Texas A&M and Mike Elko begin the 2025 season at home against a challenging G5 side in UTSA. The Roadrunners struggled at the beginning of last season as the Frank Harris era ended, but hit their stride under new QB Owen McCown and rattled off some big wins to reach bowl eligibility.
Heading into this season, UTSA appears to have a potent offense but a lot of questions on defense.
Let’s talk about what Texas A&M needs to do on the offensive and defensive lines to turn in a strong performance against
the Roadrunners to kick off the 2025 campaign.
Offensive Line
It’s no secret that UTSA struggled mightily on defense last year. Texas A&M’s offense should be able to get rolling against the Roadrunners on Saturday, and that starts with the Texas A&M offensive line. The Aggies return the entirety of the unit and will lean on the big fellas to establish the rushing attack early on.
The UTSA defensive line figures to be one of the stronger pieces of this Roadrunner defense, anchored by a transfer in Johnny Bowens III. However, I still think Texas A&M will be able to generate a lot of push and work up to the second level.
Pass blocking figures to be more of a challenge, as I think we’ll see UTSA throw some exotics out to try and confuse the offensive line. The Roadrunner front is also built more for rushing the passer than stuffing the run; however, if the Aggies can protect Marcel Reed, this is a secondary that has holes all over the field.
Defensive Line
On the defensive side of the ball, Texas A&M will have its work cut out for it against an offense that can score quickly. I worry about the depth of this unit, especially in the interior. Early on in the season, though, this unit should be fresh and able to reset the line of scrimmage in the run game against UTSA.
The starting offensive line for the Roadrunners is full of upperclassmen transfers. While I think the UTSA offensive line will come together as the season progresses, I’m expecting some miscommunications and missed assignments early on.
I expect UTSA will have this in mind when game planning. They’ll rely heavily on Owen McCown, but it won’t be deep passes. Expect the Roadrunners to run a lot of quick passing game concepts, limiting time for Cashius Howell and company to get to the passer. With this in mind, I don’t expect a ton of production in the realm of sacks. Instead, I’m looking for the Texas A&M defensive line to get their hands up quickly to disrupt Owen McCown’s throwing lanes and cause deflected passes.
Ultimately, I think Texas A&M will win this contest by multiple scores. I don’t think this will be the strong blowout that most likely hope for, however. Look for the Roadrunners to hang around into the second half where eventually the Aggies pull away.
