COLLEGE STATION — Quarterback Jared Johnson came off the bench to throw for 186 yards, but it was not enough for UTSA in a 23-10 setback at No. 22 Texas A&M on Saturday in front of 102,502 fans at Kyle Field.
Johnson completed 15-of-24 passes after coming on late in the first quarter for the Roadrunners, who dropped to 5-6 on the season.
Five of Johnson's passes found their way into the hands of College Station native Josh Stewart. Playing a few miles away from his high school — A&M Consolidated — the junior wide receiver hauled in six total receptions for 75 yards to increase his school-record total to 666. His day was highlighted by an acrobatic, one-handed grab just inside the sidelines for a 10-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.
On the other side of the ball, Marcus Davenport registered a career-high 11 tackles, including a sack to push his team-leading total to 6.5, in leading a defense that held the Aggies (8-3) to 23 points, 13 below their season average.
Nate Gaines added 10 stops, while Josiah Tauaefa pitched in with four in just one half of action to increase his season tally to a team-high 98, breaking the program's single-season record of 95 set by Brandon Reeves back in 2012.
Texas A&M opened the scoring when Jake Hubenak hit Josh Reynolds on a 16-yard pass over the middle on their first drive of the day. Hubenak finished with 248 yards on 19-of-32 passing.
The Aggies pushed their lead to 10-0 when Daniel LaCamera connected on a 24-yard field goal late in the opening quarter.
UTSA got on the board on Stewart's highlight-reel touchdown catch with 10:46 left in the second stanza, capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive.
LaCamera split the uprights on two more field goals in the opening 30 minutes, the second a 37-yard boot as time expired in the half to give the Aggies a 16-7 lead at the break.
Texas A&M pushed its lead to 23-7 after Trayveon Williams broke loose up the middle for 47 yards and a score midway through the third quarter. Williams finished with a game-high 80 yards on 11 carries.
UTSA cut the deficit to 23-10 late in the third when Victor Falcon split the uprights from 24 yards out.
The Roadrunners threatened early in the fourth quarter after Johnson hit Shaq Williams on a 12-yard pass down to the A&M 22-yard line. However, Myles Garrett came up with a sack — one of 4.5 on the day for the defensive end — on the next play and a forced fumbled, which was recovered by the Aggies' Alex Sezer Jr.
The Roadrunners will close out the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 26, when they host Charlotte (4-7, 3-4 C-USA) for a 6 p.m. Conference USA contest at the Alamodome.
