Film Breakdown: UTRGV 2026

The Roadrunners’ 2026 season got off to a hot start as UTSA easily handled FCS UT Rio Grande Valley in the Vaqueros’ first ever game against an FBS opponent. It also marked the debut of new UTSA Offense Coordinator Rick Bowie, so we’re eager to break down what the Roadrunners put on film in week one.

While it may have felt like UTSA’s pass rush wasn’t able to consistently apply pressure to the UTRGV quarterbacks, many plays broke down not due to a lack of pressure, but rather a lack of outside containment. With UTSA dropping the interior linebackers into zone coverage on this play, defensive tackle Tai Leonard is responsible for containing the quarterback within the pocket. When Cam Cooper beats the left tackle, Garrett Rangel rolls to his right to escape the pressure. Leonard uses a stab move and rushes across the face of the lineman, giving Rangel an opportunity to escape the pocket and scramble for a first down. A hold from the UTRGV right tackle helps their case, but Leonard needs to maintain gap integrity, especially while a highly mobile quarterback coming up next week in Brad Jackson. This scenario popped up again and again against UTRGV, giving their quarterbacks way too many opportunities to extend plays.

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