GJ Kinne turned up the pressure. Texas State responded with a record-setting win over CSU

SAN MARCOS – Thanks to a bye, Texas State football had more than a week to stew in the disappointment and frustration of its 31-29 collapse to San Diego State. How could a then-2-3 team picked to finish third in the preseason Pac-12 poll keep losing games in such spectacular fashion?

The Bobcats’ determination and potential were on full display Thursday night; the razor-sharp offense set a program record with 716 yards in a 66-27 win over the Colorado State Rams. As much as the mind-boggling stats reflect poorly on Colorado State, they represent how Texas State rose to the expectations head coach GJ Kinne set leading up to the game.

“Put a lot of pressure on the coaches this week,” Kinne said. “Put a lot of pressure on the players.”

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Texas State shows resilience at home

Colorado State (2-4, 0-2) is an imbalanced team. While the porous defense is statistically the worst in the Pac-12, the offense has been in line with the top in the conference, averaging 35.7 points per game, the third-best mark.

For all the excitement surrounding the Bobcats leading into their inaugural Pac-12 season, the mind-numbing defeat to SDSU and the bitter taste of the UTSA loss sapped the program’s momentum. Negative emotions swirled among the fanbase. Will they start 0-2 in a new conference? Why can’t Texas State win in October? Is this team only good on paper?

But pressure presents an opportunity for growth. After Texas State went three-and-out to open the game, it rattled off four straight touchdown drives, starkly contrasting the complancy it showed in the second half against SDSU.

The Rams offense had scored in the first quarter of every game this season. The Bobcats defense held them to four punts and a turnover on downs to start the evening.

“For our guys to respond the way they did … we got a disciplined team. A mature team,” Kinne said.

Things started to slip in the second quarter. A muffed punt allowed Colorado State to score a touchdown, and quarterback K’saan Farrar found a rhythm. The Rams went toe-to-toe with the Bobcats, entering halftime trailing 45-21.

Colorado State got the ball to start the second half and sliced through the defense on a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Terrence Smith Jr. Texas State (3-3, 1-1) didn’t respond to adversity well against SDSU. That’s why everything fell apart in one quarter. This time, quarterback Brad Jackson kept things rolling and put the pressure back on with his third touchdown run of the night.

“During that loss, we learned that in the midst of kind of that back-and-forth … we got to be willing to put out the fire,” Jackson said.

‘We’re a tough out’

With Jackson and running back Torrance Burgess Jr. continuing to roll, the defense got back on its feet. Colorado State didn’t score for the rest of the game, and the fourth quarter was more of a formality than anything.

Kinne is far from satisfied. Texas State is being outscored 58-34 in third quarters in 2026 despite leading at halftime in every game after Week 1, and Kinne wasn’t pleased with the opening sequence out of halftime.

“We did everything we could,” Kinne said. “We’re playing music. We’re giving out ‘win one for the Gipper’ speeches. We’re doing everything that we can do at halftime, so we’ve got to find a way.”

The Bobcats aren’t perfect, and the toughest tests are yet to come. After hosting Utah State next Saturday, Texas State goes on the road to face two potential College Football Playoff contenders: Boise State and Oregon State. The teams are a combined 9-3 and 4-0 in conference play.

The pressure will be sky-high for both matchups. But again, it’s a chance for Texas State to show it’s better than its record would suggest.

“If we play the way we know how to play? We’re a tough out,” Kinne said.

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This article originally published at GJ Kinne turned up the pressure. Texas State responded with a record-setting win over CSU.