Baylor and Dave Aranda were favored by four touchdowns over Texas State. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Texas State pulled off the biggest upset of Week 1 on Saturday night with a 42-31 win over Baylor.
Baylor entered the game as a 27.5-point favorite, but was never able to regain the lead after an early 3-0 lead. Texas State and former Auburn quarterback TJ Finley picked apart the Baylor defense and the Bears failed to stop the Bobcats on four fourth-down conversions.
After a 4-8 season in 2022, Texas State fired Jake Spavital after four seasons and hired former Tulsa QB GJ Kinne. Kinne, 34, is one of the youngest head coaches at college football’s highest level, coaching at FCS Incarnate Word in 2022 after a season as co-offensive coordinator under Gus Malzahn at UCF.
Finley threw for 298 yards and three touchdowns in his debut at Texas State, while Joey Hobert had six catches for 105 yards and a score. Finley also ran for a touchdown as his rushing score gave Texas State a 35-21 lead in the third quarter.
Baylor made a late comeback attempt in the fourth quarter after backup QB Sawyer Robertson was forced to replace starter Blake Shapen. Shapen had to leave the game with six minutes left after a great four-down conversion.
Robertson was able to get Baylor to the Texas State 10, but threw a pass behind receiver Monaray Baldwin. The ball bounced off Baldwin’s hands and was intercepted at the goal line with 3:56 left. Less than a minute later, Baylor got the ball back, but Robertson fumbled after breaking a long run on third down.
The victory is the biggest for Texas State since Houston stunned Houston in 2012 with its first victory at the highest level of college football, and it is also the school’s first ever victory over an opponent in a Power Five conference. The Bobcats have recorded just one winning season in 11 years at the FBS level and have not won more than four games per season in the last nine seasons.