Former Texas assistant Jeff Traylor enters his 5th season as the head coach of UTSA, boasting an impressive record of 40-15 and two conference championships. Despite the previous success, the 2024 season has started off rocky for the Roadrunners, winning a sloppy 28-16 game against Kennesaw State to open the season before being blasted 49-10 by Texas State last weekend. Traylor was tasked with replacing long-time starting QB Frank Harris and several other key starters who departed, and it has proven to be a challenge so far.
Offense
The Roadrunners lost over 1,500 pass attempts when Frank Harris departed this offseason after exhausting his eligibility. Colorado transfer Owen McCown, son of Josh McCown, transferred to UTSA before the 2023 season and has taken over the starting job this season. The results have been extremely uneven, with McCown lighting up Kennesaw State but being pulled in the second half against Texas State after starting the game 10 for 23 for 105 yards. The lefty is not a running threat and has been turnover-prone throughout his career.
While McCown’s performance has been shaky, the running game for the Roadrunners has offered no help. UTSA is averaging a measly 2.5 yards per rush despite an RB room that was expected to be one of the team’s strengths. The Roadrunners also lack the big-play receivers they brought to Austin in 2022. Sophomore Devin McCuin (17 catches) is the only pass-catcher with more than 7 receptions, but is averaging only 6.4 yards per reception.
The offensive line for UTSA has also been a mess, and starting guard Venly Tatafu is questionable heading into Saturday’s matchup. Former Longhorn Jaylen Garth starts at RT. The unit has allowed 5 sacks through the first 2 games.
Defense
UTSA was one of the best teams in the country at inflicting negative plays in 2023, but the unit lost star edge rusher Trey Moore to Texas and star cornerback Kam Alexander to Oregon. Those two portal departures, combined with the graduation of safety Rashaad Widsom, left a big hole in the defense, a hole that Texas State exposed last Saturday.
The Roadrunners do have a pair of solid G5 defensive tackles in Brandon Brown and Joe Evans. Both are experienced and do a nice job of clogging up the middle, but without Moore coming off the edge the defensive line unit is lacking the juice seen in previous seasons.
UTSA has struggled with surrendering big plays in the secondary. Former Texas A&M and LSU CB Denver Harris ended up in San Antonio this offseason and has not been good through two games. Nickel Donyai Taylor might be the best player in the secondary but is also questionable with an injury. If Taylor can’t go for the Roadrunners, Texas should face very little resistance in the passing game.
Final Thoughts
The success Traylor had in his first 4 seasons at UTSA may have set the bar unrealistically high, as the win total for the Roadrunners was set at 8.5 heading into the season. Ultimately, it appears 2024 may serve as a transition year. UTSA has just lost too much firepower. As long as Texas doesn’t turn the ball over 3+ times and repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot, the Longhorns should be able to overwhelm the Roadrunners over the course of 60 minutes.
