SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (5-5) will wrap up the longest road trip in program history on Saturday when it makes the drive up to College Station to face No. 22 Texas A&M (7-3) for its final non-conference contest of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Kyle Field.
The Roadrunners have split the first two games of the trip following last Saturday's 63-35 setback at Louisiana Tech and they remain one win shy of becoming bowl eligible for the first time in school history. UTSA won seven games back in 2013, but it was in its final year of reclassifying to the Football Bowl Subdivision and not eligible to play in the postseason.
Saturday will mark the 69th all-time game in school history, the 34th of which that will not be played in the Alamo City, and it also will be the fifth matchup against a ranked Football Bowl Subdivision opponent (sixth game against a ranked foe overall).
The Roadrunners 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 nationally on ESPNU and it will be available online at WatchESPN.com or with the WatchESPN app. Eamon McAnaney (play-by-play) and John Congemi (analyst) will call all the action. The contest also can be heard live in San Antonio on Ticket 760 AM. Andy Everett (play-by-play) and Jay Riley (analyst) will handle the call. The pregame show will begin at 9 a.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 TEXAS A&M: Texas A&M (7-3) comes into this weekend's game ranked 22nd in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll and 23rd in The Associated Press rankings. The Aggies have dropped three of their last four outings and two straight after being tabbed fourth in the initial College Football Playoff rankings back on Nov. 1. Texas A&M is led by sixth-year head coach Kevin Sumlin, who has posted a 43-19 (.694) in College Station and 78-36 (.684) overall mark in eight seasons on the sidelines. The Aggies returned 50 letterwinners, including 16 starters, from last year's squad that won eight contests.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday will mark the first meeting between the Roadrunners and Aggies in a two-game road series that was announced back in 2013. UTSA will return to Kyle Field on Nov. 2, 2019.
LOUISIANA TECH STORMS PAST UTSA: Josh Stewart had his second 100-yard receiving game of the season, but Ryan Higgins passed for 293 yards and four touchdowns to lead Louisiana Tech to a 63-35 victory against UTSA last Saturday at Joe Aillet Stadium. The Bulldogs tallied 473 yards of offense and a season high in points in downing the Roadrunners for the fourth time in five tries in the key West Division contest that saw LA Tech clinch a spot in the league's Championship Game. Stewart piled up 113 yards on seven catches to break the program's single-season receiving yards record. The junior from College Station now has 591 yards (on 27 receptions) on the year, bettering Kam Jones' 578 set in 2011. Meanwhile, Jarveon Williams nearly turned in his eighth career 100-yard game on the ground, as the senior rushed for 95 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 18 carries. His two scores gave him a school record-tying eight on the season and 19 for his career, one shy of David Glasco's program standard.
UTSA AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS: Saturday's tilt at No. 22 Texas A&M will be UTSA's fifth all-time game against a ranked Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, the first this fall, and sixth overall against any ranked foe. The Roadrunners never have defeated a nationally-ranked program, as they dropped a 51-27 contest at No. 22 Louisiana Tech back on Nov. 3, 2012, a 56-35 decision to 13th-ranked Oklahoma State in the 2013 home opener on Sept. 7, a 42-32 outing to open last season at No. 22 Arizona and a 69-14 game at No. 25 Oklahoma State two weeks later. The program's other game against a ranked opponent came at No. 16 Sam Houston State, a Football Championship Subdivision program, on Oct. 1, 2011, and the Bearkats defeated UTSA by a score of 22-7.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: UTSA has seen a total of 21 first-time starters (11 defense/10 offense) take the field in the opening 10 games of the season and that figure ranks sixth in the country (Illinois leads with 27). In the season opener against Alabama State (Sept. 3), 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 (Sept. 10) 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 the Southern Miss (Oct. 8) game saw redshirt freshman WR Matt Guidry, junior CB Austin Jupe and senior RB Andrew King draw their inaugural starts. UTSA's lone first-time starter at Rice (Oct. 15) was sophomore S C.J. Levine, redshirt freshman DT King Newton drew his first start against UTEP (Oct. 22) and sophomore WR Larry Stephens lined up on the first play of the game against North Texas (Oct. 29). The past two weeks marked the first time this fall that the Roadrunners have not had a first-time starter take the field.
FBS Leaders — First-Time Starters
Team — No.
1. Illinois — 27
2. Missouri — 26
3. Bowling Green — 24
4. Baylor — 22
Colorado State — 22
6. UTSA — 21
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 Sept. 3 season opener against Alabama State (they have gone on to start the seven of the past nine contests together). The two College Station natives will be coming home this Saturday when the Roadrunners square off with No. 22 Texas A&M. 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.
RED ZONE SUCCESS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL: UTSA currently ranks second in Conference USA in red zone offense (17th FBS) while ranking third in red zone defense. The Roadrunners offense has been successful on 33 (28 TD/5 FG) of 36 trips (91.7 percent) inside the 20-yard line, while defense has limited its opposition to 31 scores (24 TD/7 FG) in 39 trips into the red zone (79.5 percent).
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). In the 55-32 victory against Southern Miss (Oct. 8), 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 completed 17-of-25 throws for 209 yards, including TD passes of 75 (third-longest passing play in school annals) and 28 yards to Stewart, at Rice (Oct. 15) and he was 18-of-34 for 214 yards and three scores in addition to rushing for 74 yards and another TD against UTEP (Oct. 22). He has completed 59.2 percent of his passes (138-of-233) for 1,748 yards and 16 scores (No. 2 on UTSA's single-season chart) through the season's first 10 contests. He also has rushed for 253 yards and four TDs.
UTSA Single-Season Passing Touchdowns
Player (Year) — TDs
1. Eric Soza (2012) — 20
2. Dalton Sturm (2016) — 16
UTSA Single-Season Touchdowns Responsible For
Player (Year) — TDs
1. Eric Soza (2012) — 26 (20 pass/6 rush)
2. Dalton Sturm (2016) — 20 (16 pass/4 rush)
HOT STARTS: Junior QB Dalton Sturm has made a habit of hot starts in seven of the season's first 10 games (minimum of 80 percent). Sturm was an efficient 4-of-5 to open in the 45-25 victory at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5) and that came on the heels of a 7-of-8 start against UTEP (Oct. 22), a 9-of-11 opening at Rice (Oct. 15) and a 10-of-12 performance in the 55-32 triumph against Southern Miss (Oct. 8). He completed his first six attempts and eight of his first 10 overall against Arizona State (Sept. 16), was 5-of-6 to open at Colorado State (Sept. 10) and 14-of-15 to start the season opener against Alabama State (Sept. 3).
Dalton Sturm's Hot 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 — 8-of-10
Oct. 8 — Southern Miss — 10-of-12
Oct. 15 — at Rice — 9-of-11
Oct. 22 — UTEP — 7-of-8
Nov. 5 — at Middle Tennessee — 4-of-5
SPREADING THE WEALTH: UTSA's two quarterbacks have distributed their 159 completions to a total of 15 pass-catchers this season. Leading the way is junior WR Josh Stewart, who has 29 receptions for a UTSA single-season record 591 yards (20.4 avg.). A total of eight Roadrunners have caught a TD pass this fall and six players have completed at least one pass, including sophomore P Yannis Routsas, who has been successful on all three of his passing attempts, two of which have come on fake field goals and the other on a fake punt.
BIG PLAY THREAT: Following his second 100-yard performance of the season last Saturday at Louisiana Tech, junior WR Josh Stewart now has team-leading marks of 29 receptions for a program-record 591 yards through the season's opening 10 contests. He ranks seventh nationally in yards per catch (20.4) and also has four touchdown grabs this fall. Stewart finished with career highs of seven catches for 113 yards against the Bulldogs. His 103 yards at Rice (Oct. 15) came on the strength of touchdown catches of 75 and 28 yards, and they were the first two TDs of his career. The 75-yarder stands as the third-longest passing play in program history. That came on the heels of team highs of two receptions for 85 yards in the 55-32 victory against Southern Miss (Oct. 8), a performance that included a 77-yarder that was the second-longest passing play in school annals. The walk-on who calls College Station home hauled in team highs of four catches for 80 yards at Old Dominion (Sept. 24) and four more for 84 yards, including a 21-yard TD, against North Texas (Oct. 29). Stewart has totaled 25 receptions for 524 yards (21.0 avg.) and four scores in his past seven outings.
FBS Leaders — Yards Per Reception
Player, Team — YPR (Rec-Yds)
1. Jalen Robinette, Air Force — 27.1 (28-760)
2. Jeff Badet, Kentucky — 23.7 (23-545)
3. Jaylen Smith, Louisville — 22.1 (22-487)
4. Ahmmon Richards, Miami (Fla.) — 21.5 (34-732)
Jester Weah, Pittsburgh — 21.5 (28-601)
6. Jon'Vea Johnson, Toledo — 20.6 (34-700)
7. Josh Stewart, UTSA — 20.4 (29-591)
Cody Thompson, Toledo — 20.4 (50-1,021)
UTSA Single-Season Receiving Yards
Player (Year) — Yards
1. Josh Stewart (2016) — 591
2. Kam Jones (2011) — 578
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)
75t — Josh Stewart (from Dalton Sturm) — at Rice (Oct. 15, 2016)
71t — Kerry Thomas Jr. (from Dalton Sturm) — Southern Miss (Oct. 8, 2016)
THOMAS SETS RECEIVING TOUCHDOWN MARKS: Junior WR Kerry Thomas caught his school-record sixth touchdown pass of the season against North Texas (Oct. 29) and added his seventh of the year last Saturday at Louisiana Tech. He now has a UTSA-record 12 during his three-year career. The College Station native led UTSA with five receptions for 89 yards, including touchdown catches of 53 and nine yards, against UTEP (Oct. 22). That tied the program's single-game record shared by five other players and it pushed his season total to a school-record-tying five while setting a new program mark with 10. He previously shared the career record with current Minnesota Viking and 2015 All-America TE David Morgan II. The College Station native hauled in a 71-yard touchdown pass on the third play from scrimmage against Southern Miss (Oct. 8) and the eighth scoring catch of his career also stands as the fourth-longest passing play in school history. The 6-foot, 205-pounder has 22 receptions for 303 yards (13.8 avg.) 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 Single-Season Receiving Touchdowns
Player (Year) — TDs
1. Kerry Thomas Jr. (2016) — 7
2. David Morgan II (2015) — 5
UTSA Career Receiving Touchdowns
Player (Years) — TDs
1. Kerry Thomas Jr. (2014-present) — 12
2. David Morgan II (2011-15) — 8
WILLIAMS BREAKS UTSA'S ALL-TIME RUSHING RECORD: Senior RB Jarveon Williams became UTSA's all-time leading rusher in the Roadrunners' 14-13 victory at Rice (Oct. 15) and after running for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries last Saturday at Louisiana Tech, the local product out of Converse Judson High School now has amassed 2,168 yards during his four-year career, eclipsing David Glasco II's previous program record of 1,752 established from 2011-14. Williams recorded his third 100-yard game of the season after racking up 109 on 21 attempts in the 45-25 win at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5) and his three rushing touchdowns against the Blue Raiders tied the school's single-game mark. His other 100-yard outings this season came against UTEP (Oct. 22/104 yards) and two weeks earlier against Southern Miss (Oct. 8/122 yards). His 92-yard burst late in the contest against the Golden Eagles was the longest play in program annals. He now owns seven of the 15 100-yard performances in school history and his 19 career TDs rank second only to Glasco II, who had 20. Williams also had a 93-yard effort at Old Dominion (Sept. 24) and he set new career highs of five receptions for 81 yards against Arizona State (Sept. 16). The 5-foot-9, 200-pounder now has 675 yards, which ranks second on the squad (third in program annals), on 151 carries (4.5 avg.) this season to go along with a UTSA single-season record eight scores and he also has caught 14 passes for another 151 yards (10.8 avg.). Williams 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 Single-Season Rushing Yards
Player (Year) — Yards
1. Jarveon Williams (2015) — 1,042
2. Jalen Rhodes (2016) — 709
3. Jarveon Williams (2016) — 675
UTSA Single-Season Rushing Touchdowns
Player (Year) — TDs
1. Evans Okotcha (2012) — 8
Jalen Rhodes (2016) — 8
Jarveon Williams (2016) — 8
Jarveon Williams (2015) — 8
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
Jarveon Williams (at Middle Tennessee/Nov. 5, 2016) — 3
UTSA Career Rushing Yards
Player (Years) — Yards
1. Jarveon Williams (2013-present) — 2,073
2. David Glasco II (2011-14) — 1,752
UTSA Career 100-Yard Rushing Games
Player (Years) — No.
1. Jarveon Williams (2013-present) — 7
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. Jarveon Williams (2013-present) — 19
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.) in the 55-32 victory against Southern Miss (Oct. 8). 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 scored his eighth TD of the year in the 45-25 win at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5) and that is tied for the program's single-season record. He also added 81 yards on 18 attempts against the Blue Raiders and that came on the heels of a 74-yard effort on just nine totes, including scores of nine and 19 yards, against North Texas (Oct. 29). He also had a game-high 79 yards on 18 carries at Rice (Oct. 15) and 84 more on 15 attempts (5.6 avg.) against UTEP (Oct. 22). Rhodes has a team-leading 709 yards and eight TDs on 129 carries (5.5 avg.) in addition to hauling in 15 receptions for 130 yards and another score. He ranks second on the program's single-season chart for total touchdowns (nine).
UTSA Single-Season Total Touchdowns
Player (Year) — TDs
1. Evans Okotcha (2012) — 11 (8 rush/3 rec)
2. Jalen Rhodes (2016) — 9 (8 rush/1 rec)
UTSA Single-Game Rushing Yards
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)
TAUAEFA LEADING DEFENSE IN DEBUT SEASON: Redshirt freshman LB Josiah Tauaefa is leading UTSA's defense through the season's opening nine 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 against Southern Miss (Oct. 8) en route to Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week accolades. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder racked up 10 more at Rice (Oct. 15), another seven against UTEP (Oct. 22), four against North Texas (Oct. 29), eight at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5) and seven more last Saturday at Louisiana Tech. That has pushed his team-leading total to 94 in his inaugural season and he also has a UTSA single-season record seven QB hurries to go along with four sacks, 6.5 TFLs and an interception. His 9.4 stops per game currently rank 21st nationally and second among Football Bowl Subdivision freshmen. Tauaefa 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 tackles (9 solos), including a pair of sacks. Tauaefa proceeded to add nine stops in each of the next two outings at Colorado State (Sept. 10) and against Arizona State (Sept. 16). Currently second on UTSA's single-season chart, he is on pace to shatter the program's record of 95, which was established by Brandon Reeves back in 2012 (Tauaefa projects to have 113 this year).
UTSA Single-Season Tackles
Player (Year) — TT
1. Brandon Reeves (2012) — 95
2. Josiah Tauaefa (2016) — 94
Triston Wade (2013) — 94
FBS Freshman Leaders — Total Tackles
Player, Team — TT (G)
1. Bryan London, Texas State — 102 (9)
2. Josiah Tauaefa, UTSA — 94 (10)
3. Joe Giles-Harris, Wake Forest — 88 (10)
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
Oct. 15 — at Rice — 10
Oct. 22 — UTEP — 7
Oct. 29 — North Texas — 4
Nov. 5 — at Middle Tennessee — 8
Nov. 12 — at Louisiana Tech — 7
Total — 10 games — 94
BASS MAKING HIS MARK: Junior LB La'Kel Bass has been a force on the second level the past six games, as he has totaled 50 tackles, including a career-high 12 at Rice (Oct. 15). In fact, he has paced the club in four of the past five outings with nine at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5), eight against North Texas (Oct. 29), nine against UTEP (Oct. 22) and the aforementioned dozen against the Owls. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound weak-side linebacker currently ranks second on the squad with 69 stops and five sacks this season and he holds team-leading marks of nine TFLs and two fumble recoveries.
UTSA Single-Season Tackles For Loss
Player (Year) — TFLs
1. Jason Neill (2015) — 11.0
2. Cody Rogers (2014) — 10.0
Marlon Smith (2011) — 10.0
4. La'Kel Bass (2016) — 9.0
Nic Johnston (2011) — 9.0
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) and another nine at Rice (Oct. 15), ranks third on the squad with his 68 tackles this season, four of which have gone for loss. He also has a team-leading six pass breakups and two forced fumbles to go along with a fumble recovery and an 82-yard blocked field goal return for a touchdown, which came last Saturday at Louisiana Tech.
DAVENPORT MOVING UP CAREER SACKS CHART: Junior DE Marcus Davenport opened his third campaign against Alabama State (Sept. 3) with two sacks and he got back on the board with a half sack against North Texas (Oct. 29), one more at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5) and another two last Saturday at Louisiana Tech. His career-best 5.5 sacks this season has pushed his career total to 12.5 and he now ranks second on UTSA's career list, trailing only Jason Neill, who racked up 14 from 2011-15. Davenport's also has 48 tackles, including seven for loss, and six QB hurries this fall.
UTSA Career Sacks
Player (Years) — Sacks
1. Jason Neill (2011-15) — 14
2. Marcus Davenport (2014-present) — 12.5
UTSA Single-Season Sacks
Player (Year) — Sacks
1. Jason Neill (2015) — 8.5
2. Marlon Smith (2011) — 8.0
3. Brandon Reeves (2012) — 6.0
4. Marcus Davenport (2016) — 5.5
5. La'Kel Bass (2016) — 5.0
Two other players — 5.0
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. The Roadrunners added five in the 45-25 victory at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5).
RACKING UP TURNOVERS: UTSA forced a season-high four turnovers for the second consecutive week at Middle Tennessee (Nov. 5) and the Roadrunners now have racked up 17 through the first 10 games of the year, while losing only 12.
SEVEN PICKS BY SEVEN DIFFERENT PLAYERS: When it has come to interceptions this season, the Roadrunners definitely have spread the wealth, as they have seen their seven come from seven different players. Chase Dahlquist (vs. North Texas), Devron Davis (at Middle Tennessee), Michael Egwuagu (at Middle Tennessee), Nate Gaines (vs. Arizona State), Teddrick McGhee (vs. North Texas), Jordan Moore (at Middle Tennessee) and Josiah Tauaefa (vs. Southern Miss) all have picked off passes for UTSA this fall.
PLENTY BACK ON DEFENSE: The Roadrunners may have returned 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.
SPECIAL TEAMS TURNOVERS LEADING TO POINTS: UTSA came up with its fifth special teams turnover in the 14-13 victory at Rice (Oct. 15) and that led to junior WR Josh Stewart's 28-yard touchdown catch from junior QB Dalton Sturm. The Roadrunners previously recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the season against Alabama State (Sept. 3), a pair of muffed punts against Arizona State (Sept. 16) and another mishandled punt against Southern Miss (Oct. 8). UTSA has scored a total of 30 points (four touchdowns/one field goal) following their opponent's special teams miscues this season.
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 is 7-for-10 this season with a long of 45 yards, which came in the 55-32 victory against Southern Miss (Oct. 8).
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.
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: All 12 games this fall have been selected for broadcast across six different networks. The Roadrunners, who have seen their last 46 outings appear over the airwaves, will see that streak increase to at least 48 by the end of the this year dating back to the beginning of the 2013 campaign.
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 conclude the regular season at the Alamodome with a 6 p.m. contest next Saturday, Nov. 26, against Charlotte (4-6, 3-3 C-USA). The Roadrunners got past the 49ers in overtime last Nov. 14 by a score of 30-27 in the first meeting between the two programs.
