On Saturday, the UTSA Roadrunners hosted the Florida Atlantic Owls in their final home game of the season. UTSA vs. FAU was the last chance for the seniors to prove their worth in front of the home crowd. Unfortunately, there was not much to prove. The Roadrunners were crushed by the Owls to the tune of 40-26. This is the fourth time this season that the Roadrunners have given up at least 40 points in a game. There was not much to play for in this game other than pride.
UTSA Battles FAU
UTSA has been fighting an uphill battle all year. There was no change in this battle against the Owls. The Roadrunners were down by 14 by the end of the half. This has been an issue for the Roadrunners all season. The first half is usually abysmal and full of struggles for the Roadrunners. Then they turn it up in the second half. However, by the time in the game, the point gap is too large. Many hoped that UTSA could pull out the win against the heavily favored FAU Owls. Unfortunately, the Owls played better than the Roadrunners in their home finale.
Quarterback Struggles
Lowell Narcisse struggled to find any rhythm in this game. He started off slow and finished slower. The only bright spot in the game for this quarterback was his two touchdown passes late in the game. While two touchdowns seem like a solid outing, one must look further than touchdown passes. He threw one of these touchdowns with four minutes left in the third and were down 27-3. The other came with eight minutes left in the game when the Roadrunners were down 33-11.
Narcisse completed just 10 of his 19 passes for only 86 yards. His completion percentage was about 53 percent and he only averaged 4 and a half yards per completion. This was not nearly enough to get the job done. This would eventually lead to him being replaced by Jordan Weeks.
Weeks entered the game towards the start of the first quarter following an interception thrown by Narcisse. Jordan Weeks seemed poised in the pocket in his limited appearance. He completed eight of his eleven passes for a 72 percent rate. Weeks passed for 123 yards and one touchdown pass in the only quarter of action he saw. This was impressive to see from Weeks considering he has been given limited opportunity to show his stuff. With this being said, there is a possibility that Jordan Weeks may start in their final game next week.
Two-Headed Back Field
This game saw two running back share snaps. Sincere McCormick and Brenden Brady were the two running backs who appeared most in this game. McCormick, who has been the UTSA Roadrunners leading rusher all season, is nearing 1,000 rushing yards in his freshman year. Against FAU, he carried the ball 12 times for 76 yards, averaging about six yards per carry. The other back that saw an increase in snaps was Brenden Brady. Brady was expected to be the starting running back this season. However, the starting job would eventually be given to McCormick. Brady rushed 15 times for 86 yards while averaging about six yards per carry. Overall UTSA rushed for a total of 192 yards on 28 carries against FAU.
However, there is one thing to note about McCormick. McCormick was seen limping off the field following a fumble in the third quarter. He would not return to the game following this fumble. It is unknown whether he was sidelined because of the fumble or because of injury. One thing is for certain, McCormick is a vital part of this offense and has been the Roadrunners one bright spot in what has been a shaky season.
Youthful Core
The Roadrunners were a below-average team all season. While their record has improved, it has meant very little. As of this week, they have won one more game than they did last season. Many people predicted that they would be a middle of the table team at best. It appears that these predictions were correct. However, it is important to note that UTSA has a young team. Many of the team’s core players are either freshmen or sophomores. What this means is that the Roadrunners can only go up from here. There is a total of 62 freshmen and sophomores on this team. Freshmen Sincere McCormick and Zakhari Franklin have been two of the best players for the team. With maturity and more experience, it is likely that this slightly improved UTSA squad could be better next season.
Next Week
The Roadrunners will travel to Ruston, Louisiana on November 30th to play the talented 8-3 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. Louisiana Tech has been causing mayhem and winning games all season. This will be a task for the Roadrunners to say the least. Historically, UTSA has struggled against LA Tech. However, with nothing left to lose this season, UTSA might pull out all the stops to get an upset victory.
UTSA vs FAU Main Photo: SAN ANTONIO, TX – NOVEMBER 23: UTSA Roadrunners quarterback Jordan Weeks (9) throws a pass during the game between the Florida Atlantic Owls and the UTSA Roadrunners on November 23, 2019 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. (Photo by Daniel Dunn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
