CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jarveon Williams rushed for a school-record 186 yards and Daniel Portillo kicked a 22-yard field goal in the first overtime to lift UTSA to a 30-27 victory at Charlotte on Saturday afternoon at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Williams rushed for 155 of his yards after halftime, including a 68-yarder that helped kick start an offense that was held to 83 yards in the first half. It marked the third 100-yard rushing game of the season for the junior from Converse Judson and the 10th in program history.
The Roadrunners (2-8, 2-4) found themselves trailing by four in the fourth quarter. On third-and-10, UTSA quarterback Dalton Sturm scrambled to his right to avoid the rush and hit Aaron Grubb for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The extra point gave UTSA a 27-24 lead with just under eight minutes remaining.
Charlotte chewed up the next 6:45 off the clock with a 16-play drive that ended with a game-tying 37-yard field goal by Blake Brewer.
UTSA got the ball back with 1:11 left to play and drove to the Charlotte 35-yard line, but a 52-yard field goal attempt by Victor Falcon sailed wide left as time expired in regulation.
Playing their first overtime game since a 17-14 victory against Georgia State during the inaugural 2011 season, the Roadrunners came up with a defensive stop on the 49ers’ first possession when Nate Gaines picked off a Brooks Barden pass in the end zone.
On the ensuing possession, UTSA used a strong ground game to move the ball down to the 5-yard line. Portillo then drilled his first career game-winning field goal to give the Roadrunners their first win since Oct. 3.
The game was scoreless for the first 27 and a half minutes until Charlotte got on the board on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Matt Johnson to Richard Murphy late in the second quarter.
The 49ers had a chance to extend their lead after their third interception of the day gave them the ball at the UTSA 15. However, a fake field goal attempt rush came up short and the score remained 7-0 at the intermission.
The Roadrunners struck quickly to start the second half. Williams broke loose down the right sideline for 68 yards to set up an 8-yard TD scamper by Jalen Rhodes. That capped a three-play, 91-yard drive that took just 1:11 off the clock.
Charlotte answered with a 75-yard scoring march that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown pass from Barden to Murphy.
UTSA responded with another quick drive, this one covering 67 yards in just five plays capped with a 24-yard scamper by Williams. The extra point knotted the score at 14-14.
The Roadrunners took their first lead of the afternoon when Sturm found Kerry Thomas Jr. open in the end zone from eight yards out. However, the extra-point attempt bounced off the left upright, making it 20-14.
The 49ers countered on their next possession, as Johnson hit Trent Bostick down the right sideline for a 42-yard scoring strike. The PAT was good, making it 21-20 with 2:08 left in the third quarter.
Brewer extended Charlotte’s lead to 24-20 with a 41-yard field goal early in the final stanza, setting up the wild finish.
Thomas set a school record for catches in a game with 10 for 56 yards, while Grubb hauled in five passes for 48.
Duke Wheeler led the defense with 14 tackles, including a school-record 11 solo stops. Drew Douglas addd 11, while Gaines and Bennett Okotcha had an interception apiece.
UTSA will return home next Saturday, Nov. 21, for a 6 p.m. contest against Rice (4-6, 2-4 C-USA).