American football | Wednesday, December 14, 2022 1:19 PM

Troy Trojans vs UT-San Antonio Roadrunners Best Bet: Duluth Trading Cure Bowl Betting

Cal Sport Media / Alamy Stock Photo

US Sports Expert

Troy Trojans vs UT-San Antonio Roadrunners Best Bet: Friday, December 16th

Welcome to Bowl Season, the most wonderful time of the year to tag along with the Holidays!

We have quite a battle to discuss in a game involving a pair of 11 – 2 programs, with each wanting to finish the season with a big win to carry momentum into next year’s campaign. Our resident college football guru Ej Garr will be here throughout bowl season, and he’ll be offering tips right up to the CFP Championship Game that will be played on January 9.

In this article:

Troy Trojans vs UT-San Antonio Roadrunners Preview

December 16, 20:00 (UK time)

It is the most wonderful time of the year, and we’ll have 43 extra games to take in for bowl season after quite a thrilling regular season.

The Trojans of Troy will be facing the Roadrunners from San Antonio, Texas in Orlando, Florida for the right to claim the title of Cure Bowl Champions. It may seem like a far cry from the National Playoff and Championship, but these two programs are both riding 10-game win streaks and each finished the regular season with impressive 11 – 2 records.

Along with the Troy 11 – 2 record, the Trojans went 10 – 3 against the line and the over/under was 6 / 7 while compiling a perfect 7 – 0 home record. That 7th win at home was the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game that the Trojans hosted against a banged-up Coastal Carolina program that resulted in a 45 – 26 Troy victory.

The Troy offense isn’t going to stand out to anyone in the rankings because their best mark in any category is 48th, which comes from the passing game. The ground game from the Trojans averages 122.5 YPG, and that puts them back at 105 in the rankings. The strength of this Troy program is undoubtedly their defense, and the 17.5 points allowed per game ranks them at 8th in all of college football.

Gunnar Watson earned the MVP Award from the Sun Belt title game, and he is expected to play in this game. A lot of players sit out of bowl games when they have NFL aspirations, but Watson is coming back for a 6th year in 2023. Watson has been with the Troy program since 2018, and he still is under Junior status.

On the other side of the field, Watson’s counterpart is Frank Harris has been the starting QB for 3 years with UTSA, and he announced last Wednesday that he is coming back for one more season in 2023. As you may or not be aware, UT-San Antonio is moving to the American Athletic Conference next year, and he wants to be part of the integration. He cited God, his family, and the city of San Antonio for treating him so well in his presser to announce his return.

Harris does everything you could ask your starting QB to do, as he can toss the rock all over the field and he can just as easily carry a team with his legs. Dual-threat is an insult! This dude would catch passes, give out water, and do the laundry for everyone too! The one problem I see is the injury report coming in for UTSA entering this game.

Brenden Brady and Trelon Smith are both listed as unknown to play in this game, and that potentially takes two of the top-four rushers out of the UTSA backfield. Now, make no mistake that Frank Harris and Kevorian Barnes can carry the way, but the loss of Brady and his 9 touchdowns could be missed.

The rankings are a direct opposition to that of Troy, as the UTSA offense has lit up some good teams all season but their defense hasn’t exactly been stout. Harris has the Roadrunner’s offense ranked 9th in total yards, and 12th in passing yards, while the 38.7 PPG lands them at 12th in all of college football. UTSA went only 6 – 7 against the line, and their totals were 8 – 5 to the Over.