COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK, Y’ALL. In an opening weekend that will see several of A&M’s opponents face power conference teams on the road, the Aggies will open the 2025 season at Kyle Field against the UTSA Roadrunners. However, don’t be fooled by the name, this is a team with a pulse. You could call UTSA the “best of the rest” in the AAC as they picked to finish 4th in the conference behind Tulane, Navy, and Memphis (who all received at least one first place vote).
The Roadrunner offense found their
footing down the stretch last season, tallying 40 points or more in five of their last six contests. They return 10/11 starters on that side of the ball. The defense is unknown with all 11 starters gone from last year’s unit.
There is only so much insight you can truly gain from a game against a team with much less overall talent, but there are at least a couple of things that could spur optimism if they happen on Saturday. This article is more “what we need to see” than a “keys to beating UTSA” type of post. Let’s dig in.
Improved run defense
A big frustration with last year’s defense was the run defense. It was less about being physically outmatched and more about being out of position, losing gap integrity, and missing tackles. Those are things that you can tell, even against a team like UTSA, if they have been fixed or not. We will certainly be able to tell if things have NOT been fixed. If UTSA is able to gash this team on the ground, it would spell trouble.
Robert Henry Jr. returns for the Roadrunners after rushing 13o times last season for 706 yards and 7 touchdowns. Henry was voted preseason first team all-conference by Athlon sports. He will be running behind an offensive line that returns four starters. While they may not be the most talented group A&M will face, it’s a very good measuring stick for week one. The A&M defensive line needs to show they are capable of playing at a high level and the back seven needs to show they can play physical, sound run defense and not miss tackles. This is the biggest thing I will be watching for on Saturday.
Shutdown secondary
The Aggie secondary has been much maligned this offseason, but there is reason for hope there. As ESPN’s Bill Connelly notes in his 2025 “ifs” list, A&M was fourth nationally in completion percentage allowed, but allowed far too many big plays when passes were completed. All-SEC corner Will Lee III is back and getting Tyreek Chappell back at nickel should provide a big boost after he missed almost all of last season. If third-year corner Dezz Ricks can play more consistently, this could be a strong unit.
UTSA poses a big threat here. QB Owen McCown returns after finishing strong last season and he has a bevy of weapons to throw to. WR Devin McCuin and TE Houston Thomas were both voted first-team all-conference by Athlon, while WR David Amador and TE Patrick Overmyer were voted second-team. Behind the experienced OL we mentioned earlier, this should be a very strong unit.
If the secondary can keep a lid on UTSA’s explosive playmakers and avoid busted coverages, that would be a very positive sign.
Crisp on offense
The Aggie offense has been the talk of the town lately and they have an opportunity this weekend to show how far they’ve come. To be frank, the A&M offensive line should absolutely dominate this game as long as they are sound in their assignments (something to watch for). That should definitely allow for the run game to have success, but more importantly it should allow QB Marcel Reed plenty of time in the pocket to show what he and the new Aggie receivers can do.
Nothing is ever perfect in game one, but it would be a bright spot to see if Reed has a firm grasp of the offense that Collin Klein has (hopefully) designed to play to his strengths. The receivers are brand new, but super talented. Will they be on the same page as Reed in game one?
If the offense comes out and doesn’t make a ton of mistakes and Reed shows that he has leveled up, A&M should win going away. More importantly, it would be an early sign that the offense has gelled and could be playing like a well-oiled machine by the time they head to South Bend in week 3. And, after recent years, it would make A&M fans very happy to see an efficient and explosive offense. Here’s hoping. BTHO UTSA.
