UTSA Football comes out of their bye week on Saturday with a game against in-state Conference USA (C-USA) opponent, the North Texas Mean Green. At 0-7, UNT is the only school in C-USA’s Western Division with a worse record than UTSA.
The game falls on Halloween night in Denton, exactly three weeks after North Texas fired Head Coach Dan McCarney following a 66-7 blowout in their homecoming game.
UTSA hopes to find some momentum this season after a rough 1-6 start. The team was banged up going into the bye week, with injuries on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Blake Bogenschutz remains sidelined as he continues to follow concussion protocol, and Dalton Sturm will remain the starter.
“Dalton gives us a chance to win because he’s got good feet and he can run, and that’s what we need right now,” commented UTSA Head Coach Larry Coker. “But we’ve got to protect him.”
This is the second year in a row UTSA has had costly quarterback injuries — a situational first for the UTSA Football program.
The offensive line has struggled to protect the backfield, allowing 22 tackles for losses in conference games. Through the last two games, the unit has failed to reach 100 yards in any first half and has given up a total of 10 sacks.
On the other hand, UTSA’s defense has been excellent in conference play, forcing 11 turnovers in three games against opponents. If UTSA’s offense can maintain possession longer than UNT, the Roadrunners have a good chance of earning their second win.
“We’ve got to be more hungry than they are,” Coker said about the matchup.
Although the Mean Green have no hopes of salvaging their season, that doesn’t mean they won’t be an easy opponent; they’re playing for pride at this point.
The Roadrunners are 2-0 against North Texas since joining C-USA, including a UTSA win in last season’s final game. “We had the same kind of psyche: nothing to lose…at home, a rivalry game,” Coker commented about the previous matchup.
If UTSA can win, they will remain unbeaten in C-USA Texas, with only the Rice Owls left to play at home next month. Watch the Roadrunners take on North Texas on Saturday, Halloween night at 6.
