By Michael Adams 
Austin Sports Journal 

SAN MARCOS – Brad Jackson accounted for a pair of touchdowns and Texas State’s balanced offense powered the Bobcats past Nicholls 35-3 on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 31,500 at UFCU Stadium in the “Battle for the Paddle.” 

Jackson, a redshirt freshman quarterback, threw for 180 yards on 13-of-20 passing and added 37 rushing yards with two scores on the ground. His 9-yard keeper in the first quarter capped a 92-yard drive, and he added a 4-yard touchdown early in the second to give Texas State a lead it would not relinquish. 

“I thought we played really well at times, but we were also sluggish at times,” said head coach G.J, Kinne. “We got to continue to get better, but happy with the win and like where our record is.”  

The Bobcats (3-1) controlled the line of scrimmage, rushing for 207 yards and scoring five times on the ground. Lincoln Pare led with 64 yards and a touchdown, while Torrance Burgess Jr. (48 yards) and Greg Burrell (39 yards) each added rushing scores. 

Nicholls’ only points came on a 32-yard field goal by Gabe Showalter late in the first quarter. Quarterback Deuce Hogan completed 15 of 21 passes for 97 yards but was intercepted by Khamari Terrell in the red zone just before halftime. 

Texas State’s defense stifled the Colonels (1-3), limiting them to 224 total yards and holding them without a touchdown. Senior linebacker Treylin Payne recorded six tackles, while defensive end Kalil Alexander notched a 16-yard sack. The Bobcats also got their first turnover of the season.  

More photos

“Man it felt great,” said defensive end Kalil Alexander. “I’d much rather it be zero, but it still felt great. The defense hasn’t been playing up to our standard this season, so we’ve been harping on that.”   

Kylen Evans led all receivers with four catches for 88 yards, including a 45-yard grab to set up Burgess’ score.  

The win extends Texas State’s series lead over Nicholls to 17-15 and marks the Bobcats’ third straight victory in the rivalry, tying their longest streak in the matchup. It was also their third nonconference win of the season, the most since 2023, and their first 3-1 start since that same year. 

The victory was also in front of the program’s fourth-largest home crowd in school history with 31,500 in attendance, underscoring the team’s surging momentum under Kinne. 

Texas State will have a bye week before opening Sun Belt Conference play Oct. 4 at Arkansas State.