Roadrunners eye another bowl bid

Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.

6 TexasSan

Antonio

Frank Wilson (6-7, entering second season; 6-7 overall)

6-7, 5-3 in Conference USA, second in West Division

Texas-San Antonio coach Frank Wilson made an immediate impact, guiding the Roadrunners to six wins and their first bowl game. UTSA tied an NCAA modern startup program record by playing in a bowl during their sixth season of operation. The Roadrunners’ biggest wins were over traditional powers Southern Miss and Middle Tennessee. UTSA fell 23-20 to New Mexico on the Lobos’ home turf in the New Mexico Bowl to close out Wilson’s successful debut season.

The Roadrunners return four All-Conference USA selections from last season, LS Matt Bayliss, DE Marcus Davenport, WR Josh Stewart and LB Josiah Tauaefa.

Tauaefa was named CUSA Freshman of the Year and earned Freshman AllAmerica honors after setting a UTSA single-season record with 115 tackles.

On offense, UTSA returns starting QB Dalton Sturm, second-leading rusher Jalen Rhodes and seven of its eight leading receivers from 2016.

UTSA also signed Conference USA’s top recruiting class, which should help the Roadrunners’ depth.

UTSA has to make progress on offense in order to make back-toback bowl appearances. The team ranked No. 97 nationally out of 128 teams in total offense, putting up 375.5 yards per game. While the young team avoided a huge turnover headache, penalties were an issue. The Roadrunners ranked No. 103 nationally in most penalties per game with 7.08 per contest.

Wilson hit all the right buttons during his first season at UTSA. He vowed his team would play an exciting brand of football San Antonio residents could be proud of. Now he faces the next big challenge, urging his players to avoid complacency and build on success. It will take a spirited effort to avoid a step back.