Inside the Numbers: UTSA
It’s no secret that Louisiana Tech faces a must-win situation Saturday night when they host UTSA. Tech is 5-6 overall and in need of a win to become bowl eligible. The Roadrunners are 6-4 overall and pose not only the best defense in Conference USA, but also the sixth best defense in the entire country.
Tech will need to be hitting on all cylinders offensively to succeed against the Roadrunners. Let’s take a look at how J’Mar Smith and his Bulldog offense will stack up Saturday:
| Tech Offense | UTSA Defense (Allowed | |
|---|---|---|
|
PPG |
29.5 |
16.7 |
|
Rush YPG |
173.5 |
121.2 |
|
Pass YPG |
243.6 |
166.0 |
|
Total YPG |
417.1 |
287.2 |
|
Yards Per Play |
5.1 |
5.0 |
|
Turnovers (Forced) |
13 |
20 |
|
Third Down % |
40% |
32% |
|
Touchdowns |
38 |
22 |
|
Red-Zone TD % |
52% |
57% |
UTSA enters Saturday’s contest against the Bulldogs faring very similar to the Bulldogs offense having major struggles in the red-zone. Roadrunner quarterback Dalton Sturm is what makes the offense go and will be a major key in order for UTSA to have success Saturday. Let’s take a look at how the Tech defense stacks up against the UTSA offense:
| UTSA Offense | Tech Defense (Allowed) | |
|---|---|---|
|
PPG |
25.3 |
28.5 |
|
Rush YPG |
192.0 |
183.5 |
|
Pass YPG |
214.0 |
228.5 |
|
Total YPG |
406.0 |
411.9 |
|
Yards Per Play |
5.9 |
6.0 |
|
Turnovers (Forced) |
16 |
20 |
|
Third Down % |
42% |
42% |
|
Touchdowns |
29 |
40 |
|
Red-Zone TD % |
47% |
56% |
From a special teams perspective the Roadrunners have been downright superb in the kicking game. The Roadrunners are converting an astronomical 86% of their field goal tries. As is the case in most games, special teams will play a big factor in determining the victor on Saturday:
| UTSA ST | Tech ST | |
|---|---|---|
|
PAT % |
96% |
92% |
|
Field Goal % |
86.0% |
74.1% |
|
Kick Return Average |
20.8 |
20.1 |
|
Punt Return Average |
4.4 |
7.4 |
|
Punt Average |
41.4 |
37.5 |
|
Blocked Punts |
0 |
0 |
|
Return Touchdowns |
0 |
1 |
Tech and UTSA look to be in for a major defensive battle. With all that is on the line for Tech in this ballgame, I expect the ‘Dogs to come out hungry and knock off the Roadrunners in a tight game 24-20.