TUCSON, Ariz. -- UTSA returns nine starters from last season on offense -- everyone except its quarterback and tight end -- and Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez isn't expecting to see any major changes in scheme.
Neither is Jake Fischer, the former Wildcats linebacker who made four tackles and recovered a fumble in Arizona's 38-13 victory over the Roadrunners early last season in Tucson.
"They try to run it down your throat," Fischer said on the Tucson Sports Guys roundtable.
"Last year their quarterback was very mobile; they do a lot of movement-type stuff. They did a lot of misdirection, but at the same time they did a lot of smash-mouth football. They say, 'This is where we're going to go. Line up and see if you can stop it.'
"Their running backs run hard. Their guys block hard. Everyone plays hard on their team. Every single Larry Coker team is going to play hard, and they're going to try and play smash-mouth football.
"Sometimes they got a little too aggressive after the whistle -- I'm not going to go into that -- however, they're going to come at us. It's exciting to see how that young defense of ours is going to respond."
UTSA, in its fifth season of existence as a program and its fourth season on the field -- has 18 fifth-year seniors. The Roadrunners have won six consecutive games, including a 27-7 victory at Houston to open the 2014 season.
"They have a system and their kids are well-coached," Rodriguez said. "You get a bunch of fourth- and fifth-year juniors and seniors who grow up and mature in a system, you have a chance to be pretty good."
UTSA has allowed only 52 points in its past five games, but Arizona has more firepower than the likes of Tulane and Tulsa from last season.
Fischer was on the sideline at Arizona Stadium last week, watching the Wildcats roll to a school-record 787 yards in the 58-13 win over UNLV. Arizona scored on plays of 39, 63, 92 and 85 yards.
"If we spread the ball out and you go out and match our receivers, our offensive line is good enough to create creases for our very instinctive running backs," Fischer said.
"If you stack the box, guess what we have on the outside? We have four potential All-Pac-12 receivers. So, there's not a way that you kind of know what to do against our offense, even though we do have an inexperienced quarterback, just because we have so many options to go to.
"Now, I don't think they're going to try to stack the box," Fischer added about UTSA. "I think they're going to try to match up with our receivers. But good luck because our offensive line is that good."
As for that inexperienced quarterback? Redshirt freshman Anu Solomon passed for 425 yards and four touchdowns in his debut.
Fischer, in last weeks' video roundtable, remembered facing Solomon, who was the dual-threat scout team quarterback last season.
"He was a load to handle," Fischer said. "He can move and he can put the ball on the money."
Fischer, in the video above -- joined by me, FoxSportsArizona.com's Steve Rivera and Matt Moreno of goazcats.com -- talks about his life after football, ex-teammates in the NFL and what he saw from the Wildcats' defense last week.
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