SAN MARCOS, Texas — In an unlikely moment, Chandler Pittman caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zach Wilcke with 32 seconds left to propel Southern Miss to 20-14 win over Texas State on Saturday night to ruin homecoming for the Bobcats.
Texas State had taken a 14-13 lead with 1:21 to go when quarterback Layne Hatcher connected with Ashtyn Hawkins who outran the defense for a 74-yard touchdown pass.
Despite losing the turnover battle for the second straight week, Southern Miss has now won four of its last five games.
Southern Miss jumped out to a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter. Briggs Bourgeois booted a 33-yard field goal in the first quarter. Then in the second quarter, running back Janari Dean scored on a 2-yard run.
Texas State got on the board on the next drive as Hatcher found Javen Banks on a 4-yard touchdown with less than four minutes to go in the quarter. As time expired to end the half, Bourgeois hit a 44-yard field goal to give Southern Miss a 13-7 lead. The 13 points in the opening half was the second-most scored by the Golden Eagles in the opening half this season, with the best being the 41 points against Northwestern State.
Wilcke completed 18 of 25 passes for 187 yards for the Golden Eagles (4-3, 2-1 Sun Belt). Frank Gore Jr. added 91 yards rushing, which put him over 2,000 career rushing yards.
Hatcher was 25 of 42 passing for 254 yards but the Bobcats (3-5, 1-3) were held to minus-6 net rushing yards for 249 yards of total offense. Calvin Hill and Lincoln Pare were their leading rushers with three yards each. It was the fewest yards allowed this season and the first time to hold a team to negative yards rushing since allowing minus-2 to Louisiana Tech in 2015.
Southern Miss returns home on Thursday as the Golden Eagles host Louisiana at 6 p.m. That game will be televised on ESPN2.
