THURSDAY
SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 VOLUME 105 ISSUE 11 www.UniversityStar.com
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CITY
University Camp enters stage of rehabilitation after losing $10,000 in revenue By Clayton Kelley NEWS REPORTER @Claytonkelley
“I miss the old TMT, it was a great place to go and listen to country music,” said Amber Boldt, agricultural animal science junior. “Now, because they don’t play Texas country as much, you have to drive out to Austin or San Antonio to hear Texas country music.” Marshall said The Marc tries to throw in a little
The University Camp’s staff is beginning to rebuild the recreational site after it sustained severe damages during the historic Memorial Day weekend flood. The campground, located along the banks of the Blanco River in Wimberley, lost approximately $10,000 to $12,000 in revenue after they reimbursed clients who booked space over the summer. The summer is University Camp’s biggest season, said Anthony Deringer, former coordinator of Outdoor Recreation. “We had to reimburse people’s user fees for the rest of the summer,” said John Johnson, assistant director of campus recreation. Among the organizations being reimbursed was the Aquatic Science Camp at Texas State. “We had four weeks booked
See THE MARC, Page 2
See CAMP, Page 2
DARYL ONTIVEROS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
ASAP Ferg performs Sept. 4 at The Marc to celebrate the venue’s two-year anniversary.
The Marc celebrates second anniversary, hopes to book bigger shows By Kasandra Garza NEWS REPORTER @KasGarza
The Marc celebrated its 2nd year anniversary on The Square with a weekend of musical performances. Two years ago, AfterDark Entertainment purchased the Texas Music Theater (TMT) and renamed it The Marc, making it their central home, said Shane
Marshall, marketing director of AfterDark Entertainment. The Marc’s first show was in 2013 on Sept. 6 with a performance by Ookay. TMT was widely known for their Texas country shows. Today, The Marc hosts a variety of artists ranging from electronic dance music and hip-hop to Texas country. Marshall said The Marc’s opening night was a huge
success. However, the company struggled to draw large crowds, especially on weekdays. “It definitely started as a brand-new club,” Marshall said. “At first, people were wary to go in because they were just used to Texas country.” The company started developing weeknight concepts such as Twerquilla Tuesday, dollar drinks and Whiskey
Wednesday. Soon, The Marc began to draw in crowds of 1,000 people, Marshall said. “We were barely putting 150 people in The Marc on Tuesdays two years ago,” Marshall said. “Last week, we had 1,000 people in and 500 people waiting outside the door.” However, despite the success of The Marc, some residents miss the Texas country atmosphere of TMT.
CITY COUNCIL
Q&A with Frank T. Arredondo, Place 5 city council candidate By Alexa Tavarez NEWS EDITOR @lexicanaa San Marcos City Council elections are quickly approaching. The University Star sat down with Place 5 candidate Scott Gregson to discuss his campaign.
Born: November 28, 1946, San Marcos, Texas Occupation: Retired Education: B.B.A. Southwest Texas University, attended Executive School of Management at San Diego University Alexa Tavarez: Where do you call home and why? FrankT.Arredondo: Here in San Marcos. I was born here. I love the community. I’ve given a lot of community service to it.
AT: Why did you decide to run for public office? FA: I decided to run because there is a need for more representation on the council of the Hispanic community. Demographically, we should have three (Hispanic members) on the council that bring a different perspective and bring voice to those who I guess could be considered disenfranchised. I want San Marcos to continue its economic growth. I want level-wage jobs for our citizens, especially our students that graduate from either high school or college. They should have the choice to stay in San Marcos. AT: What challenges are you expecting to face in your campaign? FA: Bringing out the voters.
This is an off year—there is no governor or president running and the turnout is usually low. Voters normally stay home because there is not much rhetoric going to get them excited. AT: What issue is at the heart of your campaign? FA: Giving a voice to the disenfranchised. On the same level is (the issue of) trying to bring level-wage jobs to San Marcos because that, in turn, will allow those persons to get an affordable home, qualify for mortgages and increase the tax base. AT: What are your thoughts on the amount of development San Marcos has seen in the past years? FA: It has been a little erratic. It’s been more than usual. I’d
CONSTRUCTION
like to see our established neighborhoods being respected, but at the same time not strangle business development. AT: In regard to the neverending drought, what role should the city play in water consumption? FT: They should play an important role. We are fortunate to have a river and (access) to an aquifer and we need to insure that we harbor what we have and not waste it. I do believe the city should play a role in regulating the amount of water businesses and residential neighborhoods use. I think the city has done an excellent job in looking towards the future in trying to purchase water and creating a partnership with the pipeline that is coming in for us to use. When Lake Dunlap out
by Canyon Lake was acquired, there was a lot of complaining that (the city) was spending money extravagantly. And it’s been a blessing because we were one of the fortunate communities in Texas that has access to water, and with the growth we’re having we need to continue to set aside access to water. Three years running as the fastest-growing city in the nation, we got to be proactive. AT: As a councilmember, who are you most looking forward to working with? PRESLIE COX MULTIMEDIA EDITOR FT: It’s easy to say the community as a whole, but I have to work with my colleagues and Frank Arredondo, Place 5 city several neighborhood groups council candidate, Aug. 27 at his and the business community. campaign kickoff. They are all equal partners in this.
UNIVERSITY
Aquarena Overpass to be built by late City council candidate visits College 2017 to ease railroad traffic Democrats on campus By Kendall Jackson SPECIAL TO THE STAR @k3ndallblair
By late 2017, Bobcat commuters can expect to make it to class on time due to the timely construction of the railroad overpass on Aquarena Springs Drive. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is projected to build the Loop 82 overpass and cut traffic time in favor of San Marcos residents and students. Kelli Reyna, public informa-
tion officer at TxDOT said this is a vital project to help with the flow of traffic in the city. The $20.73 million project on the overpass will allow motorists to navigate smoothly through San Marcos. “We are going to do everything we can to minimize the impact to the traveling public,” Reyna said. “There will be growing pains at the beginning of the construction project, but we know once it’s complete, the benefits will far outweigh the pain.” Captain Rickey Lattie of the
Texas State University Police Department said meetings with TxDOT have imposed suggestions to make sure bus routes are properly executed. TxDOT officials are aware traffic congestion is a major problem in the city. “San Marcos is the fastest growing city in the United States now per capita,” Lattie said. “We are going to have to start planning for some wider, much larger roads that go through town.”
See LOOP 82, Page 2
Next Monday, Sept. 14 is the
By Anna Herod ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR @annaleemurphy
Scott Gregson, Place 5 city council candidate, attended Wednesday’s College Democrats meeting bearing pizza, campaign T-shirts and a message to deliver to potential voters. “I just want to inform students who are actively involved in the political process,” Gregson said. “It’s great to see young people that are this active this early on in their life.
It’s important for them to get out and express their opinions with their votes.” Gregson said he is in favor of the master plan the city has adopted because it will promote “consistent development” and attract those willing to spend money. “I’m always amazed to see the innovativeness of young minds that come out of this university,” Gregson said. Gregson said he loves the city for its “charm and character” and Texas State is a contributing factor to the San
Martian way of life. Nicholas Laughlin, electronic media and mass communication sophomore and president of the College Democrats, said he admires that Gregson is trying to “better the city” even though he is already retired and has served on so many boards and committees. “Something that he thinks is really important is to preserve the river and to have students voices heard,” Laughlin said. “I remember last year that
See GREGSON, Page 2
2 | The University Star | News | Thursday, September 10, 2015
THE MARC, from front bit of diversity in its live performances, although AfterDark Entertainment is mainly electronic dance music. “I’m not a huge fan of country, so I kind of avoided it at first,” said Gabriel
Bermea, electronic media and mass communication sophomore. “But one of my friends invited me whenever the rap group Travis Porter was playing and that got me more interested. It included more artists.”
CAMP, from front with the Aquatic Science Camp last summer,” Deringer said. “University Camp unfortunately lost that revenue and wasn’t able to recapture it since it was closed indefinitely.” The Aquatic Science Camp had been in discussion with University Camp for about six months prior to the Memorial Day weekend flood, Deringer said. The Aquatic Science Camp had to cancel two weeks before the events planned at the campsite and make last minute changes two weeks. “It was a major inconvenience for the Aquatic Science Camp,” Deringer said. “However, given that the camp was within the university and that the flooding wasn’t manmade, they were very good-natured about the whole ordeal.” The campsite is still deemed a liability because of the intense debris that has piled up, Johnson said. It is very unsafe at the moment. “The cleanup and debrisremoval process will begin next week under Texas State’s Facility Operations,” Johnson said. Juan Guerra, associate vice president of Facilities at Texas State, said the department is waiting on some final permits and clearances to start rebuilding the camp. He said all of the cleanup will be finished by the end of September or the beginning of October, depending on how complex the process is. “We normally close the camp site from December 15th through January 15th, so more than likely we will wait to reopen camp facilities until the beginning of next year,” Johnson said.
Although The Marc does not exclusively play Texas country like TMT did, Marshall said the company did not want to exclude that kind of music from performances. Marshall said Whiskey Wednesdays are
strictly dedicated to twostepping. “It’s really the only place to two-step on The Square,” Marshall said. “It’s kind of paying homage to TMT, just keeping around what they started.”
Marshall said AfterDark Entertainment is looking to book bigger shows in the future. The Marc has grown as college students are “big fans” of the music and have helped the venue grow as a company.
“The Marc has become an icon for San Marcos,” Marshall said. “It went from a brand-new club to the most poppin’ place on The Square.”
LOOP 82, from front “There is an incomprehensible amount of debris at the camp,” Deringer said. “There’s a car out there, hot tubs, riding lawn mowers and everything in between is just piled up.” Deringer said some of the debris piled up at the site reaches about 30 feet in height and 50 feet in width. The debris has to be hauled off-site since it contains toxins and cannot be burned. “There still is a considerable amount of damage along the river,” Deringer said. “There are still huge cypress trees and pecan trees that are in desperate need of care.” The campsite now sits in a higher elevation because of all of the dirt and silt that washed up, Johnson said. The Outdoor Center sustained major damages toward its high ropes courses, Johnson said. He said the Outdoor Center is in the process of mitigating those damages. “The challenge course was damaged, he said. “We had several elements that floated away and broke off the tower.” Johnson said picnic tables and barbecue pits were lost in the flood. There won’t be any substantial changes made to the camp, Johnson said. “Because this is a FEMA project, we have to put the camp back the same way it was,” Johnson said. “It’s possible that in the long term, we might relocate some campsites to higher ground.” He said in the future, campsites in the lower ground would be available for day use only, whereas the higher ground would be used for people staying overnight.
The project started because city officials were aware that trains prohibited emergency service vehicles from arriving at their destinations on time, and the goal is to get over the train tracks without delaying ambulances or San Marcos residents on
their commute, he said. “Now the project is where it needs to be,” Lattie said. “This will allow emergency services vehicles to get back and forth from across the town so the train won’t cut the town in half.” San Marcos will end up
with a safer driving environment, Lattie said. “We have our eye on the prize, and it’s to make sure that we continue to do the best construction possible so that we can finish this project as previously scheduled by late 2017,” Reyna said.
In the meantime, changes will be made in the way commuters travel to and from the university, Reyna said. Detours will be implemented and signs will be displayed for temporary traffic patterns until construction is complete.
SAM KING STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Construction has began on the overpass that will cross over the railroad on Aquarina Springs near the stadium at an estimated cost of $20.73 million
GREGSON, from front wasn’t something we really heard from a lot of the council candidates.” Laughlin said Gregson has reached out on several occasions to the College Democrats to hear about what they think on issues facing the city. Laughlin said along with other politically active organizations on campus, the College Democrats are mostly pushing voter registration
among students, regardless of what political party they are affiliated with. “Young people don’t vote enough and we’re all passionate about that,” said Leanne Kelley, electronic media and mass communication junior and events coordinator and director of programs for College Democrats. “I think (Gregson speaking at the meeting) was a great experience.”
College Democrats stand with Scott Gregson, Place 5 city council candidate at their Wednesday meeting.
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Kelley said it struck her when Gregson asked her how she felt about living in San Marcos. “No candidates have ever asked me how I feel,” Kelley said. “So I feel like that really captivated me because you actually get a sense that he really does care about you. Even if you’re not necessarily from San Marcos.” Kelley said although other
Democrat-affiliated figures come and speak with the organization regularly, Gregson is one of the few that continues to stay in touch with them outside of election-related matters. “Politics is one thing, but when you can just meet someone who’s a good person and you can tell they’re genuine— that’s awesome,” Kelley said. “Like he brought pizzas, he didn’t have to do that.”
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Thursday, September 10, 2015 | The University Star | 3
LIFESTYLE
UniversityStar.com
Fall fashion makes its way to campus Sarah Bradley, journalism junior, showcases fall fashion.
PRESLIE COX MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
By Imani McGarrell MANAGING EDITOR @ImaniMcg As the temperature drops and days get shorter, fashion-minded Bobcats across campus will start to pack away their summer attire and turn toward fall styles. Top fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar are heralding the latest runway styles. Here on campus, many students are taking a more classic approach to their cold weather lineup. Olive green military-style jackets are a staple for many fall looks. The piece is versatile enough to be paired with girly, boho or minimalist styles. “I really like the green jackets, they look good with a lot of looks,” said Mallonie Zhivotovskaya, psychology freshman. Zhivotovskaya said she would pair hers with black jeans, a thin sweater underneath, leather black booties and a cute scarf. Another classically chic trend making an appearance in fall closets is the pairing of sweaters and long-sleeve buttondowns in flannel or plaid prints. Sweaters are an obvious bet for fall, but adding the buttondown underneath brings an extra touch. The combination is a fun way to jazz up layers for colder weather. “I’d wear (sweaters with a buttondown underneath) with black skinny jeans or leggings and converse. That way it’s like a lazy look but a cute laidback college look,” Zhivotovs-
kaya said. Maddy Brooker, education sophomore, says she approaches the sweater trend a bit differently. Brooker said she isn’t a fan of plaid. Instead, she would pair a solid-colored shirt with a neutral-colored sweater and roll the long sleeves up over the sweater. Colors for fall fashion traditionally reside in the cooler end of the spectrum, but some trends this year are slowly bringing warmth into the mix. Must a r d yellow and maroon are both colors
Brooker said she is looking forward to wearing
this fall. Studies from the Pantone Color Institute back up Brooker’s color theories for the upcoming fall. According to this year’s Pantone’s fall color report for New York Fashion Week, the golden yellow Oak Buff and red brown Marsala are part of the 10 colors that made up the color palette. San Marcos has a lot of shopping options for local fashionistas looking to stock their fall wardrobe. Stores at the outlet mall such as Papaya Clothing, GAP and Old Navy are beginning to roll out their fall clothing. “I’m a really big fan of T.J. Maxx because once the season starts they have huge sales and you can find affordable name brands,” Zhivotovskaya said. “You can find anything there.” As far as accessories go, Zhivotovskaya said she is predicting widebrim hats, ankle-length booties and dark matte lipsticks to be the go-to looks for the season. Marc Jacobs seems to agree, styling his models with dark plum lipsticks during his fall runway show this year. “The dark lips are a big part of my signature look,” Zhivotovskaya said. “I definitely wear those a lot.” PRESLIE COX MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
Alexa Tavarez, journalism junior, showcases fall fashion.
Alexa Tavarez, journalism junior, showcases fall fashion. PRESLIE COX MULTIMEDIA EDITOR
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4 | The University Star | Thursday, September 10, 2015
OPINIONS
UniversityStar.com
THE MAIN POINT
Getting a DWI ‘like, really sucks!’
T
exas State was dragged into the headlines last week under the unfortunate wheel of a pink Barbie jeep that has disgraced students and alums everywhere. Texas State student Tara Monroe, infamously known as “Barbie Jeep Girl,” made national headlines due to the novelty of her driving situation. However, the reason behind her adorable toy car is no laughing matter. Monroe’s license was suspended due to refusing a Breathalyzer test after being suspected of DWI. Every day in the United States 28 people are killed due to the reckless individuals who choose to drive intoxicated. That is over 10,000 people every year, but that number does not even include the countless friends and families further impacted by the sudden loss of their loved one. Praising a person for being involved with drunk driving due to the novelty of their new mode of transportation is a slap in the face to all of those who have been negatively affected by this mindless act. Not only is the media’s praise of Monroe a slap to victims of DWI, but it is also a smack in the face
to us all. Each year drunk driving costs the United States almost $200 billion. Every single year Americans are wasting money due to the reckless behavior of people who think driving while intoxicated is the best decision they have ever made. The media should be ashamed of themselves for not writing scathing and informative pieces about driving while intoxicated and that they decided to shift it to the ingenuity of an immaturely creative girl. Aside from the ignoring the actual severity of drunk driving, this entire fiasco has caused Texas State to look like a home for impulsive party animals—a reputation the university has been trying to escape. As a collective, the university and its student body have made huge strides to distance themselves from the “party school” reputation that has plagued the Bobcats for decades. This incident drags everyone back down into the trenches. The national publicity surrounding a person notorious for riding a toy jeep due to reckless behavior does not bode well for students actually trying to make a difference
KARINA HERRERA STAR ILLUSTRATOR
and increase the school’s renown. The coverage of the story is a disgrace. People on social media are now talking about how this entire Barbie jeep fiasco is “so Texas State,” which embarrasses the university even further. Texas State
has come a long way from its party school reputation. The media would not be amused if a drunk driver hits the passenger of a Barbie jeep going 5 mph on Sessom. No one would be pointing and laughing at the novelty of the situation or the cuteness
of the broken jeep, so the media should not foam at the mouth because some young woman is riding said jeep around a college campus. Instead of choosing clickbait and the way to maximize views, it would be great if the media went
back to actually doing their job and reporting on things in the proper way. It is our job to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted—high-fiving a drunk-driving Barbie jeep aficionado is not the way to go. Do better media.
The Main Point is the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. Columns are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the full staff, Texas State University Student Media, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or Texas State University.
DO CRIME DO TIME
ABUSE EXCUSES ACTIONS
Committing heinous crimes is grounds for being tried as an adult
Effects of abuse should shield children from criminal responsibility
Mikala Everett OPINIONS COLUMNIST
@mikala_maquella
T
he jury on the case of the 13-year-old Jamarion Lawhorn from Michigan who stabbed 9-year old Michael Verkerke did not make the best decision they could. Lawhorn is known to have suffered abuse at home abnd domestic abuse is known to have various effects on the behavioral, emotional and mental stability of children. The effects of abuse can be severe and long lasting. Children suffering from the emotional trauma of abuse are known to exhibit selfharm. After stabbing and killing Verkerke, Lawhorn called the police proclaiming he himself needed to be killed and sent to the electric chair, he was exhibiting a degree of self-harm symptomatic of an abusive childhood. That is not something a mentally stable person would say—calmly or otherwise. Lawhorn wanted to be killed so that he did not have to go back home and suffer more abuse dispensed by his mother and stepfather. While Lawhorn understood the police are in place to take away those who do not uphold the law, the reason he felt that way about himself was based on abuse. This is a broken boy from a broken home with a damaged childhood and an even more tattered psyche.
Lawhorn knew that he had to do something major to be taken from home. The problem was that instead of going for help, he went in the opposite direction and turned to murder. This is a sign that he is unstable and needs help, not a lifelong punishment. According to a July 2013 Child Welfare Information Gateway study, boys who experience violence are more likely to act out in violent ways. I understand the sentiment behind wanting to get justice, but at what cost is justice to be served? At the cost of the life of a young boy victimized by a traumatic childhood and made unstable by those very circumstances? That is not justice—not to me. Children who experience abuse are nine times more likely to partake in criminal activity. Environment shapes everyone. If a person is borne out of a toxic environment and situation, then toxic behavior is sure to follow. The defendant is also a victim—a victim of circumstance—which caused him to act out in a destructive way. People should not turn their backs on any victims. A 12-year-old is still a child and for that reason alone should not be tried as an adult. Adding in the mental instability and traumatic childhood, then it is clear that this boy was not only too young to understand, but too damaged as well. The day America starts trying children as adults is a day that I do not want to see. There is a reason why children are not able to give consent or be held legally responsible for their actions, and this is no different.
OUT CRIME
—Mikala Everett is a marketing sophomore
The University Star Editor-in-Chief...........................................Kelsey Bradshaw, stareditor@txstate.edu Managing Editor.......................Imani McGarrell, starmanagingeditor@txstate.edu Letters................................................................................universitystar@txstate.edu News Editor....................................................Alexa Tavarez, starnews@txstate.edu Sports Editor.............................................Quixem Ramirez, starsports@txstate.edu Lifestyle Editor.........................................Mariah Simank, starlifestyle@txstate.edu Opinions Editor..........................................Brandon Sams, staropinion@txstate.edu Multimedia Editor......................................Preslie Cox, starmultimedia@txstate.edu Copy Desk Chief....................................Abby Marshall, starcopychief@txstate.edu
TALK IT
Sterling Wilmer OPINIONS COLUMNIST
@nycbornnraised
T
here is never an excuse for heinous acts—not even in youth. Just a year ago, a horrific crime was committed on a western Michigan playground. According to a CBS News report, a young boy, Michael Connor Verkerke, was stabbed repeatedly by his older, 12-year-old friend after playing on the playground. The murderer knew what he did was wrong and even called the police to come pick him up. This boy is a monster and he should not get special treatment just because he is young. He killed someone’s child. Like any person in that scenario, he should face the consequences for it. Thankfully, after a year of contemplation, a judge ruled that the boy was competent enough to be put on trial and even be charged as an adult in the juvenile court system. While many experts have argued against the judge’s decision, I am a proponent of impartiality. No matter how young or inept, justice should always be served. As cold-hearted as this may sound, this child is getting exactly what he asked for. This child had enough the mental presence to comprehend the arrest procedures. He was able to communicate to the cops and himself that what was done was wrong and there should be consequences. Though the child does not know every single step of the criminal justice process, that is no excuse to let him off easily. After all, I would wager most adults do not know every step of the criminal
justice process either. The 12-year-old kid is not a little boy as some have said—he is a tween about to hit his teen years. Even though his hormones are raging and emotions are unstable due to abuse faced as a youth, the murder was undoubtedly premeditated. The boy already knew what he was out there to do with murder weapon in his hand. At best, he should be tried as an adult and carefully given a chance to advocate for an insanity plea. It is hard to look at this situation and not have a sympathetic heart and soft spot for these kids. The now-13-year-old boy will most likely never see the outside world again. Granted, the now-teenage boy was a victim of mental and physical abuse as well as neglect, so he could possibly be clinically insane or even disabled by massive trauma. However, there is the simple truth that one grieving mother in western Michigan no longer has her precious little boy and that is what is truly devastating. The family of little Michael Connor Verkerke deserves justice and some kind of solace. If that means sending this teenage boy to prison for his criminal, adult actions, then that is what must be done. This was not just a tween taking out a little aggression—it was a gruesome, premeditated stabbing of an innocent child. Abuse and trauma be damned, this was a heinous act and it deserves a just sentence. This is an angry child who was bound and determined to go forth and commit murder and face the repercussions. There are many abused children that have it just as bad or worse than the murderer, but they choose not to commit these sad and heinous acts. Nothing should give this one special treatment. —Sterling Wilmer is a sophomore and psychology major
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The University Star is the student newspaper of Texas State University and is published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of the spring and fall and every other Wednesday in the summer semesters. It is distributed on campus and throughout San Marcos at 8 a.m. on publication days with a distribution of 6,000. Printing and distribution is by the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung. Copyright Thurday, September 10, 2015. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The University Star are the exclusive property of The University Star and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the editor in chief. The first five issues of each edition of the paper are free. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased at 50¢ per copy. Contact The University Star office at (512) 245-3487 to purchase additional copies.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015 | The University Star | 5
SPORTS
UniversityStar.com
FOOTBALL
BOBCATS NOT UNDERESTIMATING PANTHERS IN HOME OPENER
DARYL ONTIVEROS STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Players practice Aug. 19 at Bobcat Stadium. By Paul Livengood SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER @IamLivengood
Prairie View A&M and the Texas State football teams’ first week of the season went in two different directions. The Bobcats lost 59-16 to the 10th-ranked team in the nation and the Panthers defeated rival Texas Southern by 27 points last weekend. Now the Bobcats and Panthers cross paths in the second week of the season. Texas State won the last matchup against Prairie View A&M by 25 points in 2013 and own an 11-2 record in the
“
all-time series. The Bobcats’ winning streak against the Panthers is 11 games. Neither starting quarterback for either school played in the last matchup, but this doesn’t mean the teams aren’t familiar with each other. “I know Jafus (Gaines) is sitting in here and he probably knows a lot of guys on that team,” said Coach Dennis Franchione. “They got a lot of Houston area guys he’s played against.” Gaines isn’t the only player who is familiar with the guys dressed in purple and black. “I’m from Houston, so probably half the people on
Prairie View I possibly know,” said Tim Gay, senior running back. “They probably graduated with me or transferred there.” With familiarity comes a natural sense of heightened competition. Texas State and Prairie View have played competitive games with each other in the last two meetings. The last meeting was arguably within striking distance for most of the game until Chris Nutall’s 77-yard run opened up the game by three touchdowns. In 2011, Texas State was ahead 17-6 in the first quarter. Prairie View answered with
13 unanswered points to take the lead 19-17 with 2:50 left in the third quarter. The Panthers had all the momentum and then Isaiah Battle, now graduated, changed the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Battle took all the momentum back with a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give the Bobcats a 24-19 lead. Texas State went on to win the game 34-26. Despite playing the Bobcats close the past few matchups, Texas State is favored against Prairie View A&M. For context, Florida State was a 28-point favorite over Texas State last week.
Saturday night’s matchup is the home opener for Texas State and Franchione is ready to kick things off in Bobcat Stadium. Texas State has won 18 of its last 19 home openers. Franchione said the team is ready to play in front of the home fans. With history as precedent, the Bobcats won’t underestimate the Panthers. “I think we have to feel like Prairie View is going to play us like they have the last few times,” Franchione said. The staple of Texas State’s offense in the past few years is the running game. In the last meeting against Prairie View A&M, Texas State ran for 242 yards on 42 carries. Franchione alluded to a similar game plan centering on Robert Lowe, senior running back, and Nutall. The running duo rushed for 26 yards on 13 carries in the season opener. “(Prairie View A&M) are going to get a good dose of both (Lowe and Nutall),” Franchione said. “We need for them to get into a rhythm now and our offensive line and our offense to get into a rhythm a little bit better.” Prairie View A&M boasts an impressive run game of its own. The Panthers ran for 290 yards against Texas Southern last week. The main benefactor of that was Trey Green, junior quarterback, who ran for 81 yards on 12 carries. Green’s longest run of the game was 80 yards, which resulted in a touchdown. Franchione said playing against a quarterback who can pass and run poses additional problems for the defense because there is an extra runner in the backfield to account for. Even on designed pass
plays, Franchione said, defensive players have to be aware the quarterback can run while their backs are turned to guard receivers downfield. “I would rather face a quarterback that isn’t a dual-throw,” Franchione said. “Most defensive coaches would rather do that. You have an extra runner in the backfield.” Everett Golson, Seminoles’ senior quarterback, had the capability to run, but Prairie View A&M incorporates designed quarterback runs more often than Florida State. Franchione isn’t too concerned with preparing for Green’s running game because the defense is used to seeing those looks. “The beauty for us this week is that a lot of we do, they do,” Franchione said. “Our team has seen a bunch of it through August camp. It’s not like we have to reach in our pocket and pull out something we haven’t been working on a good bit already.” It has been two years since the teams have played each other and a lot has changed. Texas State’s offense was young and inexperienced in 2013. This season’s offense has the potential to develop into the strong point of the team. “Our offense two years ago was dreadful,” Franchione said. “It wasn’t very good. We were not a good offensive ball club at that time.” Franchione said the offense “laid an egg” against the Seminoles. Perhaps the home opener against Prairie View A&M will give the offense an opportunity to live up to its preseason hype.
I think we have to feel like Prairie View is going to play us like they have the last few times.” —COACH DENNIS FRANCHIONE
SATURDAY / 6:00 PM BOBCAT STADIUM
6 | The University Star | Sports | Thursday, September 10, 2015
LUNCH WITH COACH FRAN FOOTBALL
Back to square one STAR FILE ILLUSTRATION
By Quixem Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR @quixem
Good news: The Texas State football team won’t play Florida State—or any team of that caliber—for the rest of the season. More good news: Texas State’s next game is against the Prairie View A&M Panthers, who are currently slated as the underdog. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Panthers a 5.9 percent
chance of winning. The bad news? The Bobcats’ Sept. 12 home opener against the Panthers will be as helpful as Texas State’s 59-16 loss to Florida State last week. That’s because Coach Dennis Franchione still won’t have an accurate barometer of what his team is or who the Bobcats can be by the end of the season. “I think we are still scratching our head a little bit too,”
Franchione said. “First game will still leave you a little uncertain of things. I wish we knew a little more.” We won’t know whether Tyler Jones, junior quarterback, is ready to make the next leap and lead his team to the program’s first bowl game. We won’t know whether the duo of Robert Lowe and Chris Nutall, senior running backs, is potent enough to support the passing game. We won’t know whether the defense will have a better grasp of defensive coordinator John Thompson’s system or whether the team can compensate for the departures of David Mayo, Craig Mager, Michael Orakpo and Michael Odiari. There’s a lot of unknowns that won’t be answered against Prairie View A&M. It may take four games for Franchione and his coaching staff to accurately assess their team. By then, Texas State
will be two weeks away from their first conference game of the season. Is that enough time to get the team in the right frame of mind before playing Louisiana-Lafayette on the road? “We need to find more about our team,” Franchione said. “We’ll have two really tough non-conference games after this and we need to kind of be able to start to construct our game plan more on, ‘OK, we like what our guy can do against their guy,’ but we got to see our guys do a little more.” For Franchione, it’s a matter of sample size. The more opportunities he gets to see his team play, the better the game plan against the opposition will be. It’s more difficult when he doesn’t have a firm grasp on his team’s capabilities. That takes time. “The more you know about yours, the more you can play the chess game with an op-
ponent,” Franchione said. “It’s important to get out and play well and improve. I’ll be disappointed if we don’t improve.” The home opener won’t be meaningless, though. In last week’s press conference, Franchione said he’d rather open the season with a 65-point win—like last year against Arkansas-Pine Bluff— than a matchup with Florida State. Franchione reasons that a blowout victory, regardless of the opponent, is still valuable in the process. The coach is preaching the beauty of the journey even after losing by 43 points to the Seminoles in the season opener. Playing Florida State humbled the team and allowed them to experience pressure on one of the highest platforms of college football. The tables are turned with Texas State playing the role of the heavy favorite. Playing Prairie View A&M is no dif-
ferent in that sense. Having a blowout victory under your belt, Franchione said, gives the team some confidence before entering the end of its non-conference slate. You can’t quantify confidence or the effect it has on the team, but the intangible value is real. Confident football teams tend to win more games than those who are unsure of themselves. Just don’t fall into the trap of reading too much into the result of Saturday’s game. (Unless Prairie View A&M makes it a competitive game— then that’s a different story.) The statistics will be inflated because of the level of competition. After Prairie View A&M, there won’t be any more guaranteed wins for the rest of the Bobcats’ schedule. And the Texas State football team will be right back to where they started: square one.
FOOTBALL
PREGAME QUESTIONS FOR THE BOBCATS By Quixem Ramirez SPORTS EDITOR @quixem
Here are five relevant questions for the Texas State football team’s home opener against Prairie View A&M. We will address these questions more in-depth following the home opener.
1. WILL TYLER JONES BOUNCE BACK?
Odds are, he will. Jones, junior quarterback, tallied 139 total yards in the 59-16 loss to Florida State. He also out-
played Everett Golson, Seminoles senior quarterback, in every statistical category in the first half. For the most part, though, Jones was forced to escape the pocket to create anything for the offense. He only completed one pass of 20 yards or more in the game, with most of his throws occurring in the short and intermediate areas on the field. That should change against Prairie View A&M.
2. HOW WILL THE RUNNING GAME PER-
FORM?
Rob Lowe, senior running back, and Lumi Kaba, junior kicker, nearly had the same amount of rushing yards against Florida State. Lowe rushed for 13 yards on eight carries, while Kaba surprised the Seminoles defense with an improved 11-yard scramble on 4th-and-4 to pick up the first down. Lowe and Chris Nutall, senior running back, will have bigger running angles this week. Last season, Texas State ran for 378 rushing yards against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Exceeding 200 rushing yards in the home opener wouldn’t be a huge stretch of the imagination.
broadcasters.
Lumi Kaba punted seven times for 326 yards in the loss to Florida State. He averaged 46.6 yards per punt, with three landing inside the 20-yard line and two exceeding 50 yards. His performance earned him the “legend of San Marcos” nickname coined by ESPN
rior opponent may influence people to stay at home instead of watching the game at Bobcat Stadium. The reported attendance was 20,136 in the last meeting against Prairie View A&M. Texas State has exceeded the 20,000 fan threshold seven times in the
last two seasons.
4. WILL 20,000 PEO- 5. HOW MUCH WILL PLE ATTEND THE GAME? WE KNOW ABOUT THE That’s the mark from last TEAM AFTER THE GAME? 3. WHAT WILL LUMI year’s home opener (20,850), Likely, not very much. KABA DO FOR AN EN- when Texas State defeated Texas State is a 94.1 percent Arkansas-Pine Bluff 65-0. It’s favorite CORE? according to ESPN’s the home opener, but the infe-
Football Power Index. The tables were turned last week when Florida State was a 96.8 percent favorite over South Florida. Aside from a close win—which would be telling in a bad way—there shouldn’t be too much to glean from beating Prairie View A&M.
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Thursday, September 10, 2015 | Sports | The University Star | 7
VOLLEYBALL
BOBCATS TRUSTING THE PROCESS LEADING UP TO SHOCKER VOLLEYBALL CLASSIC By Jose Campos SPORTS REPORTER @josewithaj
Coach Karen Chisum understands the non-conference schedule is a process. It doesn't matter what the Texas State volleyball team’s record will be after this weekend in the Shocker Volleyball Classic. The Bobcats will play against South Dakota State, Wichita State and Northern Illinois in the tournament. The only thing Texas State needs to do is play when it counts once the Sun Belt Conference seasons starts. Until then, Chisum will use the wait-and-see approach. After the three-set loss Tuesday night to 12th-ranked
Oregon, the focus is shifting to the Shocker Volleyball Classic. The Bobcats are familiar with Wichita State after the Shockers defeated the Bobcats in a five-set game (24-26, 31-29, 25-22, 25-19, 15-9). "Wichita State I think is going to be the best team we play and we played them last year,” Chisum said. “They beat us. They're just as good this year if not better." She said Northern Illinois is a good volleyball school. Chisum would feel good coming out the Shocker Volleyball Classic with a 2-1 record this weekend. However after the loss to Oregon, it's apparent Texas State is still making some of
the same mistakes time and time again. Last Saturday's loss to Indiana saw the Texas State volleyball team commit a season-high of 28 errors. Tuesday's Oregon loss saw more of the same as the team committed 24 errors. While the errors may seem large, they represent that the Bobcats are getting scoring opportunities with a combined 266 total attempts over the last two games. "If we could take away some of the errors, I'd be really happy," Chisum said. "We never quit, we fought, our energy level was pretty good. We're getting better, I can say that." A spot where the Bobcats
have improved each game has been the setter position. Erin Hoppe, sophomore setter, appears to have earned the top position after 25 assists against Oregon and 33 assists against Indiana. Emily Shelton, junior setter, has also contributed 107 assists this season. "We just want them to run our game plan," Chisum said. “(Hoppe) got away from that for a little bit as you saw (in the Oregon game). They're learning. We've improved a lot since two weeks, Erin will probably get the starting nod." The Shocker Volleyball Classic begins this Friday with two games for Texas State. The first matchup is
KAYLIN KING STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Players work together Sept. 8 during their game against Oregon. against South Dakota State at 11 a.m. followed by Northern Illinois at 5:30 p.m.
The tournament concludes Saturday with Wichita State at 1 p.m.
SOCCER
TEAM LOOKS TO CONTINUE WINNING WAYS AGAINST NORTHWESTERN STATE By Garrett Caywood SPORTS REPORTER @polo__garre
The Texas State soccer team is back on track after two wins against Texas A&MCorpus Christi and Prairie View A&M last week, which improved its season record to 3-2. Assistant Coach Link Scoggins said the team will be working on spacing going into Friday’s matchup against the Northwestern State Lady Demons. “Just from looking at the two games this weekend and practice, we got to start working together—more connected than we were this last weekend,” Scoggins said.
Scoggins wants to see more connection from the team and better movement. “Everybody working together as a collective unit because that way we are able to find options off the ball much faster,” Scoggins said. “Also when we go to attack we’re not just attacking with one or two, we are attacking with four and five.” The Lady Demons are coming off a 10-0 victory against Alcorn in their last game. Nine of those goals were scored by freshmen. Lady Demons Coach George Van Linder said the Bobcats were a focus, even before their game with Alcorn. “Our pregame talk was about prepping for Texas
State and just the things we need to do,” Van Linder said. “Hopefully we’ll get a few of those chances against Texas State, but if we get those chances they’ll be limited. But we got to take care of those opportunities and put the ball in the back of the net.” Scoggins said the team has done a nice job defending the long ball, clearing the flanks and making sure the opposition isn’t creating scoring opportunities with one pass. “Defensively, we are doing a very good job at solving it,” Scoggins said. “Right now we have three backs and they’re doing a good job at shifting that opposite wing back in to where it almost looks like we
have four back.” Scoggins said it’s important to limit space for an opposing counterattack but knows that can be a challenge. “Our backs are doing a very good job at denying that long ball service and then to shift when it is in that flank to make sure we don’t get switched,” Scoggins said. The last victory for the Lady Demons against the Bobcats dates back to Nov. 4, 2005. The Bobcats lead the overall series versus the Lady Demons (14-8-3). Last year, the teams met in San Marcos with the Bobcats winning 3-0. Rachel Grout, sophomore midf ielder, scored her first collegiate
LARA DIETRICH STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Players work the ball down the field Aug. 30 during a game against A&M Corpus Christi. goal. The Bobcats have won two road games this season and
look to continue the streak at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.
TENNIS
TEXAS STATE TRAVELS TO MEXICO TO BEGIN SEASON By Thomas Mejia SPECIAL TO THE STAR @ThomasMejia79
This year, the Texas State tennis team was introduced to a book called “Read This Book Tonight To Help You Win Tomorrow.” Katy Collins, one of three returning players, read the book whenever she struggled during any of her matches. In preparation for this season, Collins’ father has provided each player with her own copy of the book as the team begins the season Thursday in Cancun, Mexico for the Barcelo College Cup II. “It has a lot of quotes and motivating advice and I read it before all of my competitions,” Collins said. “It worked really well with me, so we like to recommend it to everyone else.” Collins reads the book before every match. Head Coach Tory Plunkett, who focuses on mental toughness, had high praise for the book. “It is a book that helps us to get our mind in the right frame for competition,” Plunkett said. “The book was introduced to them because we
are going to be starting competition. It’s basically walking the walk and talking the talk. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for tennis, softball, soccer, volleyball—it is the mental part of the game.” Improving the mental side will come in handy with an inexperienced team. Four of the seven players on the team are freshmen. With only two weeks of practice, Plunkett is confident her team will be competitive despite the inexperience. “I’m excited, they have to learn quite a bit within a short two weeks,” Plunkett said. “There is still a lot to learn, but I think everybody is going to kind of be in that boat—us more than other teams just because majority of our team consists of freshmen.” The three returning players—Collins, Eva Dench and Pippa Carr—finished with a 9-7 record last season and advanced to the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. This trio gives mental toughness and it’s rubbing off on the rest of the team. Collins is ready to pick up from where she left off last
season. Losing is not on her agenda. “Every time, no matter how I’m feeling,when I step on the court I just immediately get into the mode where I hate losing,” Collins said. That competiveness has grown over the three years Collins has spent under Plunkett’s coaching. Plunkett has noticed an overall change in her team compared to last year. The freshmen on the team want to be No. 1 and they are not afraid of the spotlight. But being the top player requires extra responsibility, both on and off the court. “I expect a lot from that No. 1,” Plunkett said. “Not necessarily success, but the mentality you have on the court, the attitude. That person has to represent our team in a highly professional manner.” As of right now, Plunkett said the top spot is between Carr and freshman Yadira Rubio. And it is a close race. “I have freshmen asking and wanting to play in those top positions,” Plunkett said. “They are going to add quite a bit of depth and success to our team.”
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