The Road ends in Ruston

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This weekend there is a much ballyhooed Sabine River Showdown that will take place on Saturday Evening in Baton Rouge. Earlier in the day there will be another Sabine River Showdown that will hold the attention of a handful of people in both states.

On Saturday afternoon under a canopy of pine trees in Ruston the UTSA Roadrunners and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will reunite to play football for the eighth time ever. Much like the other Sabine River Showdown between the Aggies and Tigers this Sabine River Showdown light has been dominated by the Louisiana school over the last seven meetings (which just happen to be all seven in this series).

Since 2012, when UTSA and Louisiana Tech first played and A&M joined the SEC the Louisiana schools have won a combined 12 of the 14 matchups heading into this season. UTSA got their only win over Louisiana Tech back in the second meeting when the Roadrunners closed out a 7-5 season with a 30-10 win over the Bulldogs in the Alamodome on November 30, 2013. A&M got their lone win over LSU since 2012 last season with a 7-OT victory at Kyle Field on Thanksgiving weekend.

But enough about the other Sabine River Showdown. Let's talk about the Roadrunners and the Bulldogs. Lets talk about one of the three big games that will play out in the Conference USA West on Saturday.

Just three weeks ago there didn't seem to be much of a race in the Conference USA west division. Louisiana Tech was 5-0 with three games remaining. The rest of the standings had Southern Miss at 4-1 in second, UAB and UTSA tied for third with 3-2 records.

Then, because the "C" in C-USA also stands for chaos things got interesting. Louisiana Tech dropped two games in a row to Marshall and UAB. The standings shifted into a three way tie for first with LA Tech, Southern Miss and UAB all sitting at 5-1 as the season turns into the final weekend of the season.

The three teams who are fighting for first in the west like its the last spoonful of dressing will all kickoff within the span of an hour on Saturday. UTSA and Louisiana Tech will start at 2:30 central, followed by UAB at North Texas at 3 p.m. and Southern Miss at Florida Atlantic starting at 4 p.m.

For UTSA the only thing left to play for is pride. That and the chance to go 5-7. A Roadrunner win would also likely keep Louisiana Tech out of the conference championship game (unless all three tied teams lose) and also prevent the Bulldogs from attaining their first 6-0 season at home since 1973.

It won't be easy for the Roadrunners. The Bulldogs will have quarterback J'Mar Smith and wide receiver Adrian Hardy back from suspension this weekend. In his first nine games this season Smith completed 198 of 304 attempted passes for 2483 yards and 14 touchdowns against four interceptions thrown. Hardy was one of the top receivers with 39 catches for 482 yards and one touchdown.

Those two being out could be a reason that Louisiana Tech lost two in a row but then again it seems Conference USA can't go a season without having a little drama play out in November.

The Bulldogs boast a strong run game as well. Running back Justin Henderson leads the conference with 15 touchdowns, which is also the seventh most among running backs in the country. Henderson has run the ball 146 times this season for 862 yards.

On defense, Louisiana Tech has been led by corner back Amik Robertson. This season Robertson has five interceptions, second best in the conference, and has run two of those interceptions back for touchdowns. In his career as a Bulldog Robertson has 14 interceptions and 34 passes broken up, which combined is second in the country for passes defended.

The Roadrunners offense had been showing signs of growth in recent weeks but hit a roadblock last weekend against Florida Atlantic. It likely won't get any easier for the Roadrunners in Ruston this weekend. For the youthful Roadrunners like Lowell Narcisse, Sincere McCormick, Zakhari Franklin and others this game is a chance to close out their season with a strong performance.

If there were a theme song for the 2019 UTSA football season it might just be "Long and Winding Road" by the Beatles. There have been highs and lows for the Roadrunners. From the opening win over UIW to getting bible-thumped by Baylor on the banks of the Brazos. There have been nailbiting wins over Rice and Old Dominion and games that got away against Army and UAB.

The Roadrunners have won in different ways and lost in different ways. One thing that might carry over from 2019 and become a benefit in years to come is the amount of freshmen and sophomores who have seen a lot of playing time this season. UTSA has upped its win total from three wins last season to four this season.

There is a chance they can make it five but the odds seem stacked against that happening. To get the fifth win the Roadrunners would have to win in Ruston for the first time against a Louisiana Tech team that is now fighting for its life in the race for the West Division and gets its starting quarterback back. Even if their QB was out for one more week the Bulldogs would still be favored against the Roadrunners.

UTSA may not win this weekend but the wins will come in 2020 and beyond. Regardless of whether they win or lose on Saturday the Roadrunners have gotten to see their future in recent weeks. It's as bright as a sunrise on the Sabine River.

Prediction: UTSA 17 Louisiana Tech 33

FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way