The Roadrunners face an uphill battle as they look to turn their season around before a looming showdown against the undefeated Army West Point Black Knights to close out the season. To say that UTSA’s season has been rocky would be an understatement. Despite securing a much-needed victory against Florida Atlantic University on Saturday, the ‘Runners have struggled to maintain consistency throughout the year, sitting at a disappointing 3-4 record.
The early part of the season was especially rough for UTSA. After a lackluster win against Kennesaw State University to open the season, the Roadrunners were blown out by Texas State University and the University of Texas, suffering back-to-back humiliating defeats. These two games exposed significant weaknesses on both sides of the ball. The absence of last season’s key players, including Frank Harris — the team’s longtime quarterback who retired after last season — has left a significant void. Additionally, key defensive players such as Trey Moore and Kam Alexander departed via the transfer portal, further weakening the roster and leaving UTSA struggling to find an identity. To make matters worse, the losses continued to pile up, with close, sloppy defeats at the hands of East Carolina and Rice University — games that could have gone either way but ended in frustration for the Roadrunners.
In contrast, the Black Knights have been the epitome of dominance in 2024. With a perfect 7-0 record, they are fresh off a blowout win against East Carolina and recently cracking the Top 25 at No. 23 in the AP Poll. With the nation’s longest active win streak at 11 games, Army is firing on all cylinders. The Black Knights offense, led by quarterback Bryson Daily, has been nearly unstoppable. Daily’s stats are staggering: seven passing touchdowns and a jaw-dropping 19 rushing touchdowns through just seven games. His rushing capabilities have propelled Army to four consecutive games of scoring 40 or more points, a feat last seen in Army’s 1945 national championship season.
Turning the season around before facing the Black Knights on Nov. 30 will require a monumental effort by the Roadrunners. UTSA’s remaining schedule includes two tough matchups against Memphis University and the University of North Texas. Memphis, currently 6-1, boasts one of the most potent offenses in the American Athletic Conference, averaging 442 total yards and 33.2 points per game. Quarterback Seth Henigan leads the charge, with the offense ranking second in the conference. Meanwhile, North Texas, sitting at 5-2, has been guided by the exceptional play of quarterback Chandler Rogers. Through just seven games, Rogers has thrown a remarkable 23 passing touchdowns.
On the bright side, the Roadrunners can take comfort in having home-field advantage at the Alamodome for both of these games. UTSA also has two very winnable matchups on its schedule against Tulsa and Temple University. Tulsa, currently sitting at 2-5 and winless in the AAC at 0-3, has been dreadful on both sides of the ball, allowing 35.7 points per game while managing just 15.7 points offensively. Temple, also 2-5, has struggled mightily on the road, going 0-3 away from Lincoln Financial Field, with an offense that ranks near the bottom of the conference, averaging just 19 points per game. These games will offer UTSA the opportunity to build momentum and correct its mistakes, and winning both will be essential to giving the ‘Runners a chance to end the season on a positive note before facing Army.
Despite the cards being stacked heavily against UTSA, there is still a path to salvaging their season. The Roadrunners don’t need to go undefeated before facing Army to consider the season a success. While they might fall to a tough Memphis team or even drop one of their easier games against Tulsa or Temple, a victory against North Texas would still allow them to end the year with their heads held high. Spoiling the Mean Green’s season would inject life back into the program and provide a bright spot amidst a challenging year.
Ultimately, Army will be the toughest test of the season for UTSA. However, with a coach like Jeff Traylor and a team that has shown resilience in the past, UTSA should not be counted out. Salvaging the season doesn’t require perfection, but if the Roadrunners can string together a few wins, they could head into West Point with their heads held high and potentially spoil Army’s remarkable season.
