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A Big Weekend for Texas State Football
The G.J. Kinne era began with a bang last Saturday, as Texas State took down Baylor in Waco. The Bobcats caught the attention of national media, receiving two votes in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. Eyes will be on the Bobcats while they attempt to begin a season 2-0 for the first time since 2013.
This is the first matchup between UTSA and Texas State since 2020, when the Bobcats lost a 51-48 heart-breaker in double overtime. UTSA leads the all-time series 4-0, but three of those games have been decided by seven points or less.
UTSA enters this Saturday’s contest with an 0-1 record after falling 17-14 against the Houston Cougars on the road.
Offensive Outlook
UTSA’s prolific offense is led by Frank Harris, who has been the starter at UTSA for the past four seasons and is in his seventh year overall with the Roadrunners. Harris, who has been the leader of some of the most impressive teams of the young program, was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football last season, surpassing 4,000 passing yards with a 70 percent completion rate.
The Roadrunner signal caller went through a lot this offseason. After several surgeries on his left knee resulted in infections, he was on the verge of medically retiring from football last spring. Somehow, he has made his way back to the gridiron.
Harris struggled last week against Houston, having an uncharacteristically inefficient game. He completed 18 of his 36 passes for 209 yards for one touchdown and three interceptions. Given his experience, it is safe to say that Harris will be extra motivated to bounce back against the UTSA rivals.
The Roadrunners return Kevorian Barnes, a redshirt sophomore who is coming off an extremely impressive 2022. Barnes is fast, packs a lot of power and put together a great performance against Houston.The UTSA run game should be another big test for Texas State’s defensive line this week. However, the Bobcat defense faced a tandem of very good running backs last week versus Baylor and held their own, so they should be up for the task.
UTSA possesses an elite wide receiver duo in Joshua Cephus, and De’Corian “JT” Clark. However, Clark did not play last week against Houston as he is still recovering from a torn ACL that he suffered last season. Traylor has said that Clark is a game-time decision for week 2. Cephus stepped up without Clark last week, as he was on the receiving end of half of the completions by QB Frank Harris. Oscar Cardenas is a solid receiving option at tight end, even with a quiet game last week.
UTSA is an athletic offense, they will try to get the ball out of Harris’ hands and into the hands of their playmakers in space.
Defensive Outlook
UTSA did not have a particularly great defense last season. Even with the success they have had as a team in recent years, many of their games were high-scoring shootouts. Their defense has never been the most impressive unit on the field. With that being said, this defense is still an experienced group that forces a lot of turnovers. They return seven starters, and have some game-wreckers.
Similar to Texas State, the Roadrunners have a surplus of defensive line depth. They have a deep rotation that keeps pass rushers fresh throughout games. The UTSA defense opened 2023 by rotating nine different defensive lineman into the game against Houston, racking up eight TFL’s and three sacks while holding them to just 2.7 yards per carry.
Senior strongside linebacker Donyai Taylor will certainly be a player to watch. He had three tackles for loss last week, and is one of the best edge defenders the Bobcats will face this season. Trey Moore, the young sophomore will also be a player to look out for on the weakside.
The player to keep an eye on in the Roadrunner secondary is Rashad Wisdom. Wisdom, the fifth-year senior is one of the most productive players in all of college football. He has 183 career solo tackles, which is third among active FBS players along with five career interceptions.
Scheme vs Scheme
UTSA does not run as complicated a defense as Baylor does. They line up in a base 3-4, giving them versatility to switch defensive alignments as the in-game scenarios change. They will line up with three down defensive lineman with one JACK, who will rush the passer while also dropping back into coverage. Senior Jamal Ligon is listed as the JACK on UTSA’s depth chart going into Saturday’s game.
With this look, UTSA runs a lot of blitzes and stunts to confuse opposing offenses and create pressure. However, this strategy puts a lot of pressure on their secondary and leaves them susceptible to giving up big plays.
I would not be surprised to see UTSA dial back and be less aggressive against a Texas State offense that ran a lot of quick passing plays against the Bears. G.J. Kinne has stated that he still wants to get Malik Hornsby involved in the offense. The redshirt junior did not play against Baylor, but he could enter the game this Saturday and cause real issues against an aggressive defense.
UTSA runs a Multiple offense, they keep defenses honest. They feature a near 50-50 run-to-pass split. They like to run a lot of short out routes and slants, Harris gets the ball out very quickly. They will still air the ball out to Joshua Cephus and JT Clark, they are both excellent pass catchers.
Once again, Texas State will have to focus on stopping the run to prevent this offense from burning them. The Bobcat front seven will likely be the key to limiting the Roadrunner offense.
The Case for Texas State
This is the biggest game in the short history of this rivalry. People will be watching to see if the Bobcats can repeat what they did last week. The game is set to draw one of the largest crowds in UTSA’s history, the environment in the Alamodome will be deafening.
The Bobcats have to pounce on a Roadrunner offense that faltered last week. If they get into the backfield and make Harris uncomfortable, they can force mistakes and cause turnovers. The key once again is limiting the rushing attack. UTSA relies on being able to run and pass efficiently. If Texas State makes them one-dimensional, they will get the stops they need to win the game.
UTSA has a very impressive front seven, they were fantastic stopping the run last week. Texas State had a great offensive output last week, but were still limited to 3.7 yards per carry. Outside of a 65 yard touchdown run by Ismail Mahdi, the rushing attack was rather pedestrian. Texas State’s offensive line needs to get more of a push against the Roadrunners.
Unlike their defensive line, UTSA’s secondary is not a strong point for the team. Houston’s wide receivers were able to create a lot of separation last week, and the Roadrunner secondary missed a lot of tackles. Texas State’s talented receiver room had a field day against Baylor’s secondary last week, I would not be surprised if they have another impressive performance in San Antonio.
Closing Thoughts
This is the best Texas State has ever looked going into a game against UTSA and likely the most important game for the Bobcats since they made the jump to the FBS level. G.J. Kinne has a true opportunity to do something special against his former head coach Jeff Traylor.
Saturday’s rivalry matchup is shaping up to be one of the most exciting games college football has to offer this weekend. If you’re in the area, and you can afford it, you might want to buy some tickets. This won’t be a game that you want to miss.
