SAN ANTONIO – UTSA will close out its home slate on Saturday, Nov. 18, when it hosts Marshall for Senior Night. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Alamodome in the second-ever meeting between the Roadrunners and Thundering Herd. Marshall claimed a 34-10 victory in the only previous matchup on Oct. 5, 2013, in Huntington, W.Va.
Tuning in
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on KMYS-CW 35 in San Antonio. Don Harris (play-by-play), Chuck Miketinac (analyst) and Valerie Lopez (reporter) will call the action. The game also will be streamed live via Stadium on Facebook (facebook.com/StadiumCollegeFootball/). Dan Hellie (play-by-play), Damon Amendolara (analyst) and Shae Peppler (reporter) will be on the call. The contest also can be heard live in San Antonio on 92.5 and 93.3 FM The Bull. Andy Everett (play-by-play) and Jay Riley (analyst) will handle the call. The pregame show will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online atthebullcountry.iheart.com and via the free all-in-one iHeartRadio app.
UTSA to salute 25 seniors on Saturday
UTSA will recognize its senior class of 25 student-athletes in a pregame ceremony on Saturday:
N'Keal Bailey
La'Kel Bass
Matt Bayliss
Stefan Beard
Dannon Cavil
Tyrell Clay
Marcos Curry
Seth Damrow
Reed Darragh
Marcus Davenport
Devron Davis
Nate Gaines
Anthony Hickey
Brady Jones
Austin Jupe
Kyle McKinney
Juan Perez-Isidoro
Daniel Portillo
Austin Pratt
Josh Stewart
Dalton Sturm
Kerry Thomas Jr.
Franklin Uesi
Ricky Villarreal
Shaq Williams
Game 81
Saturday's contest will mark the 81st game in UTSA football history and the 41st at the Alamodome. The program holds a 37-43 overall record, including a 21-19 home ledger.
A look at Marshall
Marshall improved to 7-3 overall and 4-2 in Conference USA with a 30-23 home victory against WKU last Saturday that snapped a two-game losing skid. The Thundering Herd are scoring 28.2 points and averaging 382.6 yards of offense per game while allowing 19.4 points and 332.6 yards per outing. Junior quarterback Chase Litton has completed 207-of-344 passes (60.2 percent) for 2,356 yards and 18 touchdowns, but he has thrown 10 interceptions. His favorite target is junior wide receiver Tyre Brady, who has caught 56 passes for 777 yards and seven TDs. Redshirt freshman running back Tyler King is the top rusher with 662 yards and six scores on 136 carries. Junior linebacker Chase Hancock leads the defense with 97 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass breakups and a pair of fumble recoveries. Marshall boasts one of the league's top kick returners in Keion Davis, who has two kickoff return TDs and is averaging 30.9 yards per return. Head coach Doc Holliday is 60-40 in his eighth season.
Series history
Saturday will mark just the second meeting between UTSA and Marshall. The Thundering Herd claimed a 34-10 victory in the only previous matchup on Oct. 5, 2013, in Huntington, W.Va.
Last meeting
Marshall raced out to a 24-0 first-half lead and never looked back en route to a 34-10 victory against UTSA on Oct. 5, 2013, at Edwards Stadium. The Thundering Herd piled up 404 yards of offense — 252 before halftime — and forced three UTSA turnovers. Rakeem Cato was 22-of-32 passing for 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Marshall. The Roadrunners managed just 254 yards of offense. Steven Kurfehs led the UTSA defense with 10 tackles, including one of five sacks recorded by the Roadrunners.
Last time out
UTSA outscored and outgained UAB in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome an early deficit as UAB held on for a 24-19 win in Conference USA action last Saturday night at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners scored 13 points and totaled 181 yards in the second half to rally from a 21-6 halftime deficit and cut the Blazers lead to five late in the fourth quarter. However, UAB recovered the onside kick with 1:11 remaining on the clock to secure the game. UTSA outgained UAB, 299-265, for the game. Dalton Sturm totaled 162 yards in the air and a team-high 35 on the ground to lead the Roadrunner offense. UAB's attack was led by Spencer Brown's 129 yards on 29 carries.
UTSA pair collects C-USA weekly awards
Marcus Davenport and Josiah Tauaefa both have been named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week this season. Tauaefa shared the weekly award on Sept. 25 after the sophomore all-conference linebacker registered five tackles, one quarterback pressure, one pass breakup and a fumble return for a touchdown to help lead UTSA to a convincing 44-14 victory at Texas State. Davenport garnered his first career C-USA Defensive Player of the Week certificate on Oct. 23 after the senior all-league defensive end turned in a career-high-tying 11 tackles — including three for loss and a pair of sacks — and a 34-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 20-7 win against Rice.
Defensive attack
The UTSA defense has made its mark with an attacking style this season. The Roadrunners lead C-USA in seven different defensive statistical categories and they rank in the top 10 nationally in five. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding's group is giving up just 293.7 yards per game, which leads the league and stands sixth in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Roadrunners limited Southern to just 149 yards, breaking the school record for fewest yards allowed, and they yielded just 198 to Texas State a week later. UTSA has held its last four opponents to an average of 280.8 yards per game. UTSA also tops C-USA in first downs allowed (135), fumbles recovered (7), passing yards allowed per game (163.4), red zone defense (68.2%), scoring defense (17.8), and third-down conversion percentage defense (.309).
Creating havoc
Part of the reason for UTSA's defensive success has been the ability to create pressure. UTSA has registered 64 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, 22 quarterback pressures, 11 interceptions and 26 pass breakups this season. The Roadrunners rank third in C-USA and 24th in the FBS with an average of 7.1 TFLs per game. That statistic has been the result of a team effort, as 22 different players have taken part in a stop behind the line of scrimmage for a total loss of 229 yards. Marcus Davenport leads the way with 14.5 tackles for loss (8th/FBS), while sophomore defensive end Eric Banks has 8.5 and senior linebacker La'Kel Bass and junior defensive lineman Kevin Strong Jr. have posted 7.5 and six, respectively.
Sack attack
UTSA is getting to the opposing quarterback on a regular basis this fall. The Roadrunners have posted 20 sacks for an average of 2.22 per game, which ranks fourth in C-USA. Marcus Davenport leads all players with 7.5 sacks, while senior linebacker Marcos Curry has 2.5 and La'Kel Bass and Kevin Strong Jr. each have a pair. Additionally, UTSA has turned in 22 QB pressures in the first nine contests, led by Davenport's eight, which ties his own single-season record set in 2016.
No fly zone
The UTSA defense has proven difficult to pass against this season, as the Roadrunners lead C-USA and rank sixth in the FBS in passing yards allowed (163.4 ypg). The Roadrunners broke a school record by holding UAB to just 49 yards through the air, the second opponent that has failed to net 100 yards passing (Southern, 65) this season. In fact, the Birds have limited six of their nine foes to less than 165 passing yards. UTSA has picked off 11 passes this fall, including three interceptions in the 51-17 triumph over Southern and six over the last four contests. Senior safety Nate Gaines leads the way with three interceptions, while senior cornerback Devron Davis has a pair. Additionally, sophomore cornerback Clayton Johnson became just the fourth player in program history to record two picks in a game when he pulled off that feat in the 20-7 win against Rice on Oct. 21.
Scoring defense
Not only does UTSA lead C-USA in scoring defense by yielding just 17.8 points per game, a statistic that ranks 13th nationally, the Roadrunners have scored three times on defense themselves this season. That number stands second in C-USA and 10th among all FBS teams. UTSA has a pair of fumble return touchdowns from Marcus Davenport and Josiah Tauaefa and an interception return for a TD by Devron Davis.
Mr. Reliable
UTSA senior La'Kel Bass has been a reliable contributor on the second level of the defense this fall. The linebacker leads the team with 59 tackles and he has tallied 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and a quarterback hurry. The St. Louis, Mo., native has stepped up his game in C-USA action, as he has registered 47 tackles, including five TFLs, through the first six league contests. Bass, who tied a then-program single-season record with 11 tackles for loss as a junior last season, has posted 146 tackles, 18.5 TFLs, six sacks, one forced fumble, four fumble recoveries and a pass breakup during his two-year career.
Offensive balance
UTSA has displayed a balanced offense this season. UTSA ranks fourth in C-USA in total offense with 411.7 yards per game. Further, the Roadrunners are averaging 203.6 yards per game on the ground (3rd/C-USA) and 208.1 yards per contest through the air. The offense exploded for 502 yards in the 51-17 win against Southern on Sept. 16, as the Roadrunners racked up 335 yards through the air and added 167 more on the ground. UTSA scored on its first seven possessions — a program first — in rolling to a 48-0 halftime lead, the most points scored in a half in school annals. The Roadrunners provided quite the encore one week later with a school-record 569 yards of offense in the 44-14 win at Texas State. UTSA churned out a program-best 357 rushing yards and added 212 passing on its way to posting back-to-back 500-yard outputs for the first time in school annals. The Roadrunners tallied 469 yards, including 367 through the air, against Southern Miss and they turned in their second 300-yard rushing game of the season with 314 as part of a 448-yard output in the 20-7 win against Rice.
Controlling the clock
UTSA has controlled the clock in seven of its first nine games this season. In the season-opening win at Baylor on Sept. 9, the Roadrunners possessed the ball for 38 minutes and 52 seconds, including 20:53 of a possible 30 minutes in the first half. UTSA held the ball for 31:45 in the 51-17 victory over Southern, 35:21 in the 44-14 triumph over Texas State, 36:07 against Southern Miss, 31:41 versus North Texas, 30:25 in the 20-7 win against Rice and 34:25 in the 31-14 victory at UTEP. The Birds are averaging a league-leading 32:56 in time of possession per contest, a mark that ranks 12th among all FBS teams, and they have a combined advantage of 52:54 this season.
Up next
The Roadrunners will travel to Ruston, La., for the second straight season to face Louisiana Tech (4-6, 2-4) on Saturday, Nov. 25. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at Joe Aillet Stadium and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
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