UTSA football: Will Roadrunners contend for C-USA West title in 2021?
Roadrunners return dominant rushing offense
The Roadrunners had a difficult task in 2020 by preparing a poorly efficient scoring offense (119th in the nation in 2019) while battling the impact of COVID-19. This past season, the Roadrunners ranked 66th in the nation in points per game (28.3) and 48th in total yards per game (415.3). In the rushing game, the Roadrunners were ranked 19th in the nation (second in the C-USA) with 215.4 yards per game.
Barry Lunney Jr. returns as the Roadrunners’ offensive coordinator. He and Jeff Traylor are the main reasons why the offense has accelerated significantly from a terrible 2019 to the middle of the pack in 2020.
Their run game was the key reason for their success on offense with former C-USA Freshman of the Year in running back Sincere McCormick and dual-threat quarterback Frank Harris. UTSA will have to watch out for their predictability in the run game, but it will be tough to stop them with the talent and experience returning.
As the Roadrunners prepared for 2020, the title of starting quarterback was coming down to the wire between Frank Harris, Josh Adkins, and Lowell Narcisse. Adkins was the favorite to win the title by most major media outlets, but Narcisse won it by a thin margin.
After suffering an ankle injury, Harris took over and showed why he deserved it in the first place. Harris was a consistent playmaker as a runner and a passer, and he was an efficient leader. The Roadrunners will turn to him in 2021 after throwing for 1,630 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also rushed for 528 yards and nine touchdowns on 95 carries this past season.
Last season’s all-conference running back (McCormick) returns for a big junior season. Last season, he rushed for 1,467 yards and 11 touchdowns on 249 carries. McCormick possesses a great combination of speed, power, balance in his runs, and excellent vision to see where the defenders are coming from. There will be no doubt that he will be called up to be the leader of the offense again as he attempts to be the best rusher in the nation.
While the passing game isn’t a crucial area of their RPO offense, it is good that the Roadrunners will have experienced receivers.
The Roadrunners will return nine of their leading playmakers in the receiving game last season. Zakhari Franklin and Joshua Cephus have become an effective duo in the passing game. Franklin and Cephus accumulated 1,251 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 107 receptions. They will continue to be the most reliable receivers for Harris in quick RPO play schemes.
UTSA will also return their starting tight end in Leroy Watson, who caught 14 receptions for 176 yards last season. They will have some depth with receiver Sheldon Jones, receiver Tykee Ogle-Kellogg, and tight end Gavin Sharp.
The Roadrunners will return one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country as all five of their starters return. They were a key reason why UTSA’s rushing game accelerated significantly. Last season, the offensive line only gave up 23 sacks. Most of these plays were read by the defense in an RPO setting. Left tackle Spencer Burford, center Makai Hart, and right tackle Ahofitu Maka were named second-team all-conference in 2020. Maka and Burford were named to Athlon Sports’ preseason first-team all-conference, while Hart was a second-team selection.