Texas State (1-2) fans were taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions Saturday night.

What looked like a comfortable win against South Alabama turned into a frustrating loss when South Alabama overcame a 14-point deficit to knock off Texas State 41-31. Sophomore quarterback Willie Jones III went out in the third quarter with an ankle injury and true freshman Tyler Vitt came in. The game swung on a pick-six on his first pass that cut Texas State’s lead to one score. South Alabama scored 17 straight to end the game.

Here are some key takeaways from Saturday’s contest:

Willie Jones III’s injury comes just as the offense was clicking.

The extent of Jones III’s injury is unknown, but the early signs look positive.

He exited the game in the third quarter and tried to return but aggravated his ankle the very next drive. Vitt came in relief and although Jones finished the game, he noticeably didn’t look to run as often as usual when he did. The long-term impact of his ankle injury will be a key factor for the rest of the season considering the strides he’s made in just three weeks.

After a rough debut at Rutgers, Jones III responded with back-to-back solid performances behind center. For about 80 percent of the game against South Alabama, the sophomore continued what he started against Texas Southern in Week 2 throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns while adding 58 yards and a 50-yard score on the ground. His pick six lat night looked like the first time Texas State’s offense has found consistent drives against an FBS opponent.

Until the injury, Jones was poised in the pocket and was about as deliberate in his decision making as he’d looked all year. The rest of the offense opened up around him allowing him to not only move in the pocket but selectively take off as well. It was tough to ask Vitt to come in and replicate that same rhythm late in the game after Jones went down and the offense didn’t look the same after that.

Less penalties, less problems, who knew?

Penalties have been a consistent negative trend for Texas State this season. In Week 1, the Bobcats couldn’t sustain anything while committing drive-killing penalties, while last week, the team couldn’t finish off Texas Southern due to penalties as well.

Saturday in Mobile, the Bobcats cleaned up their act a bit and just committed five penalties for 50 yards, it's not perfect, but it's something...seriously the first two weeks were that bad. But the one key penalty came on the drive in which South Alabama took the lead in the form of a roughing the passer penalty that moved the Jaguars deep into Texas State territory.

When Texas State was able to keep it clean, it allowed the offense to sustain drives, control the ball and get the offense into a rhythm for the first time this season and the defense got off the field consistently. Texas State had over 30 minutes of possession to USA’s 23, while the loss should absolutely sting, it’s something to build off of.