Game Preview: UTSA's Offense vs. Texas A&M's Defense

AggieYell.com’s breakdown of the matchup between No. 19 Texas A&M and UTSA continues with a look at the Roadrunners offense against the Aggie defense. The matchup of the Aggie offense against the UTSA defense can be found here.

Where, when, weather and TV

Where: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas

When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30

Weather: Cloudy, temperatures likely in the mid-80s at kickoff.

TV: ESPN (Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra)

UTSA depth chart

QB: #2, Owen McCown; RS-Jr.; 6, 190

#17, Brandon Tennison; RS-So. 5-10, 190

RB: #3, Robert Henry Jr.; Sr.; 5-9, 205

#23, Will Henderson III; RS-Fr.; 5-10, 185 OR A’Marion Peterson, So.-TR. 6, 215

TE: #0, Houston Thomas; RS-Jr.; 6-5, 245 OR #9, Patrick Overmyer; RS-So.; 6-5, 235 OR #5, Dan Dishman; RS-Sr.; 6-6, 245

WR (X): #19, Willie McCoy; Sr.; 6, 185 OR #15, DJ Allen; RS-Jr.; 5-11, 190

#84, AJ Wilson; Jr.; 6-2, 190

WR (F): #8, David Amador II; RS-So.; 6, 195

#33, Mekhi Anderson; RS-Fr.; 5-9, 170 OR #82, Elliott Brown; Sr.; 5-7, 160

WR (Z): #1, Devin McCuin; Jr.; 6, 195

#13, Jamel Hardy; RS-So.; 6-2, 195 OR #11, Jaren Randle; RS-Sr.; 6-2, 180

LT: #55, Kamar Missouri; RS-Sr.; 6-5, 310

#73, Demetris Allen; RS-Sr.; 6-3, 320

LG: #63, Trevor Timmons; Jr; 6-3, 300

#75, Venly Tatafu; RS-Sr; 6-4, 345

C: #57, Ben Rios; RS-Jr.; 6-6, 295 OR #76, Luke Lapeze; RS-Jr.; 6-5, 320

RG: #74, Darrell Jones; Jr.; 6-4, 340 OR #53, Cory Godinet; RS-Sr.; 6-4, 330

RT: #71, Jaylen Garth; RS-Sr.; 6-5, 310

#70, Deandre Marshall; RS-Jr.; 6-7, 325

Texas A&M depth chart

DE: #50, Dayon Hayes; Gr.-TR.; 6-3, 264 or #18, T.J. Searcy; Jr.-TR.; 6-5, 256

#30, Solomon Williams; RS-Fr.; 6-1, 250 OR #92, Sam M’Pemba; RS-So.-TR.; 6-3, 252

DT: #5, DJ Hicks; Jr.; 6-3, 295 OR #11, Tyler Onyedim; Gr.-TR.; 6-3, 295 OR #17, Albert Regis; Gr.; 6-1, 317

#55, Dealyn Evans; RS-Fr.; 6-4, 314 OR #99, Landon Rink; Fr.; 6-2, 294

N: 17, Albert Regis; Gr.; 6-1, 317 OR #5, DJ Hicks; Jr.; 6-3, 295 OR #11, Tyler Onyedim; Gr.-TR.; 6-3, 295

#88, DJ Sanders; FR.; 6-3, 315 OR ##99, Landon Rink; Fr.; 6-2, 294

DT: #11, Tyler Onyedim; Gr.-TR.; 6-3, 295 OR Albert Regis; Gr.; 6-1, 317 OR #5, DJ Hicks; Jr.; 6-3, 295

#59, Chace Sims; Fr.; 6-3, 294 OR #99, Landon Rink; Fr.; 6-2, 294

JACK: #9, Cashius Howell; RS-Sr.-TR.; 6-2, 248

#15, Rylan Kennedy; RS-So.; 6-3, 239 OR #10, Marco Jones; Fr.; 6-5, 258 OR #92, Sam M’Pemba, RS-So.-TR.; 6-3, 252

LB: #21, Taurean York; Jr.; 5-10, 227

#54, Jordan Lockhart; So.; 6-1, 229 OR #27, Daymion Sanford; Jr.; 6-2, 222

LB: #0, Scooby Williams; Sr.; 6-2, 230

#27, Daymion Sanford; Jr.; 6-2, 222 OR #23 Noah Mikhail; Fr.; 6-2, 223

NICKEL: #7, Tyreek Chappell; RS-Sr.; 5-11, 180

#19, Bravion Rogers; Jr.; 5-11, 188 OR #8, Jordan Shaw; RS-So.; 5-11, 182 OR #14, Jayvon Thomas; Jr.; 5-11, 196

CB: #4, Will Lee; Sr.; 6-1, 189

#6, Julio Humphrey; RS-Jr.;-TR. 6-1, 195

#14, Jayvon Thomas; Jr.; 5-11, 196

CB: #2, Dezz Ricks; RS-So.-TR.; 6-1, 188 OR #6, Julio Humphrey; RS-Jr.-TR.; 6-1, 195

#20 Adonyss Currie; Fr.; 6, 174

S: #1, Bryce Anderson; Sr.; 5-10, 186

#29, Myles Davis; So; 6-1, 196

#13, Rashad “Tom Tom” Johnson; Fr.; 6-1, 198

S: #25, Dalton Brooks; Jr.; 6, 193 OR #3, Marcus Ratcliffe; Jr.-TR.; 6-2, 209

#33 Jarred Kerr; Sr.; 5-11, 190

#13, Rashad “Tom Tom” Johnson; Fr.; 6-1, 198

Injury update

Neither side has reported any injuries to their respective position groups.

Returning UTSA statistical leaders from 2024

Passing: McCown, 294-467 (63%), 3,424 yards, 25 TD, 10 INT

Marburger, 22-40, 234 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

Rushing: Henry, 130 carries, 706 yards (5.4 YPC), 7 TD

McCown, 86 carries, 304 yards (4 YPC), 3 TD

Bryson Donnell, 35 carries, 172 yards (4.6 YPC)

Receiving: McCoy, 28 catches, 536 yards (19.1 YPC), 4 TD

Thomas, 34 catches, 470 yards (13.8 YPC), 3 TD

McCuin, 45 catches, (9.4 YPC), 5 TD

Returning Texas A&M 2024 statistical leaders

Tackles: York, 82

Brooks, 59

Ratcliffe, 48

Tackles for loss: York, 9.5

Howell, 8.5

Williams, 7.5

Sacks: Howell, 4

York, 2.5

Hicks and Kennedy, 1.5

Passes broken up: Lee, 10

Regis, 6

York and Williams, 4

Interceptions: Ratcliffe, 3

Lee, 2

Six players with 1

Forced fumbles: Seven players with 1

Fumble recoveries: Four players with 1

What UTSA wants to do

Pick up right where it left off. In their last six games of 2024, they scored 45, 44, 48, 51, 29 and 44 points (and somehow lost twice anyway). But UTSA returns virtually all of its offensive lineup, which gives them the potential to be even more dangerous.

The Roadrunners run a extremely wide spread offense and use a ton of motion and RPOs, which works just fine for McCown. The son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown and the nephew of former Aggie quarterback Randy McCown, he can keep the ball on the read option and has a quick release on quick crossers or out routes. He’s left-handed and likes to bootleg to the left side, which is an extra headache for defenders used to going right. McCown has the ability to throw it deep, but mostly those long routes come off of playaction.

McCown gets his top back in Henry, but also has A’Marion Peterson, who transferred from USC, to help the running game. They’re mostly a zone-blocking team, using inside power and runs off tackle for the most part. They were about the middle of the pack in rushing last year, as they’re pass-first.

The Roadrunners were 11th in the nation in passing last year and most of their weapons are back. McCoy is the deep threat, averaging 19.1 yards a catch in 2024. Thomas is a reliable safety valve with surprising speed for a tight end, making him a true danger. McCuin led the team in receptions and touchdowns, so he’s the guy McCown looks for when he needs a key catch.

The Roadrunners like to go up-tempo (though not super fast) and find mismatches in the secondary. Their line is really big, but was 86th in sacks allowed and 110th in tackles for loss. Still this is an offense that racks up points in a hurry and can be a pain for just about anyone.

What A&M wants to do

Fix what was broken last year. That means improve the pass rush, improve against the running game and limit the damage done in the passing game.

UTSA isn’t an easy opponent, especially for a season opener, but the Aggies have eight of their 11 starters back and Howell and Hicks played plenty last season. Humphrey, Hayes and Searcy are all at least juniors, so experience should not be an issue amongst the starters.

The return of Chappell allows for the defense to be more aggressive than they were for most of last season, so there could be more blitzing. That would not be a bad idea against an offensive line that, as noted, had a good bit of trouble keeping McCown upright against a schedule that was pretty soft (except for Texas, who beat them 56-7). That would mean more man coverage, but the coaching staff believes Lee, Ricks and Humphrey should largely be up to the challenge.

Having a healthy defense what mostly has a year in Elko’s system should help them operate with fewer mental mistakes — especially in the secondary. Elko calling the plays will also be an asset.

UTSA is going to move the ball some. The objective should be to keep them off the board, get some pressure and cause some mistakes. Play intelligent football and don’t help them by making mistakes of your own. This is a good test for the Aggies to see just how much improvement they’ve made on the defensive side of the ball since the Las Vegas Bowl last December.