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The big 2014 Texas State football preview: Building is hard

Texas State's defense was a major liability in 2012. The Bobcats improved dramatically on that side of the ball last fall but regressed on offense. Is this the year both units move forward at the same time?

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
SB Nation 2014 College Football Countdown

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1. Like moving sand

Taking over a rebuilding (or simply building) project, you know a few things in advance. You know you're probably inheriting a bad team. Perhaps that means a total lack of talent across the board, or maybe you're lucky and it only means one of two units stinks. Maybe your recruiting base is limited. Maybe fan or administration support is tepid.

No matter what, in most cases you know you're inheriting a pretty tough job. Meanwhile, even when you engineer some improvement here or there, it's rarely linear. You don't typically get better one year, then get better the next and the next and the next.

Just ask Rice head coach David Baliff, who coached Texas State for three seasons from 2004-06. His Bobcats went 5-6, 11-3, and 5-6. His successor, Brad Wright, went 4-7, 8-5, 7-4, and 4-7.

Dennis Franchione had to know what he was getting into when he took the TXST job in 2011. First of all, the Bobcats' history suggests how difficult it is to build and sustain success in San Marcos. Second, Franchione's been around the block. He built either major winners or turnaround successes at Pittsburg State, New Mexico, TCU, and (ever-so-briefly) Alabama. He even steadied the ship at Texas State for a couple of years two decades ago. He knows how to rebuild, and he knows how many things have to go right for you to both improve and stay improved.

In 2012, Texas State began full-time FBS play and posted a higher level of quality than might have been expected. The Bobcats went just 4-8 but ranked 99th in the F/+ rankings, ahead of BCS-conference teams like Kansas, Auburn, Wake Forest, Illinois, Kentucky, and Colorado. They were also a few steps ahead of fellow FBS newbies UTSA (No. 116), South Alabama (No. 118), and UMass (No. 122). The offense was salty, but the defense was hopeless. With an improved D, TXST could have potentially expected to quickly move into the upper half of the Sun Belt hierarchy.

The defense indeed improved in 2013. The Bobcats stiffened up against the run, swarmed to the ball, and improved all the way to 82nd. The offense, meanwhile, suffered from injuries and youth at quarterback, forgot how to pass, and sank to 120th in Off. F/+. A better record in close games meant TXST improved to 6-6 overall, but the Bobcats sank to 107th, and a string of three consecutive blowout losses ended their season.

Building a successful program is like pushing sand up a hill. You address problem areas here, and you lose ground over there. You build depth in one unit, and you get wrecked by injuries in another.

2013 Schedule & Results

Record: 6-6 | Adj. Record: 3-9 | Final F/+ Rk: 107
Date Opponent Opp. F/+ Rk Score W-L Adj. Score Adj. W-L 5-gm Adj. Avg.
31-Aug at Southern Miss 120 22-15 W 11.1 - 29.5 L
7-Sep Prairie View A&M N/A 28-3 W 17.9 - 27.3 L
21-Sep at Texas Tech 43 7-33 L 13.1 - 26.3 L
28-Sep Wyoming 102 42-21 W 34.4 - 19.1 W
5-Oct at UL-Lafayette 86 24-48 L 16.5 - 35.7 L -9.0
12-Oct UL-Monroe 109 14-21 L 21.9 - 11.9 W -3.3
19-Oct Georgia State 121 24-17 W 28.0 - 29.4 L -1.7
26-Oct South Alabama 68 33-31 W 30.1 - 29.8 W 1.0
2-Nov at Idaho 116 37-21 W 20.8 - 30.4 L -4.0
16-Nov at Arkansas State 90 21-38 L 27.4 - 33.5 L -1.4
23-Nov Western Kentucky 77 7-38 L 4.9 - 25.6 L -7.5
29-Nov at Troy 105 28-42 L 26.7 - 38.0 L -9.5
Category Offense Rk Defense Rk Spec. Tms. Rk
F/+ -18.6% 120 -4.2% 82 +1.2% 41
Points Per Game 23.9 93 27.3 71
Adj. Points Per Game 21.1 112 28.0 68

2. Good in the middle

Adj. Points Per Game (first 3 games): Opponent 27.7, TSU 14.0 (minus-13.7)
Adj. Points Per Game (next 5 games): TSU 26.2, Opponent 25.2 (plus-1.0)
Adj. Points Per Game (last 4 games): Opponent 31.9, TSU 20.0 (minus-11.9)

TXST got off to a relatively fast start in 2013, in part because the schedule allowed it. The Bobcats reached 6-3 with a run of solid performances, but an injury to freshman quarterback Tyler Jones spelled doom late in the year.

Offense

FIVE FACTORS -- OFFENSE
Raw Category Rk Opp. Adj. Category Rk
EXPLOSIVENESS IsoPPP 1.09 88 IsoPPP+ 88.4 116
EFFICIENCY Succ. Rt. 39.6% 86 Succ. Rt. + 81.3 116
FIELD POSITION Def. Avg. FP 28.2 35 Def. FP+ 97.4 84
FINISHING DRIVES Pts. Per Trip in 40 4.4 56 Redzone S&P+ 91.4 94
TURNOVERS EXPECTED 18.7 ACTUAL 17 -1.7
Category Yards/
Game Rk
S&P+ Rk Success
Rt. Rk
PPP+ Rk
OVERALL 113 121 117 124
RUSHING 65 107 112 102
PASSING 114 120 116 121
Standard Downs 116 112 106
Passing Downs 123 123 119
Q1 Rk 116 1st Down Rk 113
Q2 Rk 115 2nd Down Rk 121
Q3 Rk 123 3rd Down Rk 122
Q4 Rk 103

Quarterback

Note: players in bold below are 2014 returnees. Players in italics are questionable with injury/suspension.

Player Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals Comp Att Yards Comp
Rate
TD INT Sacks Sack Rate Yards/
Att.
Tyler Jones 6'2, 197 So. 2 stars (5.3) 100 160 1130 8 5 62.5% 11 6.4% 6.1
Tyler Arndt


46 86 452 0 4 53.5% 6 6.5% 4.5
Duke DeLancellotti


14 39 212 2 1 35.9% 1 2.5% 5.1
Fred Nixon 6'3, 200 So. 3 stars (5.5)




Randy Price 6'3, 190 Jr. 2 stars (5.2)




3. Play to your strengths ... or away from your weaknesses

In 2012, with quarterback Shaun Rutherford and running back Marcus Curry leading the way, TXST put together a top-50 running game. The Bobcats attempted to pass frequently on standard downs to keep defenses from focusing on the run, and it tended to work for a while before puttering out.

In 2013, both the names and identity changed. Quarterback Tyler Jones was a decent runner, and a trio of running backs (Robert Lowe, Chris Nutall, and Terrence Franks) proved worthy of a lot of carries, but instead of attempting to back defenses up with early-down passing, TXST just went run-first, run-second instead.

This was done in part because rushing was a strength, and in part because passing was a major weakness. Jones could complete passes, but they didn't really go anywhere, and when he was out, backups Tyler Arndt and Duke DeLancellotti were more or less disasters, completing 48 percent of their passes with a four-percent interception rate.

When you put your offense in the hands of a freshman, you know what you're getting yourself into; TXST accepted growing pains right from the start. Still, the passing game went from liability to disaster, and any gains for the running game rather quickly dried up.

Running Back

Player Pos. Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals Rushes Yards TD Yards/
Carry
Hlt Yds/
Carry
Opp.
Rate
Robert Lowe RB 5'10, 195 Jr. 3 stars (5.6) 164 945 9 5.8 5.4 41.5%
Chris Nutall RB 5'8, 190 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 83 477 6 5.7 5.6 48.2%
Tyler Jones QB 6'2, 197 So. 2 stars (5.3) 78 341 0 4.4 3.8 39.7%
Terrence Franks RB 5'10, 210 Sr. NR 42 196 2 4.7 5.7 33.3%
Duke DeLancellotti QB


20 96 3 4.8 2.5 45.0%
Jordan Moore QB


20 43 0 2.2 4.4 40.0%
Tyler Arndt QB


16 49 1 3.1 3.4 31.3%
Tim Gay RB 5'11, 231 Jr. 2 stars (5.3) 9 70 1 7.8 13.9 33.3%
C.J. Best RB 5'10, 172 Sr. 3 stars (5.5) 4 27 0 6.8 5.5 50.0%
Jamel James RB 5'11, 239 RSFr. 3 stars (5.6)





Stedman Mayberry RB 5'11, 180 Fr. 2 stars (5.4)




4. The running game could thrive with just a little help

Lowe, Nutall, and Franks combined for 24 carries and 135 yards per game; all three return, as do most of the pieces from last year's OL two-deep. The line has seven players with starting experience and 88 career starts. Combine that with the healthy return of Tyler Jones (and the signing of Tyler JUCO QB Randy Price for competition), and you've got the makings of a healthy backfield and stellar running game ... as long as the passing game is able to something. Anything.

Receiving Corps

Player Pos. Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals Targets Catches Yards Catch Rate Target
Rate
%SD Yds/
Target
NEY Real Yds/
Target
RYPR
Isaiah Battle WR-H 48 27 259 56.3% 18.0% 58.7% 5.4 -92 5.4 28.5
Andy Erickson WR-Z 41 27 273 65.9% 15.4% 41.7% 6.7 -50 5.8 30.0
Brandon Smith WR-X 6'2, 170 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 41 22 241 53.7% 15.4% 54.5% 5.9 -52 4.6 26.5
Bradley Miller TE 6'5, 229 Sr. 3 stars (5.5) 39 24 311 61.5% 14.6% 54.1% 8.0 14 8.4 34.2
Ben Ijah WR-X 6'3, 210 Sr. NR 29 16 209 55.2% 10.9% 32.0% 7.2 -1 8.8 23.0
Robert Lowe RB 5'10, 195 Jr. 3 stars (5.6) 24 19 164 79.2% 9.0% 33.3% 6.8 -44 4.4 18.0
Terrence Franks RB 5'10, 210 Sr. NR 15 7 183 46.7% 5.6% 57.1% 12.2 82 13.1 20.1
Ryan Carden TE 6'4, 235 Jr. 2 stars (5.3) 8 7 70 87.5% 3.0% 42.9% 8.8 -3 7.5 7.7
Jafus Gaines WR 5'11, 170 Jr. 3 stars (5.5) 6 4 27 66.7% 2.2% 66.7% 4.5 -21 4.6 3.0
David Lewis TE 6'4, 257 Sr. NR 5 3 44 60.0% 1.9% 100.0% 8.8 6 4.7 4.8
Chris Nutall RB 5'8, 190 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 5 5 48 100.0% 1.9% 40.0% 9.6 -2 11.1 5.3
Ryan Garrey WR-Z 5'11, 180 Jr. NR 2 1 5 50.0% 0.7% N/A 2.5 -9 0.0 0.6
Terrell Smith WR 6'2, 200 Sr. NR 2 2 8 100.0% 0.7% N/A 4.0 -12 0.0 0.9
Michael Gilmore WR-H 5'7, 150 Sr. NR 1 1 9 100.0% 0.4% 100.0% 9.0 -1 5.0 1.0
Brice Gunter WR 6'3, 201 RSFr. 3 stars (5.5)









Demun Mercer WR 6'2, 195 RSFr. 3 stars (5.5)









P.J. Anderson WR 6'2, 184 Fr. 2 stars (5.4)








5. Just ... a little ... help

Losing your top two receivers is never a particularly good thing, but when the two combined to average 6.0 yards per target, one can probably assume you're not going to miss them too terribly much. Jones was able to complete short passes to Isaiah Battle and Andy Erickson relatively frequently, but the payoff was both minimal and replicable.

And with every other receiver returning and two three-star redshirt freshmen entering the mix, it's not hard to assume this unit improves a decent amount. Now the quarterback position has to as well.

Offensive Line

Category Adj.
Line Yds
Std.
Downs
LY/carry
Pass.
Downs
LY/carry
Opp.
Rate
Power
Success
Rate
Stuff
Rate
Adj.
Sack Rate
Std.
Downs
Sack Rt.
Pass.
Downs
Sack Rt.
Team 87 2.8 3.32 41.2% 57.5% 21.7% 107.6 5.2% 4.4%
Rank 111 83 55 43 111 102 59 79 28
Player Pos. Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals Career Starts Honors/Notes
Charlie Will Tuttle LG 6'2, 297 Sr. NR 28
Matt Freeman C 6'2, 271 Jr. NR 17
Zach Crawford RG 6'2, 302 Jr. NR 17
Devin Baker LT 16
Adrian Bellard RT 6'5, 345 Jr. 3 stars (5.5) 12
Ryan Melton RT 6'5, 339 So. 2 stars (5.4) 6
Mike Yoder LG 5
Collin Fissell C 6'2, 297 Sr. NR 5
Jackson Costello LT 6'4, 299 Jr. NR 3
Tyler Potter RG 1
Felix Romero RG 6'4, 303 So. 3 stars (5.5) 0

Defense

FIVE FACTORS -- DEFENSE
Raw Category Rk Opp. Adj. Category Rk
EXPLOSIVENESS IsoPPP 1.10 47 IsoPPP+ 102.9 47
EFFICIENCY Succ. Rt. 40.1% 39 Succ. Rt. + 94.1 81
FIELD POSITION Off. Avg. FP 33.1 9 Def. FP+ 101.4 54
FINISHING DRIVES Pts. Per Trip in 40 4.2 66 Redzone S&P+ 88.8 89
TURNOVERS EXPECTED 18.3 ACTUAL 19.0 +0.7
Category Yards/
Game Rk
S&P+ Rk Success
Rt. Rk
PPP+ Rk
OVERALL 59 85 81 66
RUSHING 41 85 85 83
PASSING 91 84 77 52
Standard Downs 92 89 41
Passing Downs 66 56 77
Q1 Rk 50 1st Down Rk 78
Q2 Rk 104 2nd Down Rk 110
Q3 Rk 97 3rd Down Rk 77
Q4 Rk 84

6. Opponents chose to pass

Texas State's ability to avoid breakdowns improved dramatically in 2013. The Bobcats were a top-50 team when it came to preventing big plays, and a lot of that was because of safety play in the passing game. The three experienced safeties in Craig Haivar's 4-2-5 alignment brought both play-making and play-preventing potential to the table; Aaron Matthews, Colby Targun, and Justin Iwuji combined for eight tackles for loss and 14 passes defensed to go with their part of TXST's drastic overall defensive improvement.

Still, opponents did choose to pass rather frequently against the Bobcats. Part of that has to do with the schedule at hand -- if you play in the Sun Belt, and you take on Texas Tech in non-conference, you're going to face a lot of passes -- but opponents passed far more than the national averages. As was the case in 2012, TXST still had no semblance of a pass rush, and the Bobcats' generally passive approach on standard downs still opened the door for a lot of eight-yard passes if nothing else.

There was still work to be done, in other words, and it will be interesting to see if Texas State can make more defensive progress despite nearly starting over on the line and in the secondary.

Defensive Line

Category Adj.
Line Yds
Std.
Downs
LY/carry
Pass.
Downs
LY/carry
Opp.
Rate
Power
Success
Rate
Stuff
Rate
Adj.
Sack Rate
Std.
Downs
Sack Rt.
Pass.
Downs
Sack Rt.
Team 91.8 2.94 3.23 34.6% 73.5% 15.0% 62.6 2.2% 5.2%
Rank 96 64 57 22 97 113 115 115 97
Name Pos Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals GP Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks Int PBU FF FR
Blake McColloch NT 11 27.0 4.0% 4.0 2.0 0 4 1 0
Michael Odiari DE 6'0, 245 Sr. NR 10 25.5 3.8% 5.0 3.0 0 2 0 0
Jamie Clavell-Head DE 11 21.0 3.1% 3.0 2.0 0 0 0 0
Kamu Taulelei NT 10 17.0 2.5% 2.5 0.0 0 0 0 0
D.J. Yendrey DT 6 14.5 2.2% 2.5 1.0 0 1 0 0
Jordan Norfleet DE 7 10.0 1.5% 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0
Marcus Dallas, Jr. DE 6'4, 236 Sr. 2 stars (5.4) 5 5.0 0.7% 1.0 1.0 0 0 0 0
Dallas McClarty DT 5'11, 294 So. 2 stars (5.3) 3 4.0 0.6% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Will Trevillion DT 6'1, 280 So. 2 stars (5.3) 2 3.0 0.4% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Justin Booth NT 6'5, 262 So. 2 stars (5.2) 3 2.5 0.4% 1.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
Roosevelt Pearson DE 6'5, 255 Jr. 3 stars (5.5)
Dondre Elvold DT 6'4, 295 Jr. 2 stars (5.4)
Brian Guendling DE 6'4, 235 Jr. 2 stars (5.4)
Toni Pulu DE 6'3, 290 Jr. 2 stars (5.3)
Steven Eddings DE 6'5, 290 Jr. 2 stars (5.2)
Mershad Dillon DT 6'3, 300 Jr. 2 stars (5.2)
Cedric Gambrell DE 6'6, 235 Fr. 2 stars (5.4)








7. Starting over up front

Texas State's run defense wasn't exactly amazing in 2013, but it did improve. The linebackers were outstanding play-makers, especially for the scheme (4-2-5 linebackers don't always dominate the havoc-related portions of the box score), and despite injuries, the line was pretty deep with experience.

Experience in college football, of course, is a double-edged sword; it can assist you greatly, but it's guaranteed to disappear soon, and in 2014 TXST is tasked with replacing five of the six linemen who logged at least 10 tackles in 2013.

Franchione saw this coming and loaded up. He signed six junior college linemen in an attempt to stem the damage, and if at least 2-3 of them are ready to make noise at the start of 2014, the Bobcats could potentially survive without much of a drop-off. End Michael Odiari is undersized but aggressive, but he'll need some help from some instant-impact players.

Linebackers

Name Pos Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals GP Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks Int PBU FF FR
Damion McMiller MIKE 12 75.0 11.2% 4.0 1.5 0 3 0 0
David Mayo MIKE 6'2, 228 Sr. 2 stars (5.4) 9 74.5 11.1% 4.5 1.0 4 0 0 0
Michael Orakpo SAM 6'1, 226 Sr. 2 stars (4.9) 12 60.0 9.0% 10.0 4.5 0 3 3 0
Stephen Smith MIKE 6'3, 214 So. 2 stars (5.4) 7 14.5 2.2% 1.0 0.0 0 1 0 0
Jerrid Jeter-Gilmon SAM 6'1, 229 Jr. 3 stars (5.5) 5 11.0 1.6% 3.0 0.0 0 1 0 0
Andrew Hamilton LB 6'0, 220 Sr. NR 5 5.5 0.8% 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0

8. The Sun Belt's best linebackers?

Uncertainty looms at the front and back of this defense. The defensive line is rebuilding, and of the three safeties mentioned above, two (Matthews and Iwuji) are gone. There are some intriguing names waiting in the wings in the secondary -- David Mims II, Dila Rosemond -- but not as many sure things.

That said, the linebacking corps is one of the best in the mid-major ranks, and that will help quite a bit. Damion McMiller is gone, but in David Mayo and Colorado State transfer Michael Orakpo, TXST has a wonderful pair of play-makers; the two combined for 14.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, seven defensed passes, and three forced fumbles in 2013. Mayo is the sideline-to-sideline mess-cleaner, and Orakpo is a wrecking ball. Throw in a couple of promising young backups in Stephen Smith and Jerrid Jeter-Gilmon, and you've got an awesome unit. We'll see how much it can make up for the issues elsewhere.

Secondary

Name Pos Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Rivals GP Tackles % of Team TFL Sacks Int PBU FF FR
Aaron Matthews FS 12 77.0 11.5% 1.5 0 1 5 0 0
Colby Targun WS 5'11, 190 Sr. 2 stars (5.4) 11 47.0 7.0% 3 0 1 2 0 0
Craig Mager CB 5'11, 190 Sr. NR 12 44.5 6.6% 1 0 0 9 1 1
Xavier Daniels CB 12 36.5 5.5% 2.5 0 1 7 0 0
Justin Iwuji S 11 30.0 4.5% 3.5 0 3 2 0 0
David Mims II CB 5'11, 198 Jr. 2 stars (5.4) 9 18.0 2.7% 2 0 0 1 0 0
Damani Alexcee WS 6'2, 175 So. 2 stars (5.4) 6 13.5 2.0% 0 0 0 0 0 0
Germod Williams FS 5'10, 159 So. 3 stars (5.5) 4 6.5 1.0% 0 0 1 0 0 0
Brandon Jones S 6'2, 209 Sr. 3 stars (5.5)








Zach Veliquette S 5'10, 195 Sr. NR








Donta Clanton CB 5'10, 191 Sr. 2 stars (5.3)








Trey Garrett S 6'0, 177 Sr. 3 stars (5.5)








Dila Rosemond DB 5'10, 175 RSFr. 3 stars (5.6)








Devondrick Dixon DB 5'11, 165 Fr. 2 stars (5.4)







Special Teams

Punter Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Punts Avg TB FC I20 FC/I20
Ratio
Will Johnson 6'3, 209 Sr. 41 44.0 5 14 19 80.5%
Zach Robinson 30 44.6 1 5 11 53.3%
Kicker Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Kickoffs Avg TB OOB TB%
Will Johnson 6'3, 209 Sr. 56 64.1 38 0 67.9%
Place-Kicker Ht, Wt 2014
Year
PAT FG
(0-39)
Pct FG
(40+)
Pct
Jason Dann 6'0, 205 Sr. 21-22 5-5 100.0% 4-5 80.0%
Will Johnson 6'3, 209 Sr. 13-13 0-1 0.0% 0-4 0.0%
Returner Pos. Ht, Wt 2014
Year
Returns Avg. TD
Brandon Smith KR 6'2, 170 Jr. 20 29.9 2
Andy Erickson KR 8 21.1 0
Andy Erickson PR 20 14.2 0
Category Rk
Special Teams F/+ 41
Field Goal Efficiency 70
Punt Return Efficiency 27
Kick Return Efficiency 64
Punt Efficiency 18
Kickoff Efficiency 92
Opponents' Field Goal Efficiency 40

9. Winning field position

Texas State was one of the better field position teams in the Sun Belt last season. Forcing 19 turnovers helped in that regard, but the Bobcats dominated in the punting game on both ends of the field. Punter Will Johnson beautifully mixed depth and height on his kicks, while Andy Erickson was one of the best return men in the country.

Johnson returns, as does a decent place-kicker in Jason Dann; plus, exciting Brandon Smith is back to return kickoffs. It's conceivable that TXST can put together another nice special teams unit without Erickson, though he's certainly tough to replace.

2014 Schedule & Projection Factors

2014 Schedule
Date Opponent Proj. Rk
30-Aug UA-Pine Bluff NR
13-Sep Navy 67
20-Sep at Illinois 61
27-Sep at Tulsa 64
TBD Arkansas State 84
TBD Georgia Southern NR
TBD Idaho 120
TBD UL-Lafayette 79
TBD at Georgia State 125
TBD at New Mexico State 124
TBD at South Alabama 92
TBD at UL-Monroe 112
Five-Year F/+ Rk -19.2% (114)
Two-Year Recruiting Rk 88
TO Margin/Adj. TO Margin* 2 / -0.5
TO Luck/Game +1.0
Approx. Ret. Starters (Off. / Def.) 12 (8, 4)

10. Clean up one mess...

The offense should be in much steadier hands in 2014. There is both experience and competition at the quarterback position, and with minimal assistance from the pass, the running game should be strong. Texas State should expect to improve quite a bit from last year's No. 120 Off. F/+ ranking.

But will that lead to overall growth, or will it simply offset regression on the defense? You can build a solid mid-major defense around David Mayo and Michael Orakpo, but only if the line and secondary aren't outright liabilities. I'm not that worried about the secondary, but the line needs immediate help from the 2014 recruiting class, and that's sometimes a scary proposition.

If TXST can improve back to the No. 95-100 range, the Bobcats could once again eke out bowl eligibility. But getting too far beyond six wins will depend on a couple of upsets. Still, that I say that as a bad thing -- a third-year FBS program is decent but might not go bowling! -- tells you quite a bit about the job Franchione has done to date.

Building a program is hard, and in 2013, TXST managed to take a step backwards but still sneak out six wins. This program is getting healthier, even if there's still quite a bit of sand to push up the hill.

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