SAN MARCOS, Texas — It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t guaranteed, but a college football season started in the state of Texas on Saturday.

What You Need To Know

  • Stadium was limited to 25 percent capacity

  • Fans were asked to wear masks and stay socially distant

  • SMU held off Texas State 31-24

In the first game of an uncertain season, SMU held off Texas State 31-24.

“Those kids were fired up just to play,” said Texas State head coach Jake Spavital. “That was kind of unique today but we got to call plays and run around and we had some fun with it.”

“We’ve been working hard all summer and fall camp just to get to this point,” says Texas State running back Brock Sturges. “To finally get out there and put a product on the field, it was a good experience.”

A lot went into just playing a game during a pandemic. The stadium was limited to 25 percent capacity for fans. Those fans were asked to wear masks and stay socially distant. The band was not allowed on the field, neither were the cheerleaders and dance teams. Those groups taped performances that were played on the stadium videoboards. For coach Spavital the weirdest part was pulling up to the stadium in the team buses before the game and seeing the parking lot empty.

“It still doesn’t feel like a normal game day,” says Spavital. “A lot of this is about creating your own energy and pure love of the game.”

Love of the game this season means being responsible away from the field. Texas State tested their players three times this week and according to reports, only had a few guys out because of being in quarantine.

“We did a good job of staying inside the bubble and not going out too much,” says Sturges. “I’m very proud of the guys for being real responsible.”

When it came to the actual game, it turned out to be very competitive, with SMU winning 31-24. The Mustangs were a heavy favorite and beat Texas State by 30 points last year. Even though the Bobcats came up short, they saw enough to give them hope for the rest of the season.

“It stings because you always want to win as a competitor,” says Texas State quarterback Brady McBride. “Also shows a lot of optimism in this program that we’re not going to get ran over and we’re going to fight and play.”

McBride made his first start at QB for Texas State since transferring over last year from Memphis. He threw for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the other side, SMU had their senior starter at QB and former Longhorn Shane Buechele leading the offense. Buechele had 367 yards passing and one touchdown in the win.

SMU was scheduled to play nearby rival TCU next week, but that game has been postponed because of positive COVID tests within the TCU program. Texas State will be back at home next Saturday to play in the I-35 showdown against UTSA.