On Saturday, UTSA travelled to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. In their second installment of this match-up, UTSA suffered a defeat to Texas A&M, by a score of 45-14. This is the second straight loss to the Aggies. More than anything, this was a game in which the Roadrunners could earn some exposure as UTSA came off their bye- week. The Roadrunners were given less than a two percent chance to win the game. Unfortunately, the ‘Runners now have a three-win and five loss overall record as the season begins to wind down.
UTSA Defeat To Texas A&M
The Roadrunners came to college station as 37.5 underdogs and it showed. UTSA showed promise at times against the high-powered Aggies. However, the difference in talent showed itself. UTSA got off to a fast start, but it would all be downhill after the first quarter. Texas A&M buckled down and proved why they are able to compete in the highly competitive SEC conference.
Game Overview
UTSA was able to put together a solid drive eight minutes into the game which, capped by a Lowell Narcisse two-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, this would be the extent of UTSA’s success for the majority of the game. Texas A&M would then go on 45-0 run that essentially sealed the fate of the game by the end of the first half.
The small Conference USA school was unable to stop the Jimbo Fisher coached team. While the Aggies started off slow in the first quarter, they surely picked it up for the remainder of the game. The final score of the game came in thanks to the UTSA defense. Dadrian Taylor intercepted a pass from backup Zach Calzada and returned it 58 yards to the house for UTSA’s second and final touchdown of the game. Other than the two scores, there was not much to brag about for the UTSA Roadrunners.
Injury Issues
Once again, another UTSA quarterback has gone down with an injury. This time in the form of Lowell Narcisse. He has been starting for the team in place of Frank Harris who was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury. However, on Saturday, it appeared that Narcisse left with a right-hand injury. Fortunately, this is his non-throwing hand, however, the extent of his injury is still in question. He jogged off the field to go to the locker room with trainers but appeared on the sideline minutes later. Narcisse would sit the remainder of the game icing that non-throwing hand.
Before he was forced to exit the game, Narcisse tallied 14 passing attempts, while only completing seven. He also threw for 90 yards and no passing touchdowns. The only offensive score of the game came from Narcisse in his rushing score early in the first quarter. To go along with his score, Narcisse had 15 for 54 yards.
Offensive Notes
Some things to acknowledge following the game was the play of Sincere McCormick, as well as Jordan Weeks. In this game, McCormick was contained to 43 yards on 12 rushing attempts. He averaged around three and a half yards per rush in this contest, his longest being 18 yards. McCormick continues to be underutilized as he was given less than 15 touches once again. However, one thing to note about him in this game was that he was seen moving more east to west than Coach Wilson would like. It was rare that the Roadrunners were able to develop a rushing attack up the middle and often bounced it outside.
Weeks also saw his first action in this game. He was brought in at quarterback as a result of Narcisse’s injury. Last season, he started three games as a redshirt freshman. In his limited appearance against Texas A&M, Weeks completed just four of his 11 passing attempts for only 48 yards and an interception. He is someone to keep a close eye on as he will likely be the replacement quarterback depending on the severity if Narcisse’s injury.
Defensive Problems
The UTSA defense has been getting lit up all season. However, UTSA looked especially over-matched in this game. more specifically, Isaiah Spiller had his way. The Texas A&M freshman carried the ball 20 times for 217 yards rushing as well as three rushing scores. The UTSA defense was giving up nearly yards per rush to Spiller to go along with a 50 and 60-yard touchdown rush. The Roadrunners could not contain the explosive back as he ate up yardage on every drive. UTSA also conceded 238 passing yards in this game, but the rush is what really hurt. UTSA seemed more prepared for the pass in this game and paid little attention to Spiller in game prep.
Next week, the Roadrunners will travel to Norfolk, Virginia to take on Old Dominion in what should be a competitive match-up. The Monarchs currently have one win and eight losses. This should be a solid victory for the Roadrunners, but based on past performances, the score may be closer than originally thought.
UTSA Defeat Main Photo: COLLEGE STATION, TX – OCTOBER 26: Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman Derick Hunter (6) rushes toward UTSA Roadrunners quarterback Jordan Weeks (9) during the college football game between the UTSA Roadrunners and the Texas A&M Aggies on November 2, 2019 at Kyle Field in College Station, TX. (Photo by Daniel Dunn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
