Texas State vs UTSA Prediction - College Football Picks 9/9/23

UTSA Roadrunners (0-1) vs Texas State Bobcats (1-0)

Game Info: Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 3:30 pm (Alamodome)

Betting Odds: UTSA Roadrunners -11 -- Over/Under: 62.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

The Texas State Bobcats will leave San Marcos and make the one-hour trip to San Antonio to take on the UTSA Roadrunners this weekend at the Alamodome on ESPN+. UTSA has won all four meetings, with the last week coming in a 51-48 shootout back in 2020.

Texas State Bobcats Preview

Texas State enters at 1-0 after beginning the season with an 42-31 win over Baylor in Waco. The Bobcats opened GJ Kinne’s tenure as the head man in a big way, comfortably defeating the Bears by two scores, and they’ll look to pull off another upset victory this weekend in San Antonio. The Texas State offense gained 441 total yards, passing for 298 yards, while rushing for 143 yards on the ground.

Texas State Player Notes

• TJ Finley opened his season well by passing for 298 yards, and three touchdowns, while adding a fourth on the ground in the win over Baylor. The Former Auburn QB appears to have found a home with the transfer-heavy Bobcats, and he’ll look to send another message to the Lone Star state this weekend.

• Junior Calvin Hill got most of the backfield work, rushing for 53 yards on 19 carries, while former Houston-Baptist back Ismail Mahdi scored on a 65-yard touchdown run, and caught a ten-yard TD pass.

• Utah Tech transfer Joey Hobert starred on the outside, catching six passes for 105 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 1 victory over the Bears. Hobert was extremely productive for the Trailblazers last season (83/1088/14), and he’s off to a great start with the Bobcats.

• Returning leading receiver Ashtyn Hawkins added five receptions for 58 yards.

• The Texas State defense held Baylor to 8/18 on third downs, but they allowed 524 total yards.

UTSA Roadrunners Preview

UTSA comes in at 0-1 after opening the season with a 17-14 road loss to Houston. The Roadrunners came out sloppy, and recovered when it was too late, so they’ll look to capitalize in their home opener here. The UTSA offense totaled 417 yards of offense, gaining 209 yards through the air, while rushing for 208 yards.

Texas-San Antonio Player Notes

• Frank Harris had a messy debut in Houston, completing just 50% of his passes (18/36), while tossing a touchdown to three interceptions in the Week 1 loss. The senior quarterback is much sharper than that, and we can truly look forward to better performance from him in the near future, as he was Conference USA’s Most Valuable Player in 2022.

• Kevorian Barnes did his part on the ground last weekend, turning sixteen touches into 103 yards and a touchdown.

• Senior receiver Joshua Cephus also came through in hometown, catching nine passes for 123 yards and a score

• The UTSA defense held Houston to 5/15 on third downs, while allowing 334 yards.

Corey’s Free Pick

It looks as if these two programs traded places for a weekend, as Texas State was able upend an in-state power in Baylor, while UTSA came up short again versus Houston. The Roadrunners did just about everything right, but their turnovers really cost them, and they should come into their home opener ready to lock back in. The Bobcats approach to rebuilding the program will make them interesting here, as the transfer-heavy approach struck twice last weekend with them and Colorado, and after playing well in hostile environment last week, I think they bring it again here San Antonio. I do believe UTSA gets into the win column, but I like Texas State capitalizing on the two-score margin, and covering here in this Lone Star matchup.