SAN ANTONIO – After a week delay caused by the effects of Hurricane Harvey, UTSA football will open its much-anticipated 2017 season Saturday night at 7 p.m. when the Roadrunners, led by second-year head coach Frank Wilson, travel to Waco to take on the Baylor Bears in the inaugural gridiron meeting between the programs.
Tuning in
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Southwest. Mark Followill (play-by-play), Brian Baldinger (analyst) and Lesley McCaslin (reporter) will call 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 5 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at Ticket760.com and via the free all-in-one iHeartRadio app.
Year two of the Frank Wilson era to kick off Saturday night
Following the postponement of the Sept. 2 game against Houston due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey, UTSA officially opens its second season under the direction of head coach Frank Wilson on Saturday night when it faces Baylor (0-1). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas.
Opening on the road
For the fifth time in the program's seven-year history, the Roadrunners will open a season away from the Alamo City. UTSA is 3-1 in such games, winning three straight lid-lifters in 2012-14 before dropping a season opener for the first time at No. 22 Arizona in 2015.
Season-opening success
UTSA has won five of its six all-time season openers dating back to its inaugural 2011 campaign. UTSA won each of its first four openers before suffering a 42-32 defeat at Arizona in 2015, but rebounded to win the 2016 opener over Alabama State, 26-13. The Roadrunners downed Northeastern State at the Alamodome by a score of 31-3 in the program's inaugural 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 their 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 TDECU Stadium.
UTSA 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 |
Game 72
Saturday's season-opener against Baylor will mark the 72nd game in UTSA football history and its 36th road contest. The program holds a 32-39 overall record, including a 13-22 mark away from home.
A look at Baylor
Baylor dropped a 48-45 decision to Liberty on Saturday night in Waco. The Bears posted 532 yards of total offense, including 254 on the ground, but the Flames piled up 585 yards in the upset victory. Liberty quarterback Stephen Calvert threw for 447 yards and three touchdowns on 44-of-60 passing to lead the way. Baylor signal caller Anu Solomon passed for 278 yards and three TDs to go along with a team-high 97 yards rushing in the loss. The Bears fell to 14-5 in McLane Stadium, which opened in 2014.
A familiar face
Baylor quarterback Anu Solomon is a familiar face to the Roadrunners. The senior transfer started two previous games against UTSA when he was played for Arizona. In 2014, Solomon completed 17-of-32 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown but was sacked twice by the UTSA defense in a narrow 26-23 Wildcats' win at the Alamodome. The following year, the Hawai'i native threw for 229 yards and four scores on 22-of-36 passing in a 42-32 victory in Tucson. UTSA senior defensive end Marcus Davenport recorded a sack of Solomon in that contest.
Series history
Saturday will mark the first meeting between UTSA and Baylor. It will be the fifth time the Roadrunners have faced a team from the Big 12 Conference. UTSA has played Oklahoma State three times and Kansas State once.
UTSA/Baylor series a first
On March 15, 2010, UTSA and Baylor announced that they would play a three-game series in 2017-19, marking the first-ever announced future series in program history. The Roadrunners and the Bears will meet again on Sept. 8, 2018, at the Alamodome and Sept. 7 back in Waco. Baylor also was the first future Football Bowl Subdivision team the Roadrunners announced as an opponent. UTSA unveiled its inaugural 2011 season schedule just two days prior to the Baylor series announcement.
Staying close to home
The 2017 schedule is keeping the Roadrunners close to home. UTSA will not leave the state of Texas until the month of November, when the Birds fly to Miami, Fla., for a Conference USA contest against FIU on Nov. 4. In fact, the Roadrunners are only scheduled to leave the state one more time during the regular season when they travel to Ruston, La., for a Nov. 25 matchup against Louisiana Tech.
Up next
UTSA will open its home slate against Southern on Saturday, Sept. 16. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will be televised on KCWX-TV in San Antonio.
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