AUSTIN, Texas — Gerald J. Ford Stadium may already becoming a second home for the Texas State Bobcats.
The Bobcats will play in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, taking on North Texas on Jan. 3. The invitation marks the second straight year Texas State has been invited to for the First Responders Bowl, with the Bobcats beating Rice 45-21 in last season’s game and winning the program’s first ever bowl game in the process.
The Bobcats qualified for a bowl game after amassing a 7-5 record during the regular season, identical to the previous year.
North Texas, meanwhile, finished the regular season with a 6-6 record, making it back to a bowl game after failing to qualify with a 5-7 record last season. The Mean Green’s most recent bowl appearance came in 2022, when they lost 35-32 to Boise State in the Frisco Bowl. The team has lost six consecutive bowl games dating back to 2016.
Statistically, the game figures to be an offensive shootout, as both Texas State and North Texas finished top five in the nation in total yards per game. The Mean Green are averaging 488.7 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the nation, while the Bobcats rank fifth, averaging 474.3 per game.