UTSA Offensive Players to Watch vs. Texas in Week 3

The UTSA Roadrunners will bring a high-powered offense to Austin in week 3

Matt Galatzan | Sep 14, 2022

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The Texas Longhorns will have their final non-conference test against UTSA on Saturday. This is not a game Texas coach, Steve Sarkisian, can overlook. The Roadrunners went 12-2 and won the Conference-USA championship a season ago.

The Roadrunners fielded one of the most explosive offenses in the country in 2021. They averaged 36.9 points per game which tied for 11th in the nation. Their offense was led by QB Frank Harris. The centerpiece of their offense was RB Sincere McCormick who rushed for 1,469 yards and 15 touchdowns. Harris returns in 2022 along with eight other offensive starters.

Make sure to stick with LonghornsCountry.com through our season preview series, where we will analyze every opponent on the Longhorns schedule in 2022. We've already looked at the UTSA matchup as a whole.

Now, let's take a look at the offensive players on UTSA's roster that the Longhorns should keep an eye on:

QB Frank Harris

Harris is the unquestioned leader of the Roadrunners. The rising senior put up huge numbers in 2021. As a junior, Harris threw for 3,177 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also rushed for 566 yards and six touchdowns. Harris will be a problem for the Texas defense with his arm and with his legs.

This season, 60 of 88 passes for 696 yards and six touchdowns and has rushed 16 times for 93 yards and another score.

RB Brenden Brady

Brady did not start for the Roadrunners a season ago. He played behind the C-USA Offensive Player of The Year, Sincere McCormick. With McCormick off to the NFL, Brady will be asked to carry the load in 2022.

Although UTSA runs a pro-style offense, they utilize power run concepts which allow their starting running back to be the focal point of their offense. Brady ran for 308 yards and four touchdowns as a senior.

This season he has rushed 25 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

WR Zakhari Franklin

The First Team All C-USA receiver caught 81 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021. While UTSA has a trio of talented receivers, Franklin is the go-to option in the UTSA passing game. With Frank Harris back behind center, Franklin is expected to have another monster season in 2022. The Texas defensive backs will have trouble locking down Franklin on Saturday.

This season, Franklin has 20 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

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Published Sep 14, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.