For the 25 seniors on the UTSA roster, their time playing the sport they love could be winding down. The last game they will each play in San Antonio is this Saturday at the Alamodome against Marshall.
It’s a big task to take down the 7-3 Thundering Herd, but one the Roadrunners are looking forward to. If not for bowl eligibility, then for the men they fight with every day.
There’s a want to achieve victory for our seniors,” UTSA coach Frank Wilson said after practice Tuesday. “For our last game in the [Almodome] and also the reality of reaching out and grabbing the opportunity to become bowl eligible.”
A big part of the defense has been Marcus Davenport, a senior from San Antonio. The Stevens high school alum has pulled down quarterbacks 7.5 times this year as he has begun to gain recognition from pro scouts.
Davenport said all the attention he’s getting is great. But he didn’t exactly have it on the blueprint when he left Stevens.
“I didn’t plan none of this, honestly,” the defensive end said.”The real reason I came here was because I met some really good guys on my visit and I said, I want to be a part of this family. The rest just happened to work out because I’m surrounded by great people.”
The game will of course honor every senior on the field prior to kickoff. Players families and friends will be looking forward to it as some careers will likely end after this season. But players like Davenport said he’s going to stuff his emotions down until after the game.
“Honestly, i’m trying not to think about it,” Davenport said. “As soon as the game ends, that’s when I’ll let it hit me. Until then, it’s just another game.”
Quarterback Dalton Sturm is another one of those players who will be honored before the game. In his four years as a Roadrunner he has thrown for 5,413 yards and 49 touchdowns. Sturm hasn’t thought about it much, but says he and some others were thinking about how much has changed since they arrived.
“I haven’t really looked back on it yet and stuff like that,” quarterback Dalton Sturm said after practice. “I was just with the guys and we talk about it. We talked about all the fun times we’ve had, all the learning experiences we’ve had, just how we’ve developed as football players.”
The Roadrunners have one last game at the Alamodome, but two games left to reach bowl eligibility. To get there, they have to beat either Marshall or Louisiana Tech. UTSA hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record since beating Southern in September.
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