SAN ANTONIO — Winners of three straight games, UTSA (3-3, 2-0 C-USA) will host Louisiana Tech (3-2, 1-1) in the annual Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 13. Kickoff for the seventh meeting between the two teams is set for 6 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+ and 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull in San Antonio.
At 2-0 in the league, the Roadrunners are off to the best start to conference play in program history and they are seeking their first four-game win streak since a six-game stretch covering the final five games of the 2013 campaign and the 2014 season opener. The Bulldogs have won five of the six previous matchups and UTSA's lone win is a 30-10 triumph on Nov. 30, 2013, at the Alamodome.
UTSA Roadrunners (3-3, 2-0)
vs.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-2, 1-1)
6 p.m. | Oct. 13, 2018
Alamodome (36,582) | San Antonio, Texas
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull
Opening drive
• Saturday's game will mark the seventh meeting between UTSA and Louisiana Tech.
• The Bulldogs hold a 5-1 edge in the all-time series and have won the last four matchups.
• The Roadrunners' lone win against LA Tech is a 30-10 triumph on Nov. 30, 2013, at the Alamodome.
• UTSA has won three straight games and is looking for its first four-game win streak since a six-game stretch covering the final five games of the 2013 campaign and the 2014 season opener.
• The Roadrunners are seeking the first 3-0 conference start in program history.
• UTSA is 4-3 all-time in Homecoming games, including a 20-7 victory over Rice last season.
• Saturday's game will air on ESPN+, marking the 67th straight UTSA game to be broadcast.
Tuning in
The game will air on ESPN+ (subscription required). Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Keith Moreland (analyst) and Megan Birdsong (sideline reporter) have the call. The contest will air live on the Roadrunners Sports Network and can be heard in the San Antonio area on 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (sideline reporter) will call all the action. The pregame show will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at goUTSA.com andkbull93.comand via the free iHeartRadio app.
About ESPN+
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Game 89
Saturday's matchup with Rice will mark the 89th game in UTSA football history and its 45th road contest. Now in their eighth season of play, the Roadrunners are 41-47 overall and 24-20 at the Alamodome. By comparison, this will be the 1,106th game in the Bulldogs' history, which dates back to 1901. Louisiana Tech owns a 611-458-37 all-time record.
A look at Louisiana Tech
The Bulldogs enter Saturday's game at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA after dropping a 28-7 decision to UAB on Saturday at home. Louisiana Tech opened the campaign with victories over South Alabama (30-26) and Southern (54-17) before a 38-21 loss at LSU. The Bulldogs upended North Texas by a 29-27 count in their league opener on Sept. 29. LA Tech is averaging 28.2 points and 417.4 yards per game while allowing 27.2 points and 359 yards per outing. Junior quarterback J'Mar Smith has passed for 1,256 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 111 yards and a score. Junior running back Jaqwis Dancy has rushed for a team-high 242 yards and four TDs, while sophomore Adrian Hardy is the top receiver with 28 catches for 473 yards and four scores. Junior linebacker Collin Scott leads the defense with 42 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, while junior safety James Jackson has 32 stops, 3.5 TFL, an interception, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. Head coach Skip Holtz is 41-30 in his sixth season at the helm.
Series history
UTSA and Louisiana Tech will meet for the seventh time on Saturday, making it — along with Rice — the most-played series in program history. The Bulldogs have won the last four matchups and hold a 5-1 edge in the series. The Roadrunners' lone win was a 30-10 triumph on Nov. 30, 2013, at the Alamodome.
Last meeting
UTSA suffered a 20-6 setback to Louisiana Tech in the regular season finale on Nov. 25, 2017, at Joe Aillet Stadium. The Roadrunners held the Bulldogs to 294 yards of offense but could muster just 201 yards in the loss. UTSA allowed just 101 passing yards from J'Mar Smith, who completed only 7-of-21 passes and was sacked twice, but LA Tech used a 138-yard rushing effort from running back Boston Scott, including a 35-yard touchdown dash late in the game to seal the win. Nate Gaines led the UTSA defense with eight tackles and his eighth career interception that help set up a 19-yard field goal by Jared Sackett. Marcus Davenport added six stops, including a pair behind the line of scrimmage. The senior defensive end had one of the two sacks of Smith, which tied him with Jason Neill for the program's single-season record of 8.5.
Last time out
The UTSA defense forced four turnovers and held Rice to 222 yards of offense in a 20-3 victory in Conference USA action on Saturday night at Rice Stadium. With the win, the Roadrunners improved to 3-3 overall and now are off to the program's first-ever 2-0 start to conference play. UTSA got interceptions from Cassius Grady and Teddrick McGhee, while DeQuarius Henry and Brenndan Johnson both recovered fumbles to help the defense limit the Owls (1-5, 0-2 C-USA) to just 47 rushing yards and three points, tying the school record for fewest points allowed in a game (2011 vs. Northeastern State; 2012 vs. Northwestern Oklahoma State). C.J. Levine led all players with 10 tackles (eight solos) and he broke up three passes. Les Maruo added eight tackles, including a sack, while Jarrod Carter-McLin and Darryl Godfrey pitched in with six stops apiece. Meanwhile B.J. Daniels led the offense with 61 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Blaze Moorhead led the receivers with two catches for 27 yards.
Wilson in third year at helm
Frank Wilson is in his third season as head coach of the Roadrunners. The New Orleans native has guided UTSA to back-to-back seasons of being bowl eligible, including leading the program to its first-ever postseason appearance at the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, as UTSA tied the NCAA modern startup program by reaching a bowl game in its sixth season of play. He has coached 13 All-Conference USA selections and a pair of Freshman All-Americans in his first two years at the helm. Wilson came to San Antonio after a six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU, where he also was the associate head coach in 2012-15. Armed with more than a decade of coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference, Wilson also has been an assistant coach at Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008) and Mississippi (2005-07). He has coached or recruited 36 individuals who have made it to the NFL, including 2018 NFL First Round Draft pick Marcus Davenport of the Saints.
Youth movement
UTSA boasts a youthful team in 2018 with 66 underclassmen, which equates to 60.6 percent of its roster. The Roadrunners have 38 freshmen (21 true/17 redshirt) and 28 sophomores on the 109-man squad list. In the season opener at Arizona State, 24 players made their UTSA debut, including eight who started. There were 13 first-time starters (8 offense/5 defense), while 15 total freshmen (8 true/7 redshirt) saw action in the contest. UTSA has seen a total of 19 first-time starters and 27 debuts this season. Sixteen total freshmen have seen action this season, including eight true freshmen. Additionally, left guard Spencer Burford is one of just 15 true freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to have started on the offensive line this season.
The Power (5) open
UTSA opened the season with three consecutive games against Power 5 conference opponents. The Roadrunners debuted at Arizona State on Sept. 1 and hosted Baylor one week later before closing the stretch with a road matchup against Kansas State on Sept. 15. BYU is the only other non-Power 5 team that opened the season with three straight Power 5 opponents (at Arizona [Sept. 1], vs. California [Sept. 8], at Wisconsin [Sept. 15]). Additionally, this marks the second time in four seasons that UTSA faced three consecutive Power 5 teams to open the season, as the 2015 squad played No. 22 Arizona, Kansas State and No. 25 Oklahoma State during the first three weeks.
Filling the turnover bucket
The UTSA defense has shown a knack for creating turnovers this season, as the Roadrunners have come up with 15 for the turnover bucket through the first six contests. The Roadrunners rank second in Conference USA and 15th national in turnovers gained and they are second and 18th, respectively, in turnover margin. UTSA has recovered seven fumbles, which leads the league and stands third among all FBS teams, and picked off five passes, a figure that ranks second in the conference and 44th in the country. Brenndan Johnson, a sophomore safety from Waco, leads C-USA and is fifth in the nation with two fumble recoveries, while junior cornerback Clayton Johnson's two interceptions place him fifth in the league and 25th in the FBS.
Turning the tide
After a sub-par start to the season, the Roadrunners have turned the tide on the defensive side of the ball over the last three weeks. UTSA held each of its last three opponents to less than 300 yards of offense and allowed an average of 255.7 yards per game during that stretch. The run defense yielded just 227 total yards during the three games, limiting Texas State to a mere 26 yards on the ground and holding Rice to 47, 155 yards below its average entering that contest. UTSA forced nine turnovers (five interceptions/four fumbles) during the three games and also registered 25 tackles for loss, including 11 sacks.
Dropped for a loss
The UTSA defense has continued a trend from the last two seasons of dropping opponents for a loss of yards. Through six games, the Roadrunners have posted 47 tackles for a total loss of 157 yards. Their average of 7.8 per game leads Conference USA and stands 18th among all FBS teams. Junior linebacker Josiah Tauaefa leads the way with 6.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage, while senior defensive tackle Kevin Strong Jr. and sophomore defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler have five apiece. In all, 19 Roadrunners have been involved in a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Of those 47 TFL, 17 have come in the form of a sack. Tauaefa paces the unit with 3.5 for 28 yards, while Dantzler, junior safety Andrew Martel and sophomore defensive end DeQuarius Henry have two each. Last year, UTSA posted 73 tackles for loss (6.6 TFL/game) and 23 sacks, while the 2016 squad set program records with 77 (5.9 TFL/game) and 27, respectively.
Kickoff coverage unit shines
UTSA's kickoff coverage unit has shined during the first month of the season. The Roadrunners are allowing an average of just 15.13 yards per return, a figure that ranks second in Conference USA and sixth nationally. In 27 kickoffs this fall, UTSA has surrendered a total of 242 yards on 16 returns. The Roadrunners have yielded just four returns of 20-plus yards, including a long of 30 by Terry Juniel of UTEP. Additionally, sophomore kickoff specalist Hunter Duplessis has four touchbacks and also executed a successful onside kick that was recovered by Dadrian Taylor in the win against Texas State.
Up next
UTSA will open a two-game road swing when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss on Saturday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM in San Antonio.
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