There’s no question that New Mexico’s biggest strength is its triple option offense. For the University of Texas at San Antonio, stopping the run has been its forte the past couple of seasons.
Both teams will find out who has the edge when UTSA hosts UNM Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Last year the Roadrunners had the advantage at the line of scrimmage, holding the Lobos to 193 rushing yards on 42 attempts in a 21-13 win at University Stadium. Most of UNM’s yards came from starting quarterback Cole Gautsche, who had 118 yards .
Head coach Bob Davie said the team was a little overconfident on the offensive side of the ball heading into last year’s contest.
“With that said they are probably as good a technique team as we will play all year and they are going to give you absolutely nothing. They are going to line up in the same defense they’ve been playing for six years now and that’s why they are good,” he said. “They are going to make us earn everything. I don’t think we played as well as we are capable of level of playing last year.”
UTSA held UNM in check by just playing its base defense of four-down lineman and two linebackers. The Lobos couldn’t gain any yards up the middle as the Roadrunners interior dominated the game.
UNM’s inability to run up the middle had to deal with UTSA’s defensive tackles that weigh near or over 300 pounds. Former running back Kasey Carrier had no room, finishing with just 54 yards on 20 attempts.
The Roadrunners have been just as stout with their run defense this year, holding opponents to just 118.3 rushing yards per game. UNM (1-3, 0-1 Mountain West) once again features one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, gaining 332 yards per game.
“They’re definitely a team that doesn’t like to blitz a lot. They have guys there who can just sit there and hold their gaps. They have guys who fly around right at the snap,” offensive lineman Lamar Bratton said.
UTSA (1-3, 0-1 Conference USA) labels its offense as multiple and for good reason. The Roadrunners run a variety of formations and plays to try to catch opposing defenses off guard.
However, the offense hasn’t been able to do much damage this year, earning just 307 yards per game. Third down has also been a problem for UTSA as it has converted just 32.8 percent of the time.
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“They’re pretty versatile. They do a lot of everything. They have a lot of packages that they’ll throw at you,” safety David Guthrie said. “With somebody like UTSA they have a lot of plays. That’s probably the biggest thing about them they’re pretty versatile and they’ll throw a lot of things at you.”
Branch leaves
Davie announced Wednesday that redshirt junior free safety Brandon Branch has decided to end his career to focus on academics.
Branch appeared in 25 games over the last four years for UNM. He started the first two game of the season, but was not listed in the Lobos’ two-deeps against New Mexico State or Fresno State.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
