Texas State and UTSA will meet up for only the fifth time in history on the gridiron, as the Bobcats square off with the Roadrunners in the I-35 Rivalry.
Coaching in his first I-35 Rivalry Game, Head Coach G.J. Kinne noted the unpredictability of a match-up between these two teams.
“Anything can happen in a rivalry game,” Kinne said. “It’s just, go out there, play hard and see who wins.”
Texas State is coming off one of the biggest wins in program history as the Bobcats defeated the Baylor Bears, 42-21, for the program’s first-ever win over a Power Five school.
UTSA will be come into the match-up seeking their first win of the season, following a 17-14 loss to Houston.
One of the challenges for the Bobcats will be if Texas State can continue their offensive momentum against the UTSA defense.
Despite its loss to Houston, the Roadrunners held the Cougars to just 334 yards of offense, with 101 yards rushing and 233 yards passing.
“They are really good,” Kinne said. “Coach Loepp does a great job over there. ... those guys are going to be fired up. I’m sure they were very hard on those guys during practice just like we are on our guys.”
On the defensive side of the ball for the Bobcats, the task will be about stopping the player who is considered to be one of the greatest in UTSA history: Frank Harris.
Playing an experienced quarterback, defensive coordinator Jonathan Patke said he is up for the challenge.
“They have won a lot of games and they have a quarterback that has played a lot of football,” Patke said. “He knows every presnap read and every coverage. He knows it all.”
One of the aspects the Bobcats look to clean up in this game is their pass defense.
With the Bobcats allowing over 416 passing yards, Patke said he is looking to fix up the passing against an always dangerous Harris, who looking to bounce back after throwing three interceptions.
“Just cleaning up our pass defense,” Patke said. “Towards in the end of the game, we were playing a soft coverage to not give up the explosive play. But, ultimately, we gave more explosive plays than should have happened. We have to be more detailed in our work in the back end where we can take that next step forward.”
Kickoff for Texas State-UTSA is set for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. from the Alamodome in San Antonio.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
