league foes.
