UTSA is the other kind of team. The Roadrunners have won 4 straight as of this week and sit at 6-1. Their only loss was a 6-30 beating at Texas, and since then they've won by outscoring people. They dropped 59 on Colorado State and still gave up 45. Against Navy they fell behind 7-0 after the first quarter, led 21-13 at the half and finished it 38-34 after a 14-14 fourth quarter. Not every win was a shootout, though. They also beat Rice 16-14.
This game comes down to Tulane's defense against UTSA's ability to score in bunches. The Roadrunners have allowed 34 or more in 2 of their last 3 home games. Tulane's defense has held 4 of its last 5 opponents to 24 or fewer. Tulane's games have been tight too: 28-24 over South Alabama, 24-21 over Southern Miss, a 17-20 loss at Army. If the Green Wave can keep this in the low 20s, it plays the way they want.
UTSA has its own hole in the backfield. RB B. Donnell has been out with an undisclosed injury and is likely done for the season, and the offense has kept scoring without him. Tulane's run game without McClure has been less steady, so the Green Wave need short fields from their defense more than UTSA does. Early forecasts call for clear skies around 75 degrees with a 12 mph breeze in New Orleans, but that's a week out and could change.
The stakes are simple. UTSA can stay unbeaten in conference play and keep its grip on the top of the American. Tulane is at 1-1 in the league and can't afford a second conference loss at home. One team forces turnovers and the other team scores a lot, and the outcome probably turns on which of those shows up.