As the ecstasy of the comeback win over Ohio State begins to wear off, the Longhorns have to refocus on the new task at hand. That task comes in the form of the UTSA, led by former Texas assistant Jedd Traylor.
The Roadrunner entered the game undefeated, beating UT Rio Grande Valley and Texas’ Week One opponent, Texas State. The Longhorns are 30-point favorites but like the Bobcats, the Roadrunners present some problems Texas will have to solve.
UTSA Offense
This is a veteran-laden offense, starting with their QB Owen McCown. McCown, son of NFL QB Josh McCown, is in his third season as the starter for the Roadrunners. He’s established himself as a top QB in the Group of 6, totalling 55 passing TDs and just 17 INTs the last two seasons. He’s joined in the backfield
by talented sophomore Will Henderson III, who is averaging 7.6 yards/carry through two weeks. Along with him, A’Marion Peterson and Brandon High Jr. will contribute into the run game as more physical, bigger backs.
At WR, the Roadrunners have four players that will contribute on Saturday. Senior DJ Allen Jr. leads the Roadrunners in receiving yards but Mekhi Anderson and AJ Wilson are the reception leaders on the team. David Amador II will also factor into the passing game in the slot. This unit is not only talented but are all returners from last season, so the offense as a whole has remarkable continuity.
Jeff Traylor with a nice parting message at the end of his Monday press conference:
— Rylan Renteria (@rylanphotog) September 14, 2026
"I will say something that's pretty cool. Since 2020, The University of Texas has the most wins in the decade [in the state of Texas], and the UTSA Roadrunners have the second most.
"The… pic.twitter.com/k5xd4W0HZa
UTSA Defense
The defense, unlike the offense, returned just two starters from a season ago, DL Tai Leonard and LB Owen Pewee. LB Brandon Tucker is the leading tackler(18) and LB James Walley Jr. has the Roadrunner sole sack through two weeks. On the backend, they have a pair of redshirt sophomores, LSU transfer Joel Rogers and Elijah Newell. LB Elijah Baldwin(UTEP) and CB Assad Chapman(Riverside CC) are other transfers to watch this weekend.
Through two weeks, this hasn’t been the stoutest defense, ranking 127th in the country in total defense. They are giving up 451.5 yards per game, including giving up 289 rushing yards to Texas State last week. Despite struggling to slow teams down, they have forced 5 turnovers through two games. If the Longhorns can take care of the football on Saturday, they should be able to have success.
UTSA Overall
This game, like Texas State, is one the Longhorns should win rather easily. The Roadrunners offense is dangerous and filled with veterans but their defense seemingly lacks the fortitude to slow down Texas. Unlike Texas State, UTSA’s QB McCown does not utilize his legs as much. The Texas DL should be able to contain him and hopefully in turn, contain the Roadrunner offense.
This game should follow a similar script to the Texas State game. Domination from start to finish, allowing Arch Manning to watch the final frame from the sideline. I’d expect Sarkisian to lean on the run game, especially after their performance against Ohio State. It should be a rather straight-forward affair but the Roadrunners will present issues that’ll need answers before that result.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Early look: Texas Longhorns Week 2 opponent UTSA Roadrunners
