SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (2-3, 1-1 C-USA) will look to carry the momentum from last weekend's record-breaking victory against Southern Miss into Saturday night when it travels to Rice (0-5, 0-3 C-USA). Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Rice Stadium in Houston.
The Roadrunners snapped a three-game losing streak with their 55-32 win against the Golden Eagles and they will be in search of consecutive victories for the first time since last Nov. 14-21 of last year when they downed Charlotte by a score of 30-27 in overtime followed by a 34-24 home triumph against Rice.
Saturday will mark the 64th all-time game in school history, the 31st of which that will be played away from the friendly confines of the Alamodome.
UTSA returned 41 letterwinners from last year's squad, including 14 starters (seven offense/five defense/two kickers).
TUNING IN: Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Conference USA's newest television partner, beIN Sports. Matt Martucci (play-by-play), Brett Romberg (analyst) and Jordan Daigle (sidelines) will call all the action. The contest also can be heard live in San Antonio on Ticket 760 AM (pregame show) and 92.5/93.3 FM The Bull (full game/postgame show). Andy Everett (play-by-play) and Jay Riley (analyst) will handle the call. The pregame show will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at goUTSA.com or on your mobile device with the free iHeartRadio app.
SCOUTING RICE: Rice, which did not play last weekend, has dropped its opening five outings of the 2016 season. The Owls have lost to Western Kentucky (46-14), Army (31-14), Baylor (38-10), North Texas (42-35/OT) and Southern Miss (44-28) this fall. Rice is led by 10th-year head coach David Bailiff, who owns an overall career mark of 74-80 (.481) in 12-plus years on the sidelines, including a 53-65 (.449) record in Houston. The Owls, who saw a national-high 31 freshman see action last season, returned 52 letterwinners and 19 starters from last year's squad that went 5-7 overall (3-5 C-USA).
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the programs, which will make it the most-played series in school history. UTSA picked up its first-ever win against Rice with a 34-24 victory last Nov. 21 at the Alamodome. The Owls had won the previous three matchups by scores of 17-7 (Nov. 8, 2014), 27-21 (Oct. 12, 2013) and 34-14 (Oct. 13, 2012).
UTSA/Rice All-Time Series Results — Rice leads, 3-1
Date — Score — Location
Nov. 21, 2015 — UTSA 34, Rice 24 — San Antonio
Nov. 8, 2014 — Rice 17, UTSA 7 — Houston
Oct. 12, 2013 — Rice 27, UTSA 21 — San Antonio
Oct. 13, 2012 — Rice 34, UTSA 14 — Houston
UTSA RUNS PAST SOUTHERN MISS: Jalen Rhodes and Jarveon Williams each had 100-yard games on the ground and UTSA rushed for a school-record 339 overall en route to a 55-32 victory against Southern Miss last Saturday at the Alamodome. Rhodes carried 14 times for a career-high 165 yards and a school-record-tying three touchdowns en route to becoming the third Roadrunner to score three times on the ground in a game (Evans Okotcha/Eric Soza, 2012). The sophomore from Rowlett had a career-best 80-yard TD scamper that helped give the Roadrunners a 35-14 lead midway through the second quarter. Williams added 122 yards on 15 totes, including the longest play in program history, a 92-yarder in the final stanza that helped seal the victory. In fact, UTSA recorded four of the 13 longest plays in school annals in piling up a school-record 532 yards of offense on just 47 plays. The Roadrunners averaged 11.3 yards per play, also a new program standard, and scored their most points against both a Football Bowl Subdivision and conference opponent. The Golden Eagles posted 557 yards of offense, 378 through the air, but they could not overcome UTSA's offensive output in falling for the second time in three tries against the Roadrunners.
RECORD-BREAKING OUTING: UTSA racked up a total of eight team records and another half dozen individual standards en route to last Saturday's 55-32 victory against Southern Miss.
Team Records
Points Against FBS Opponent (55)
Points In Conference Game (55)
Total Yards (532)
Yards Per Play (11.3)
Rushing Yards (339)
Rushing Yards Per Attempt (9.7)
Yards In One Quarter (272/first)
Quarterback Hurries (7)
Individual Records
Rushing TDs (3, Jalen Rhodes)
Total Touchdowns (3, Jalen Rhodes)
Points (18, Jalen Rhodes)
Longest Play (92-yd rush, Jarveon Williams)
Longest Rush (92, Jarveon Williams)
Extra Points (7, Victor Falcon)
LONG PLAYS DOMINATE SOUTHERN MISS VICTORY: UTSA registered four of the top 13 plays from scrimmage in program history in last Saturday's 55-32 victory against Southern Miss. Senior RB Jarveon Williams ripped off a program-record 92-yard run late in the fourth quarter, junior QB Dalton Sturm found Kerry Thomas Jr. for a 71-yard score on the third play of the contest before setting up another touchdown with a 77-yard pass to junior WR Josh Stewart on the first play of the Roadrunners' next possession and sophomore RB Jalen Rhodes had an 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
UTSA All-Time Longest Plays
Yards (Play) — Name — Opponent (Date)
92 (rush) — Jarveon Williams — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
87 (kickoff return) — Kam Jones — at Florida Atlantic (Sept. 27, 2014)
85t (rush) — Jarveon Williams — Colorado State (Sept. 26, 2015)
84 (kickoff return) — Kenny Harrison — at Georgia State (Sept. 15, 2012)
84t (rush) — Kam Jones — at Tulsa (Nov. 2, 2013)
82t (reception) — Kenny Bias (from Eric Soza) — at New Mexico State (Sept. 29, 2012)
82t (interception) — Triston Wade — at Tulsa (Nov. 2, 2013)
80t (rush) — Jalen Rhodes — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
79t (punt return) — Kenny Harrison — Texas State (Nov. 24, 2012)
78 (rush) — Jarveon Williams — Rice (Nov. 21, 2015)
77t (rush) — Evans Okotcha — Minot State (Nov. 19, 2011)
77 (reception) — Josh Stewart (from Dalton Sturm) — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
71t (reception) — Kerry Thomas Jr. (from Dalton Sturm) — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
TAUAEFA NAMED CONFERENCE USA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt freshman LB Josiah Tauaefa was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. He is the first UTSA player to earn a weekly award this fall. Tauaefa's excellent start to his first season as a Roadrunner continued in last Saturday's 55-32 home victory against Southern Miss. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder racked up a game-high 12 tackles, the third double-digit effort of his debut campaign, and he added the first interception of his career late in the fourth quarter when the Golden Eagles were threatening to make it a one-score game. The Corinth native now has a team-leading 58 stops this year (4th C-USA/12th FBS), which tops all freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and his 11.6 tackles per game ranks third nationally.
Football Bowl Subdivision Leaders — Tackles Per Game
Player, Team — TPG
1. Rodney Butler, New Mexico State — 15.0
2. Nate Holley, Kent State — 14.3
3. Micah Kiser, Virginia — 11.6
Josiah Tauaefa, UTSA — 11.6
Football Bowl Subdivision Freshman Leaders — Total Tackles
Player, Team — TT (G)
1. Josiah Tauaefa, UTSA — 58 (5)
2. Joe Giles-Harris, Duke — 46 (6)
3. Jessie Bates, Wake Forest — 45 (6)
THREE ROADRUNNERS LAND ON PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE USA TEAM: Senior S Michael Egwuagu, senior RB Jarveon Williams and junior DE Marcus Davenport were named preseason All-Conference USA in a vote by the league's head coaches, the conference office announced on July 20 prior to its annual season kickoff event in Dallas. Egwuagu appeared in all 12 games (11 starts) last fall and registered 62 tackles (37 solos/25 assists), including 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks, as well as placing second on the squad with three interceptions and he added eight pass breakups. Meanwhile, Williams is coming off a junior campaign that saw him become the first 1,000-yard rusher in program history. The team captain played in the first 11 games (nine starts) before missing the season finale against Middle Tennessee. He posted school records of 1,042 yards on 173 carries (6.0 avg.) on the strength of four 100-yard games, averaged 94.7 yards per outing and also tied the program's single-season record with eight rushing touchdowns. Davenport started 11 contests but missed the Colorado State tilt due to injury a year ago. The San Antonio native recorded 49 tackles (30 solos/19 assists) and ranked second on the team with 7.5 TFLs and four sacks. He also racked up four QB hurries, three pass breakups and a pair of forced fumbles.
FOUR 2015 ALL-CONFERENCE USA PERFORMERS RETURN THIS FALL: The Roadrunners return four All-Conference USA honorees from a year ago — Marcus Davenport (Jr., DE), Michael Egwuagu (Sr., S), Kerry Thomas Jr. (Jr., WR) and Jarveon Williams (Sr., RB). All four earned honorable mention accolades from the league's head coaches.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: UTSA's has seen a total of 18 first-time starters (nine offense/nine defense) take the field in the opening five games of the season. In the season opener against Alabama State, the Roadrunners' starting lineup featured a total of nine first-time starters, five on defense and another four on offense. Defensive first-time starters included junior CB N'Keal Bailey, redshirt freshman DT Baylen Baker, junior LB La'Kel Bass, senior S Jordan Moore and redshirt freshman LB Josiah Tauaefa. Meanwhile, offensive first-time starters included senior OT Gabriel Casillas, senior OT Jevonte Domond, sophomore RB Halen Steward and junior WR Josh Stewart. The Colorado State contest saw junior WR Brady Jones make his first career start in the slot and junior OG Stefan Beard, freshman CB Teddrick McGhee and junior WR Marquez McNair drew starting assignments against Arizona State (Sept. 16). Senior DE Ben Kane and junior TE Shaq Williams were in the starting lineup for the first time at Old Dominion (Sept. 24) and last Saturday against Southern Miss (Oct. 8) saw redshirt freshman WR Matt Guidry, junior CB Austin Jupe and senior RB Andrew King draw their inaugural starts.
BROTHERLY LOVE: Junior WRs Josh Stewart and Kerry Thomas Jr. became the first set of brothers to start the same game on offense for UTSA in its six-year history in the season opener against Alabama State (they went on to start the next three contests together). Bennett (defense) and Evans (offense) Okotcha both started the 2013 season finale against Louisiana Tech (Nov. 30), but they did so on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage.
POINTS A PLENTY: UTSA's 55 points last Saturday against Southern Miss were the most scored by the Roadrunners since they dealt Northwestern Oklahoma State a 56-3 setback on Sept. 22, 2012. The Birds racked up 28 points in the first quarter, which also was the second-best total in program annals, on the strength of a record 272 total yards (116 rush/156 pass) in any stanza.
STURM WINS QUARTERBACK BATTLE: In a fall camp quarterback competition that went down to the wire, incumbent starter Dalton Sturm was under center to open the season and he responded with one of the best games of his career. The junior from Goliad connected on 20-of-25 passes for a career-high 274 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opening 26-13 victory against Alabama State (Sept. 3). The former walk-on who earned a scholarship this summer completed throws to 10 different receivers and also rushed three times for 52 yards and another score in his eighth consecutive starting assignment dating back to last fall's Louisiana Tech contest (Oct. 10). His 51-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was one-yard shy of a career best, a 52-yard non-scoring jaunt last season at UTEP (Oct. 3), and his 51-yard pass to junior TE Shaq Williams in the third quarter also was the second-longest in his three years as a Roadrunner. Sturm, who split time with senior Jared Johnson in the second half at Colorado State (Sept. 10), completed 15-of-23 throws for 176 yards and two more scores against the Rams. He connected on 19-of-37 throws for 229 yards and three touchdowns and added a career-high 82 rushing yards and another score, a 34-yarder in the third quarter, on 15 carries against Arizona State (Sept. 16). Last Saturday against Southern Miss, the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder was an efficient 10-of-12 for 193 yards, including a 71-yard TD to junior WR Kerry Thomas Jr. on the game's third play from scrimmage. At the time, it was second-longest passing play in program history, but he then connected with Thomas' brother, junior WR Josh Stewart, for a 77-yard catch-and-run on the first play of the following possession. Sturm has completed 63.2 percent of his passes (72-of-114) for 975 yards and eight scores through the season's first five contests.
HOT STARTS: Junior QB Dalton Sturm has made a habit of hot starts in four of the season's first five games. Sturm was an efficient 10-of-12 in last Saturday 55-32 victory against Southern Miss and he completed his first six attempts against Arizona State (Sept. 16). That came on the heels of starting 5-of-6 at Colorado State (Sept. 10) and 14-of-15 in the season opener against Alabama State (Sept. 3).
Dalton Sturm's Passing Starts
Date — Opponent Comp-Att
Sept. 3 — Alabama State — 14-of-15
Sept. 10 — at Colorado State — 5-of-6
Sept. 16 — Arizona State — 5-of-6
Oct. 8 — Southern Miss — 10-of-12
SPREADING THE WEALTH: UTSA's two quarterbacks have distributed their 85 completions to a total of 12 pass-catchers this season. Leading the way is junior WR Kerry Thomas Jr., who has hauled in a team-leading dozen passes, while fellow junior WR Marquez McNair has 11 catches.
WILLIAMS ON BRINK OF CAREER RUSHING RECORD: Senior RB Jarveon Williams, who is coming off his top performance of the season, is on the verge of becoming UTSA's all-time leading rusher. The local product out of Converse Judson High School has rushed for 1,746 yards during his four-year career and that is just six yards shy of David Glasco II's program record of 1,752 established from 2011-14. Williams racked up a season-best 122 yards and two touchdowns on just 15 carries (8.1 avg.) against Southern Miss (Oct. 8), including a 92-yarder late in the contest that was the longest play in school history. He now owns five of the 13 100-yard games in school annals. That came on the heels of a 93-yard effort at Old Dominion (Sept. 24) and he now has accumulated 215 yards and three TDs on 36 attempts (6.0 avg.) in the past two outings. The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder rushed for just 38 yards on 24 carries in the opening three contests while dealing with an ankle injury sustained in the opening half of the season opener against Alabama State (Sept. 3). Williams set new career highs of five receptions for 81 yards against Arizona State (Sept. 16). He became the first 1,000-yard rusher in program history last fall after running for 1,042 yards and eight touchdowns on 173 carries (6.0 avg.), which was an average of 94.7 per contest. All of those numbers were UTSA single-season records and he was an honorable mention All-Conference USA selection.
UTSA Career Rushing Yards
Player (Years) — Yards
1. David Glasco II (2011-14) — 1,752
2. Jarveon Williams (2013-present) — 1,746
UTSA Career 100-Yard Rushing Games
Player (Years) — No.
1. Jarveon Williams (2013-present) — 5
2. Evans Okotcha (2011-13) — 3
3. David Glasco II (2011-14) — 2
UTSA Career Rushing Touchdowns
Player (Years) — TDs
1. David Glasco II (2011-14) — 20
2. Eric Soza (2011-13) — 16
3. Evans Okotcha (2011-13) — 14
Jarveon Williams (2013-present) — 14
RHODES HAS BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE: Sophomore RB Jalen Rhodes set career highs with 165 rushing yards, the third-best performance in program history, and a school-record-tying three touchdowns on just 14 carries (11.8 avg.) last Saturday against Southern Miss. He had scoring runs of four, 80 and three yards and his second score was the fourth-longest rush in program history. Rhodes is the third player in school annals to rush for three touchdowns, as Evans Okotcha accomplished the feat on Sept. 15, 2012, at Georgia State and Eric Soza matched him on Nov. 11, 2012, at Idaho. The Rowlett native has a team-leading 362 yards and four TDs on 60 attempts (6.0 avg.) this season. He also has nine receptions for 106 yards (11.8 avg.) and another score.
UTSA Single-Game Rushing Performances
Player (Game) — Yds (Att)
1. Jarveon Williams (at Charlotte/Nov. 14, 2015) — 186 (19)
2. Jarveon Williams (Colorado State/Sept. 26, 2015) — 170 (13)
3. Jalen Rhodes (Southern Miss/Oct. 8, 2016) — 165 (14)
UTSA Single-Game Rushing Touchdowns
Player (Game) — TDs
1. Evans Okotcha (at Georgia State/Sept. 15, 2012) — 3
Jalen Rhodes (Southern Miss/Oct. 8, 2016) — 3
Eric Soza (at Idaho/Nov. 11, 2012) — 3
THOMAS TIES CAREER RECEIVING TOUCHDOWN MARK: Junior WR Kerry Thomas hauled in a 71-yard touchdown pass on the third play from scrimmage last Saturday against Southern Miss and he now sits atop UTSA's career receiving TD list with current Minnesota Viking and 2015 All-America TE David Morgan II. The eight scoring catch of Thomas Jr.'s career also was the third-longest passing play in program history. The 6-foot, 205-pounder leads the Roadrunners with 12 receptions for 187 yards (15.6 avg.) and three scores this fall. UTSA's leading receiver from a year ago, Thomas Jr. is coming off a sophomore campaign that saw him catch a school-record 52 passes for 541 yards and four TDs en route to honorable mention All-Conference USA accolades. He opened his third season as a Roadrunner with three receptions for 41 yards, including a 25-yard score in the fourth quarter, against Alabama State (Sept. 3). Thomas Jr. added four catches for 41 yards and his second TD in as many weeks, a 10-yarder on UTSA's opening possession, at Colorado State (Sept. 10).
UTSA Career Receiving Touchdowns
Player (Years) — TDs
1. David Morgan II (2011-15) — 8
Kerry Thomas Jr. (2014-present) — 8
BIG PLAY THREAT: Junior WR Josh Stewart leads UTSA with 232 receiving yards on just 10 receptions through the season's opening five contests and he ranks ninth nationally in yards per catch (23.2). Stewart finished with team highs of two catches for 85 yards last Saturday against Southern Miss and that total included a 77-yarder that was the second-longest passing play in program history. The walk-on who calls College Station home hauled in team highs of four receptions for 80 yards at Old Dominion (Sept. 24) and now has totaled six catches for 165 yards (27.5 avg.) in the past two outings.
Football Bowl Subdivision Leaders — Yards Per Reception
Player, Team — YPR (Rec-Yds)
1. Jalen Robinette, Air Force — 29.8 (12-358)
2. Cody Thompson, Toledo — 28.2 (23-648)
3. Alonzo Moore, Nebraska — 25.8 (12-310)
4. Stephen Louis, North Carolina State — 25.2 (13-328)
5. Allenzae Staggers, Southern Miss — 24.4 (23-562)
6. Shelton Gibson, West Virginia — 24.1 (19-458)
7. Mikah Holder, San Diego State — 23.9 (15-358)
8. Jimmy Williams, East Carolina — 23.5 (20-470)
9. Josh Stewart, UTSA — 23.2 (10-232)
UTSA All-Time Longest Passing Plays
Yards — Name — Opponent (Date)
82t — Kenny Bias (from Eric Soza) — at New Mexico State (Sept. 29 2012)
77 — Josh Stewart (from Dalton Sturm) — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
71t — Kerry Thomas Jr. (from Dalton Sturm) — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
TAUAEFA LEADING DEFENSE IN DEBUT SEASON: Redshirt freshman LB Josiah Tauaefa is leading the UTSA defense through the season's opening five contests. Tauaefa racked up 15 tackles at Old Dominion (Sept. 24), one shy of Cody Rogers' UTSA single-game record, and he added another 12 last Saturday against Southern Miss en route to Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week accolades. That has pushed his team-leading total to a Football Bowl Subdivision freshman-best 58 in his inaugural season and he also has four TFLs, two sacks and an interception. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder had a debut to remember in the season-opening 26-13 victory against Alabama State (Sept. 3). The former defensive end, who made the transition to linebacker this past spring, racked up a team-high 13 stops (9 solos), including a pair of sacks. Tauaefa proceeded to add nine tackles in each of the next two outings at Colorado State (Sept. 10) and against Arizona State (Sept. 16). He is on pace to shatter UTSA's single-season record of 95, which was established by Brandon Reeves back in 2012 (Tauaefa currently is on pace for 139 this year).
Josiah Tauaefa Tackles Tracker
Date — Opponent — TT
Sept. 3 — Alabama State — 13
Sept. 10 — at Colorado State — 9
Sept. 16 — Arizona State — 9
Sept. 24 — at Old Dominion — 15
Oct. 8 — Southern Miss — 12
Total — 5 games — 58
EGWUAGU SETS NEW CAREER BEST: Senior S Michael Egwuagu, a preseason All-Conference USA selection, racked up a career-high 12 tackles at Colorado State (Sept. 10). That topped his previous best of 10, which came against the Rams in last year's meeting that took place on Sept. 26 at the Alamodome. Egwuagu, who had 10 more stops against Arizona State (Sept. 16), ranks second on the squad with his 37 tackles this season.
DAVENPORT MOVING UP CAREER SACKS CHART: Junior DE Marcus Davenport opened his third campaign against Alabama State with two sacks, which pushed his career total to nine and he now ranks second on UTSA's career list. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound local product out of Stevens High School is tied with Cody Rogers (2011-14) and now trails only Jason Neill, who racked up 14 from 2011-15.
UTSA Career Sacks
Player (Years) — Sacks
1. Jason Neill (2011-15) — 14
2. Marcus Davenport (2014-present) — 9
Cody Rogers (2011-14) — 9
BIG-TIME SACK ATTACK: UTSA registered a program-record six sacks in the season-opening 26-13 victory against Alabama State (Sept. 3). That broke the previous mark of five that had occurred six times (last: at Marshall; Oct. 5, 2013). Leading the way was the duo of junior DE Marcus Davenport and redshirt freshman LB Josiah Tauaefa, who both recorded two each.
PLENTY BACK ON DEFENSE: The Roadrunners may return just five starters on defense, but they welcome back three of their top five tacklers from the 2015 season. Junior S Nate Gaines (76), junior LB Marcos Curry (74) and senior S Michael Egwuagu (62) ranked third through fifth, respectively, last fall.
KICKOFF COVERAGE AMONG NATION'S BEST: UTSA has limited the opposition to an average of 16.4 on 18 kickoff returns and that figure ranks ninth in the country and second among Conference USA teams.
Football Bowl Subdivision Leaders — Kickoff Coverage
Team — Avg. (No-Yds)
1. Memphis — 14.0 (9-126)
2. San Jose State — 14.2 (5-71)
3. Wisconsin — 14.6 (11-160)
4. Navy — 14.9 (17-254)
5. Clemson — 15.4 (18-278)
6. Old Dominion — 15.7 (31-486)
7. LSU — 15.9 (16-255)
8. Arkansas State — 16.2 (19-307)
9. Boston College — 16.4 (22-361)
UTSA — 16.4 (18-296)
SECOND-TO-LAST: UTSA became the second-to-last Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team to attempt a field goal when Victor Falcon connected from 26 yards out with 9:41 remaining in the third quarter at Old Dominion (Sept. 24). UNLV was the last remaining FBS program to attempt a field goal this season, but the Rebels successfully connected on three later that night against Idaho. Falcon has yet to miss on any of his three field goal attempts this season and he owns a long of 45 yards, which came last Saturday in the 55-32 victory against Southern Miss.
GRADUATE TRANSFERS FILL OUT ROSTER: There are five senior graduate transfers among the many new faces on UTSA's roster this fall. OT Jevonte Domond, LB Ronnie Feist and S Jordan Moore all earned degrees from LSU before coming to the Alamo City, while QB Jared Johnson and TE Jordan Jones walked across the stage at Sam Houston State and Gardner-Webb, respectively.
MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR'S ROSTER: UTSA's 113-man roster features 22 seniors, 34 juniors, 24 sophomores and 33 freshmen. Meanwhile, 85 players hail from Texas, while another six call California home. There also are four players from both Florida and Mississippi, three from Louisiana, two each from Georgia, Illinois, Oklahoma and Tennessee and one from Arizona, Kansas and Missouri.
WILSON NEW MAN IN CHARGE: A new era of UTSA Football began on Jan. 15 when the Roadrunners hired Frank Wilson as their new head coach. Widely considered one of the most valuable assistant coaches in all of college football, Wilson came to the Alamo City following a successful six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU from 2010-15, where he also served as associate head coach for his final four seasons with the Tigers. He also has been an assistant coach at Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008) and Mississippi (2005-07). While at LSU, he was recognized as the nation's top assistant coach at his position in 2011. Wilson also was named the 2011 Recruiter of the Year by Rivals.com, the 2014 NFL.com Top Recruiter in College Football and the 2015 Scout.com SEC Recruiter of the Year. As the recruiting coordinator at LSU, Wilson led the Tigers to back-to-back top-five recruiting classes in 2014-15 among five total groups that ranked among the top 10 nationally. He served as the lead recruiter for a long list of prominent players and has coached or recruited 25 individuals who have made it to the National Football League.
BROADCASTING THE BIRDS: Eleven of UTSA's 12 games this fall have been selected for broadcast across six different networks. The Roadrunners, who have seen their last 41 outings appear over the airwaves, will see that streak increase to at least 46 this season, as the first 10 contests have been picked for broadcast. The Nov. 19 tilt at Texas A&M is the only game that has yet to be selected, but the Southeastern Conference typically waits until 12 days out to announce its television selections, so UTSA's streak very well could increase to 48 by the end of the fall.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS: UTSA picked up its fifth season-opening victory in six tries when it downed Alabama State by a score of 26-13. The Roadrunners saw their four-game winning streak in season openers come to an end with last year's 42-32 loss at No. 22 Arizona. UTSA previously had won all four of its lid-lifters dating back to its inaugural 2011 campaign. The Roadrunners downed Northeastern (Okla.) State at the Alamodome by a score of 31-3 in the program's first-ever game back on Sept. 3, 2011, and the next three years saw them open the fall on the road. UTSA picked up its first-ever Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and road victory with a come-from-behind 33-31 triumph at South Alabama on Sept. 1, 2012. The Birds then outlasted New Mexico by a count of 21-13 on Aug. 31 in its 2013 opener and the following year saw the Roadrunners stun Houston by a score of 27-7 on Aug. 29 in the first-ever game at brand-new TDECU Stadium.
All-Time Season Openers (5-1)
Date — Opponent — Score
Sept. 3, 2011 — Northeastern (Okla.) State — W, 31-3
Sept. 1, 2012 — at South Alabama — W, 33-31
Aug. 31, 2013 — at New Mexico — W, 21-13
Aug. 29, 2014 — at Houston — W, 27-7
Sept. 3, 2015 — at #22 Arizona — L, 32-42
Sept. 3, 2016 — Alabama State — W, 26-13
HOME SWEET HOME: This year's season opener marked UTSA's first at home since its inaugural 2011 campaign, which coincidentally also took place on a Sept. 3. The Roadrunners downed Northeastern (Okla.) State by a score of 31-3 that afternoon.
FBS STREAK COMES TO AN END: The season opener against Alabama State, which competes in the Football Championship Subdivision, ended a streak of 38 consecutive FBS opponents for UTSA. The Roadrunners previously played a non-FBS foe back on Nov. 10, 2012, when it downed McNeese State by a score of 31-24. The Roadrunners were in their first and only season as a member of the Western Athletic Conference that season.
UP NEXT: UTSA will begin a two-game home stand next Saturday, Oct. 22, when it welcomes UTEP (1-5, 0-3 C-USA) for its annual Homecoming contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised locally on KMYS-CW 35. It will mark the fourth all-time meeting with the Miners, who are off this week.
