Scooby Wright III is the type of guy who lets his play do the talking. For as much havoc as he causes on the field, he’s a modest speaker, rarely offering any major soundbites.
It was the same story Monday afternoon when a group of reporters huddled around Wright to get his take on Arizona’s opening opponent: UTSA..
Wright, as always, said the correct lines.
“They lost so many guys from last year, so we really don’t know [what to expect].”
Indeed, the Roadrunners lost 18 senior starters, and 36 players overall, from a year ago. To say that they’re inexperienced would be an understatement.
One of the 19 starting spots where UTSA brings in a newcomer is at quarterback. And young, inexperienced quarterbacks playing on the road typically don’t fare well against All-American linebackers.
So when a reporter asked Wright if his eyes get a little bigger glossing over a redshirt freshman quarterback, the candid Wright couldn’t help but break into a smile.
He didn’t need to say anything else. The answer laid within the grin.
A season ago, when Arizona played UTSA in San Antonio, the program was labeled as the most experienced in college football.
The senior-laden Roadrunners gave Arizona quite a scare in 2014. The Wildcats walked away with a 26-23 victory only after Jared Tevis made a late-game interception to seal the win.
Don’t expect Thursday’s matchup to be anywhere near as competitive. As mentioned before, UTSA is welcoming newcomers at nearly every position, including quarterback and running back.
Starting at quarterback for UTSA will be Blake Bogenschutz, a 6-foot, 195-pound native of Carthage, Texas.
A redshirt freshman, Bogenschutz saw limited time last year before suffering a season-ending injury in October. He has reportedly looked sharp throughout UTSA’s offseason, running a newly implemented no-huddle offense.
At running back, UTSA will likely depend on junior Jarveon Williams to take most of the carries. Listed at five-foot-nine, Williams ran for 325 yards and three touchdowns last season.
However, UTSA is likely to keep the ball mostly in the air. The Roadrunners have a decent receiving corps that will look to test an inexperienced Arizona secondary.
On the opposite side of the ball, UTSA lost most of its production on the defensive line and also needs to replace a handful of safeties and cornerbacks. The young defense will have their hands full attempting to slow down Arizona’s up-tempo offense.
For UTSA’s part, the Roadrunners sound confident that all the new pieces will not stand in their way of playing competitive football.
“We don’t have the experience, but I think talent-wise, … we have a more talented team [than last year],” UTSA head coach Larry Coker told kens5.com. “I like our staff a lot. I think we have a really good upside.”
The Roadrunners enter the game as 31-point underdogs according to sports bookies.
Opening kickoff on Thursday is slated for 7 p.m. The game will also be televised on Pac-12 Networks and radio broadcasted on Arizona IMG Sports Network.
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