UTSA takes on a Baylor team coming off a shocking home loss to FCS Liberty. Now that we have a game’s worth of film to watch on the new look, Matt Rhule led Bears we got a bit of a feel for what the Roadrunners will need to do to win this game. Here are our 5 Keys to the Game presented by Jackson Financial.

1. Good Dalton needs to show up

We shouldn’t expect him to put up the same numbers (450 yards and 3 TDs) that Liberty’s Stephen Calvert put up, but we Dalton will need to do some damage through the air this week. Baylor’s beat up secondary gets a few player back this week, but is still shorthanded. After seeing Baylor give up over 10 yards per completion to Liberty UTSA’s WR group has to be salivating going into this one. Can Dalton find success in the passing game and keep an extra Baylor defender from creeping up to the line in run support?

2. Pressure the QB and get him to the ground

Baylor may have lost the game, but they still put up 45 points and over 530 yards of offense. Our old friend Anu Solomon (Arizona transfer is 2-0 vs UTSA) threw for 3 long TD passes last week and ran for 97 yards versus Liberty. Liberty finished last week with zero sack, and with Solomon’s ability to break tackles and extend plays the focus this week needs to keep him in front of us as a defense. Marcus Davenport and Kevin Strong need to make their presences felt early and often in this one.

3. A young CB will need to step up

With the release of the depth chart this morning comes the realization that with Ted McGhee out this weekend we could be counting on a True Freshman and a Walk-On to defend what is still a very talented Baylor receivers group. Davis and Jupe will obviously get the bulk of the time matched up with Chris Platt and Denzel Mims, but there will be times we will have to dig deep into the depth chart to cover the 3 and 4 WR sets we saw from Baylor this past weekend. Are Javontavious Moseley, Stan Dye, and Clayton Johnson up to that task?

4. How quickly can UTSA knock off the rust?

UTSA definitely gets the upper hand in that we have a games worth of 2017 film to game plan on, but the rust factor could be a big factor early in this game. Baylor is going to come into this game with a huge chip on their shoulder, and if UTSA is able to get through the 1st half within striking distance we should feel good about things going into the 2nd half. Communication in the secondary will need to be in mid-season form to combat Baylor’s big play tendencies in the passing game.

5.Can UTSA be dominant in the trenches?

The strength of UTSA’s offense lies in their experienced interior line. McKinney, Pratt, and Beard matched up with Baylor’s interior dline quite well, and now we get word that KJ Smith may be out this week due to shin splints. Smith is still listed as their starter on latest depth chart, but the senior will at the minimum be limited for this game. If we be dominant running the ball between the tackles we can keep the ball out of Anu Solomon’s hands and shorten the game.