UTSA Roadrunners:
Back in 2017, a bright-eyed kid named Frank Harris began his college career at UTSA. In 2023, it came to an end, marred by injury, including one that kept him out of the Frisco Bowl. Despite the injuries, Harris still had 336 of the 446 pass attempts for the Roadrunners, who got 742 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions from the other guys.
Head coach Jeff Traylor will be looking for a QB1 and a team leader to emerge with Harris gone, but the Roadrunners are hardly devoid of talent. That being said, the losses are extremely significant. This is a team with 32 wins over the last three seasons, so expectations remain high, even with roster turnover.
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Offense
Traylor may have tipped his hand a little bit in the Frisco Bowl, as Owen McCown (son of Josh) got the start and went 22-of-31 for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions, but showed a little mobility with 38 yards on eight carries, including a 26-yard scamper. Harris threw for nearly 12,000 yards in his career, but also chipped in over 2,100 rushing yards, so it’s a big part of this offense.
At least McCown (or Eddie Lee Marburger) will have last year’s top three rushers back. Unfortunately, Joshua Cephus is not back, but the wide receiver room is in good shape with De’Corian Clark’s return after missing all of 2023. We need to remember that this was an offense that ranked 70th in yards per play, so it wasn’t like they were elite with Harris.
Defense
This is the area of the team to really worry about. This was a borderline top-30 defense by yards per play and really buckled down after a slow start to the season. However, Trey Moore and Kam Alexander both transferred out. Moore had 14 sacks and Alexander had 15 pass breakups to go with a couple of picks.
A lot of returning production can be found elsewhere, but Jess Loepp will need impact players to emerge on his defense. Moore was third in the nation in sacks and Alexander was tied for fifth in passes defended. Terrion Arnold was also fifth and he was a first-round pick. As was Quinyon Mitchell, who was tied for second.
Outlook
We’ll find out in a hurry about UTSA. They face rapidly rising Texas State in Week 2 and Texas in Week 3. The conference schedule is weak, though, outside of a visit from Memphis. Even though UTSA has been lowered in my Power Ratings, the schedule yields a projection of 8.49 wins. If they can navigate the Texas State game, 11-1 is a very real possibility and that brings playoff hopes into the mix.
Pick: Over 8 Wins
