An interception by Jarvis Pippins at the Bobcat 32-yard line gave the Kats an late opportunity for another score but Chris Poullard was stopped short on a fourth down play at the Bobcat 10-yard line to end the threat.

Poullard rushed 19 times for 120 yards and a score and caught five passes for 31 yards in the contest. Quarterback Blake Joseph completed 24 of 36 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown.

Blake completed the 2009 season with 2,440 yards passing, the sixth highest single season by a Bearkat quarterback.

Senior wide receiver Jason Madkins became the seventh wide receiver in Sam Houston history to gain more than 1,000 yards receiving. Madkins caught nine passes for 103 yards to up his 2009 season total to 53 receptions for 1,084 yards.

Texas State quarterback Bradley George completed 22 of 37 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Griggs caught 11 passes for 178 yards.

"We moved the ball well offensively but we didn't execute well in the red zone today. It was frustrating," Sam Houston head coach Todd Whitten said. "Defensively, we got our hands on the quarterback a lot but we couldn't tackle him. Texas State really caught the ball well. They made some fantastic catches."

Sam Houston opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown by Chris Poullard 6:23 into the contest. The tally completed an 11-play 66-yard drive set up by a fumble recovery by Chuck Obi.

Just over a minute later, Texas State tied the game 7-7 as Alvin Canady broke loose for a 48-yard scoring run.

The Bearkats responded with a seven-play, 74-yard scoring drive as Blake Joseph hit Chris Lucas for a 22-yard touchdown to put Sam Houston up 14-7 at the 3:48 mark in the first quarter.

Texas State knotted the score 14-14 as George Bradley passed to Daren Dillard for a 19-yard tally at the 13:44 mark in the second quarter.

After two possession changes, the Bearkats drove 50 yards in 13 plays for a 31-yard Miguel Antonio field goal with 2:06 to play before intermission to give Sam Houston a 17-14 halftime lead.

Sam Houston opened the second half with a 10-play 60-yard drive for a 36-yard Antonio field goal to go up 20-14 with 10:54 to play in the third quarter. A 31-yard run by Poullard to the Bobcat 34 set up the score.

Bradley hit Damarcus Griggs for a 13-yard touchdown pass with 2:41 to play in the third quarter to put Texas State ahead for the first time in the contest 21-20. Griggs caught another 13-yard TD throw with 8:06 to go in the game to extend the Bobcat margin to 28-20.

Pippens' late interception gave the Kats one final chance.

"They were challenging me and had a lot of success heading my way," Pippens said. "I was just trying to compete and make it tough on them. I made a play on the ball and the interception was what happened."

Joseph hit Madkins for a pass down to the nine-yard line but the Bobcat defense toughened and stopped two running plays to ice the game.

Bearkat fans already are looking ahead to the 2010 season and the "Battle of the Piney Woods" game with Stephen F. Austin at Reliant Stadium on October 23, 2010. Tickets for the "Battle of the Piney Woods" contest at Reliant go on sale Monday. Order "Battle of the Piney Woods" Tickets at Reliant Stadium -- October 23, 2010

For information about other Bearkat home athletic events go on-line at www.gobearkats.com  or contact the SHSU Athletic Ticket Office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.