While many college football fans watched Florida State run the ball all over Alabama in one of the many upsets of Week 1, some probably didn’t watch Fresno State do the same thing to Georgia Southern in last week’s Sun Belt Game of the Week.
The Bulldogs relied on their ground game in a 42-14 victory. I anticipated a much more prepared Georgia Southern squad and a much closer affair.
Hopefully that’s what we get this week when Texas State visits UTSA at the Alamodome for an in-state matchup. These schools are only 53 miles apart, making the I-35 rivalry even more important on a local level and a must-watch Group of Five game this week.
How To Watch Texas State-UTSA
The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and will air on ESPN+.
Texas State-UTSA Betting Odds
UTSA is a 4.5-point college football betting odds favorite over Texas State.
Texas State-UTSA Coaches & Records
TXST: GJ Kinne (16-10 overall/at Texas State)
UTSA: Jeff Traylor (46-20 overall/at UTSA)
Last meeting: Texas State won 49-10 last year at home. It was Texas State’s first win in six matchups.
Texas State Preview
The Bobcats put up 606 total yards of offense in last week’s 52-27 win over Eastern Michigan. Quarterback Brad Jackson passed for 214 yards and four touchdowns and added 48 rushing yards. The redshirt freshman from San Antonio connected with wide receiver Beau Sparks for all four TDs.
Three different Bobcats rushed for at least 70 yards. Lincoln Pare led Texas State with 167 yards on the ground on 12 carries, and Greg Burrell added 79 yards on seven rushes. Jaylen Jenkins had 74 yards on five totes. All three guys scored one touchdown.
The Bobcats scored on all but one possession and were 7 for 10 on third down, meaning EMU’s defense was likely exhausted.
Defensively, the Bobcats allowed 391 yards and spent a lot of time in EMU’s backfield, recording two sacks and seven tackles for loss. UTSA gave up nine tackles for loss and one sack last week, so we’ll see if Texas State can apply that same pressure on Saturday.
Linebacker Treylin Payne led the Bobcats with nine tackles against the Eagles, and I think he’ll need to have a big game to keep UTSA’s rushing attack in check.
UTSA Preview
Despite a 42-24 loss to Texas A&M last week, the Roadrunners battled and kept the game close through three quarters.
Running back Robert Henry Jr. proved why he’s one of the top backs in the American with a 177-yard, two-touchdown outing. One of those TDs was a 75-yard burst at the start of the third quarter which gave UTSA some life and pulled the game within four points. The Roadrunners just couldn’t get enough stops down the stretch.
UTSA QB Owen McCown struggled throughout the game. He completed 19 of 32 passes for 121 yards and no scores.
If UTSA wants to avoid an 0-2 start, it’ll need to tighten up its passing defense against the Bobcats. Texas A&M QB Marcel Reed didn’t have much trouble distributing to his wideouts and also rushed for 39 yards. That should have helped prepare the Roadrunners for Jackson, who proved he can do damage with his legs.
One positive that came out of UTSA’s loss was that it only committed four turnovers and none of them were pre-snap penalties. Traylor’s squads are usually disciplined.
Texas State-UTSA Prediction
I predict UTSA pulls out a win but Texas State covers the 4.5-point spread. I’m sure UTSA is eager to avenge last year’s 39-point defeat and will bounce back from last week’s loss. The Roadrunners are also 29-3 at home under Traylor.
One interesting note from both of these teams’ Week 1 games was that there were no turnovers. I think whoever can create a turnover or two — and take advantage of them — could pick up the win here.
This should be a great game and there’s a chance it comes down to the wire, making it a shame it’ll only be streamed on ESPN+.
