The UTSA Roadrunners have now dropped four games in a row. With only two games left this season, they have many wondering if they’ll even win again this season. UTSA will travel east to West Virginia to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday where they’ll try and snap their losing streak and get back in the win column for the first time since their victory over Rice.

Marshall is a 26-point favorite over UTSA, and ESPN has the Thundering Herd at a 94 percent win probability. Not great odds for UTSA, but if they’re able to get their offense rolling a little bit, they’ll at least give themselves a chance.

Here are three things UTSA must do to have a shot at victory.

UTSA vs. Marshall details

Date: Nov. 17, 2018

Location: Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, WV

Channel: UTSA vs Marshall will be broadcast and streamed live on Facebook (Facebook subscription not required).

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UTSA vs. Marshall preview

Offensive line must win battle in the trenches

The way it looks right now, UTSA might be starting sophomore Bryce Rivers at quarterback come Saturday. If that comes to fruition, Rivers would be the fourth different starting quarterback UTSA has had this season. The UTSA offensive line is a young group that has suffered some injuries throughout the season, so it’s understandable that they haven’t been too impressive this season. However, success on any offense boils down to the offensive line.

This season, UTSA has had poor pass protection and poor run blocking as well. This would be Rivers’ first ever collegiate start at quarterback, so the offensive line must help him out. Rivers is more of a pocket passer and can’t scramble and run as well as Grundy, Gillins and even Weeks. The offensive line has to pass protect better than they have all year and give Rivers time to make quality throws. They also must get push in the run blocking aspect as well to get B.J. Daniels and Brendan Brady going at running back (Rhodes injured). The more successful the run game, the less pressure is on Rivers.

Stop Tyre Brady

For much of the season, the UTSA secondary has been the weak spot in the defense, and there’s no doubt that Marshall receiver Tyre Brady will test them. Brady is the biggest receiving threat Marshall has. He’s racked up 683 yards on 53 catches with six touchdowns this season. For comparison, UTSA's leading receiver Greg Campbell Jr. has only about half of Brady's receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

At 6-foot-3, Brady has the ability to win one-on-one matchups in the end zone against almost any corner. The senior wideout has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in three games this season. He'll be looking to do it against against UTSA. The secondary will need to step up and do whatever they can to stop Brady from having a game. They must force another receiver to beat them. 

Convert on third downs

The UTSA offense has many problems, but an important one that they must address is their failure to convert on third downs. Over their last three games, UTSA has gone a combined 8-of-38 on third downs. They were 3-of-14 against Southern Mississippi, 2-of-12 against UAB and 3-of-12 against FIU. Their third down offense has been anemic, and it’s a big reason why the UTSA offense cannot put together long drives down the field.

The lack of third down conversions results in short drives, a tired defense, and more opportunities for the opponent. Of course, the play calling must be better on first and second downs as well in order to have more manageable third downs. But when faced with a third down, UTSA has to find a way to convert. If they don’t convert on at least half of their third downs against Marshall, they'll have an even slimmer chance of winning. 

Final Score prediction: Marshall 38, UTSA 14