Texas State hoping third time’s a charm vs. UTSA
SAN MARCOS — Today marks the third installment of the “I-35 Showdown” between Texas State and UTSA, returning to the Alamodome for the first time since 2012.
The inaugural football season for UTSA (0-3, 0-0 in Conference USA) was 2011 as an independent, the same year the Bobcats (1-2, 0-1 in the Sun Belt) went independent as they made the tran- sition to the Football Bowl Subdivision after playing in lower divisions since 1904. Both teams played in the WAC in 2012 before Texas State went to the Sun Belt and UTSA joined Confer- ence USA the next season.
In 2014, both teams agreed to an eight-game nonconfer- ence series between 2017 and 2025. The game this week is the second in that series, though 2019 will be skipped.
“Fairly new rivalry, but I think it’s good for the area, Central Texas,” Texas State coach Everett Withers said. “I always say, when you have rivalries, I wish we were in the same conference. I think it would be good for this area, for both of us to be in the Sun Belt because Sun
Texas State at UTSA, 6 p.m., 1300, ESPN+
Belt is the best conference of the Group of Five. A lot of the high schools in this area, kids in Central Texas go to both schools. Whether they play football or they go study business law, I think this is good for Central Texas.”
The Roadrunners have won both of the previous matches — 38-31 in 2012 and 44-14 in 2017 — and will be facing the Bobcats at home for the second time. Texas State’s big loss last season is something current players haven’t forgotten.
“It’s definitely motivation,” junior linebacker Bryan London II said. “Last year as a whole team, we just — it was embarrassing. It’s hard to call it a rivalry when the games look like how they did last year. It’s up to us to make it a rivalry.”
UTSA is winless so far and 1-6 in its last seven games dating to last year, but its three losses this year have been to teams in Power Five confer- ences (49-7 to Arizona State, 37-20 to Baylor and 41-17 to Kansas State).
“They are real physical, and they are going to try to run the ball,” London said. “That was one of their main things they tried last year. We just have to be ready because it’s going to be a big game for the front seven.”
UTSA “is trying to grow and figure out who they are offensively,” Withers said. “I look at their offensive line, and they look a little bit like us. They’ve got some really talented young guys up front on the offensive line trying to mesh and grow together. They are still trying to figure out who they are at quarterback a little bit with a grad transfer (D.J. Gillins) and a junior college quarterback (Cordale Grundy).”
Grundy has started all three games this season for the Roadrunners, completing 48 of 89 passes for 452 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 28 yards. Gillins is 8-for-21 with a touchdown and no interceptions in two appearances.
For Texas State, sophomore Willie Jones III is expected to make his fourth start of the season at quarterback. Jones hit 16 of 30 for 205 yards and two touchdowns last week but was replaced in the third quarter with leg cramps. Withers said Jones is healthy.
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