Kicking off at noon on Saturday’s college football slate, the Colorado State Rams will face off with the UTSA Roadrunners. This is the fourth matchup between the two programs in their history.
Looking at the odds, UTSA enters as 14-point favorites with -600 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Colorado State is +440 to win outright, with the game total set at 56.5 points.
This article offers a brief preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 4 matchup.
Colorado State vs. UTSA Preview
Colorado State Rams
The Colorado State Rams are off to a 2-1 start and have gone 2-1 against the spread. They kicked off the season with a 35-13 win over Wyoming, outgaining them 396-273 and covering the 2.5-point spread. The Rams followed this up by defeating Southern Utah, 58-24, recording 678 total yards of offense and covering the 19.5-point spread. Most recently, Colorado State fell 41-23 to BYU. The Rams fell behind 38-7 but showed some late fight to make the effort respectable. BYU recorded a concerning 332 rushing yards, and CSU couldn’t cover the 17.5-point spread.
Hauss Hejny has served as the Rams’ primary quarterback and has completed 64.4% of his pass attempts for 619 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 128 rushing yards and another score on the ground. However, he’s currently viewed as doubtful after last week’s hamstring injury. K’saan Farrar has attempted 30 passes this season for Colorado State and has seen most of the opportunities since Hejny’s injury. Darius Curry has also attempted eight passes this year.
Outside of quarterback, Mel Brown plays a major role at running back with 256 yards and two touchdowns. Durell Robinson has added 106 yards on the ground and a score. While largely operating out of the backfield, Cedric Ross leads the team with 178 receiving yards and two touchdowns. RJ Vick leads the team with four receiving scores and 175 yards, while Jackson Harper and Terrence Smith have each tallied 119+ yards through the air and two touchdowns.
Through their opening three games, Colorado State is averaging 38.7 points per game, which ranks 37th in the country. Defensively, the Rams are allowing 26 points per game, which ranks 97th.
UTSA Roadrunners
The UTSA Roadrunners have kicked off their season by winning two of their first three, and they are 3-0 against the spread. They opened the year with a 45-16 win over UT Rio Grande Valley, putting up 527 total yards of offense, forcing two turnovers, and covering the -28.5 spread. UTSA followed this up with a 31-26 win over Texas State. The Roadrunners were outgained 481-398, but forced three turnovers and scored a game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds remaining to pull off the upset as 2.5-point underdogs. Most recently, UTSA fell 30-6 at No. 1 Texas. While there is no sugarcoating that the Longhorns were comfortably the better team, UTSA limited Texas to 400 total yards of offense and covered the 29.5-point spread.
Owen McCown returns for his fourth season and has gotten off to a respectable start. The senior QB has completed 69.6% of his passes for 559 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Will Henderson III headlines the rushing attack with 219 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, A’Marion Peterson and Brandon High Jr. have each also recorded over 100 yards on the ground and three combined scores. DJ Allen Jr., Mekhi Anderson, and AJ Wilson have each recorded 133+ yards through the air and a touchdown apiece.
UTSA is scoring 27.3 points per game through their first three matchups, which ranks 91st in the country. They are allowing 24 points per game, which ranks 83rd.
Colorado State vs. UTSA Pick, Best Bet
Both teams have been largely impressive relative to expectations to start the year. But uncertainty at quarterback for Colorado State is a major factor in this game, and it sways me toward backing UTSA on the -14 spread.
K’saan Farrar filled in at quarterback last week after Hauss Hejny got injured. But Farrar completed only 13 of his 23 pass attempts for 70 yards and an interception. Farrar has more ability with his legs, but the UTSA defense has proven stiff against much more talented offenses. Colorado State has struggled to step up its level of play in recent years, and it has shown little ability to stop the run this season. They rank 120th in the country in total defense and have allowed 227 rushing yards per game so far this year.
Expect UTSA to focus on exploiting this defensive weakness, and for Jayden Brown to play a major role in this game. The Roadrunners looked more up to the challenge than many teams are against a top-ranked Texas Longhorns team. They have covered the spread in all three games and look like a team that can make more noise than they are being given credit for across the college football landscape.
This Colorado State team is showing significant progress after last year’s 2-10 record. But they have lost six consecutive road games and failed to cover the spread in four of their last five games as an underdog against non-ranked opponents. UTSA has won 32 of its last 35 at home against non-AP-ranked teams. The Roadrunners can put up points quickly, and expect them to score at a rate the Rams have no answer for as they play through the growing pains of the quarterback change.
