Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the UTSA Roadrunners season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– UTSA Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 3-9 overall, 2-6 in Conference USA
Head Coach: Frank Wilson, 4th year, 15-21
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UTSA OFFENSE
– The offense can’t and won’t be any worse. The Roadrunners simply couldn’t do anything, finishing dead last in the nation in total offense – averaging just 247 yards per game – and scoring a mere 14 points per outing. Nine starters return, there’s a good influx of talented young parts, and there’s reason to hope for things to start working a wee bit.
– The offensive line has to do something right. It was a young group with two freshmen starting, but four parts are back with good bulk and even a little bit of depth. There wasn’t any pass protection, and the running game averaged just 87 yards per outing. There’s experience and cohesion. Now there has to be production.
– The running backs are promising. 215-pound BJ Daniels is back after leading the team with just 322 yards and three scores, but 5-11, 200-pound sophomore Brenden Brady has the upside and all-around game to be the main man. If the line does its job, the running backs will do theirs.
– The quarterback situation isn’t locked in quite yet. Sophomore Frank Harris was the best player throughout the offseason, but Cordale Grundy started most of last season and has just enough talent to make a push. Former LSU star prospect Lowell Narcisse is the most talented option in the mix – he’ll be a factor in fall camp.
– Leading receiver Greg Campbell is done after catching 58 passes. No one else grabbed more than 20. However, seven of the top ten receivers last year were underclassmen, and they weren’t used nearly enough. If the line gives the quarterbacks time to work, this is an interesting enough collection fo talents to make an impact. Finally.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UTSA DEFENSE
– The D that was such a killer a few years ago couldn’t make up for the lack of issues on offense. The Roadrunners finished dead last in C-USA in pass efficiency defense, and allowed 436 total yards and 31 points per game.
– In all, six starters return including three of the five in the secondary. Leading tackler CJ Levine is done at free safety, CB Brenndan Johnson is in the transfer portal, and S Andrew Martel is moving to linebacker. Cassius Grady led the team with four picks – he’ll hold down one corner gig, and Clayton Johnson is expected to return at the other spot after missing half of last season.
– Losing top LB Josiah Tauaefa is done, and so is third-leading tackler Les Maruo. Andrew Martel spent most of last year at safety making 45 tackles, and now he’s an undersized linebacker on the outside. Sophomores De’Marco Guidry and Donovan Perkins got in a little work and now have to bring a little bulk to the position.
– Former JUCO transfer Lorenzo Dantzler returns to one end spot after turning into one of the team’s leading defenders in the backfield. DeQuarius Henry and Jarrod Carter-McLin will combine on the other side, and 295-pound senior Baylen Baker and 305-pound Jaylon Holmes have to hold down the interior. Considering the issues in the linebacking corps, this group has to be stronger.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP UTSA PLAYERS
Best UTSA Offensive Player
RB Brenden Brady, Soph.
It was next to impossible to find any room to move behind last year’s line, but the 5-11, 200-pound Brady and BJ Daniels gave it a shot, They only combined for close to 550 yards, but Brady is coming off a good offseason with the ability to be a decent pass catcher as well as more of a workhorse back.
2. QB Frank Harris, Soph.
3. WR Tykee Ogle-Kellogg, Soph.
4. QB Lowell Narcisse, Soph.
5. OG Spencer Burford, Soph.
Best UTSA Defensive Player
CB Cassius Grady, Sr.
With the top four tacklers gone, it’ll be up to the 5-9, 185-pound Grady to be a rock in the secondary as well as the team’s top playmaker when the ball is in the air. He’s not all that big, but he’s ultra-quick, and he was able to come up from the JUCO ranks to make an immediate impact with 45 tackles and a team-high four picks.
2. DE Lorenzo Dantzler, Jr.
3. DE DeQuarius Henry, Jr.
4. LB Andrew Martel, Sr.
5. CB Clayton Johnson, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The UTSA Offense
Start by getting the ground attack going. The 2017 team wasn’t exactly explosive, but it came up with more than 2,000 rushing yards. The ground game was a dud early on when it moved into the FBS world, but getting to 2K wasn’t an issue over a three-year run, and then everything died.
UTSA ran for just 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging under three yards per carry. Double the rushing production, and the wins will come.
Biggest Key To The UTSA Defense
The secondary can’t keep getting beaten up. The lack of a pass rush was a major part of the problem, and losing three starters isn’t going to help, but the DBs have to pull up out of the nosedive after a disastrous finish.
The Roadrunners allowed a whopping 9.4 yards per pass attempt and only finished with nine picks. UTSA has to stop getting hit for the big plays.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Frank Harris, Soph.
If it’s not one of the other options stepping up – Lowell Narcisse is going to make a splash at some point – it’s the 6-0, 195-pound baller who played the part of the main man in spring ball.
An athletic, dual-threat quarterback, Harris should be able to bring just a bit of flash to an offense that didn’t have any. Again, watch out for Narcisse, but Harris might be the one who can best overcome a leaky line.
Key Game To The UTSA Season
at North Texas, Sept. 21
This is the early measuring stick game. Just how much has the UTSA defensive improved, if at all? It goes from dealing with the Army rushing attack one week, to the North Texas passing game the next.
If the Roadrunners can somehow pull it off on the road against the Mean Green in the C-USA opener, everything opens up. There’s a week off before facing UTEP up the road, and with four of the following five league games at home.
– UTSA Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 UTSA Fun Stats
– 3rd Quarter Scoring: Opponents 90 – UTSA 10
– Sacks: Opponents 36 for 250 yards – UTSA 23 for 140 yards
– Passing TDs: Opponents 25 – UTSA 9
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. UTSA WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
There’s not a lot there to suggest that UTSA can improve much on the three wins of last season.
There are more options at quarterback, and nine starters might return from the miserable offense of 2018, but is there any fire-power?
The defense needs new starting linebackers and got nitpicked in the secondary, and the line has to be a whole lot stronger. Can the defense find its 2017 groove when it allowed just 187 points?
It’s not like the Roadrunners were close in any of the first eight losses before missing a late kick to close out the season with a 24-21 loss to North Texas. There’s still a long way to go.
Even with all of the work being done, and even with all of the young players needing to be amazing …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 4
UTSA has to start out the season with a win over Incarnate Word – not a given – and it has to take care of teams like UTEP on the road, Rice at home. It’ll also have to pull off another win or two when everything clicks, but it’ll be the underdog in at least eight games.
As long as the offense gets better and the team is more competitive, that might be enough. There might be a ton of returning starters, but it’s a young team that should be better in 2020, but for now …
Just score more. Please.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
