Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners vs. Texas Longhorns Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 14th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Indeed, the victory on the road against defending national champion Michigan last Saturday was incredibly impressive and surpassed all expectations.

However, the Longhorns are determined to maintain their focus on a much larger goal - securing a spot in the College Football Playoff and beyond. This Saturday, they will face off against Texas-San Antonio in Austin.

Following their dominant 31-12 win over Michigan, Texas moved up in the AP poll from third to second, just behind Georgia. The Longhorns were led by Quinn Ewers' 246 passing yards and three touchdowns, as well as Gunnar Helm's seven catches for 98 yards and a score. Matthew Golden also contributed with six receptions, including a touchdown.

At halftime, Texas could have easily been leading 35-0, but they settled for a 24-3 advantage. In the second half, the Longhorns relied on their defense and held Michigan to just 284 total yards.

Despite their strong performance, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian believes there is room for improvement. He stated, "As good as we think we played, in my humble opinion, we're going to need to play better to go try to accomplish some of the goals that we have for the season."

Through their first two games, the Longhorns have scored on all 11 of their trips to the red zone, with 10 of those resulting in touchdowns. They also have a positive turnover margin of plus-4.

Sarkisian emphasized the need to continue improving, saying, "There are things that we need to clean up still, too."

To prevent complacency, Sarkisian showed his team a clip of Northern Illinois' upset win over Notre Dame last Saturday, reminding them that they are not entitled to anything and must earn their success.

In contrast, the Roadrunners (1-1) suffered a tough loss in their rivalry game against Texas State, falling 49-10 on the road.

UTSA utilized two quarterbacks, with Owen McCown completing 10 passes for 105 yards in the first half and Eddie Lee Marburger racking up 170 combined yards (147 passing) and the team's only touchdown in the second half.

Head coach Jeff Traylor acknowledged that his team learned a lot from the game, stating, "You find out a lot about yourself when you play in a big game. Obviously what we found out from the Texas State we did not like. But we like what we learned after the game and in the two days since. We have a culture here that we are proud of. We went right back to work."

Traylor, who was a member of Texas' coaching staff in 2015-16, noted that his team has responded well in the past when faced with adversity. However, he also acknowledged that facing the talented and speedy Longhorns will be a tough challenge.

The only previous meeting between these two teams resulted in a 41-20 victory for Texas in 2022.

PREDICTION

Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners

Texas Longhorns