Roadrunners open Conference USA play Saturday against Southern Miss

SAN ANTONIO – Off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2012, UTSA will host Southern Miss (2-2, 0-1 C-USA) in its Conference USA opener on Saturday night. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at the Alamodome. Saturday's league lid-lifter is the first that the Roadrunners have hosted in six opportunities.
 
Tuning in
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on KMYS-CW 35 in San Antonio. Don Harris (play-by-play), Chuck Miketinac (analyst) and Jade Smith (reporter) will call the action. The game also will be streamed live via Stadium on Facebook (facebook.com/StadiumCollegeFootball/). Dan Hellie (play-by-play), Erik Coleman (analyst), Shae Peppler (reporter) and Audrey Westcott (correspondent) have the call. The contest also can be heard live in San Antonio on 92.5 and 93.3 FM The Bull. 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 thebullcountry.iheart.com and via the free all-in-one iHeartRadio app.
 
A look at Southern Miss
Southern Miss fell to 2-2 overall after dropping its Conference USA opener to North Texas by a score of 43-28 on Saturday night. The Golden Eagles won back-to-back games against Southern (45-0) and ULM (28-17) after falling to Kentucky, 24-17, in the season opener. Southern Miss ranks second among C-USA teams behind UTSA in total defense (316.0 ypg) and third in total offense (447.5 ypg) behind North Texas and the Roadrunners. Ito Smith leads the ground game with 435 yards and four touchdowns, while Kwadra Griggs has passed for 951 yards and eight TDs and has thrown just one interception in 123 attempts. Korey Robertson has caught a team-high 21 passes for 291 yards and four scores, while Allenzae Staggers has 249 yards and three TDs on 14 receptions. Tarvarius Moore is the top tackler on the defense with 24 stops (16 solo), while Jacques Turner leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Head coach Jay Hopson is 9-8 in his second season at the helm.
 
Series history
Saturday will mark the fourth meeting between UTSA and Southern Miss. The Roadrunners hold a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series and has won both previous matchups at the Alamodome. In the first meeting between the two teams, Sean Ianno's fourth field goal of the night, a 38-yarder with two seconds remaining, lifted UTSA to a 12-10 victory on Nov. 13, 2014, in San Antonio. Jarveon Williams rushed for 88 yards, but Nick Mullens threw for 343 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Southern Miss to a 32-10 win on Oct. 17, 2015, in Hattiesburg. Almost one year ago to the day at the Alamodome, Jalen Rhodes and Williams each had 100-yard games on the ground and UTSA rushed for 339 overall en route to a 55-32 triumph on Oct. 8, 2016.
 
Coaching staff connections
Two members of the UTSA coaching staff have spent time at Southern Miss during their careers. Head coach Frank Wilson was the Golden Eagles' running backs coach and recruiting coordinator during the 2008 season, while defensive coordinator Pete Golding was the Southern Miss safeties coach in 2014-15.
 
First league lid-lifter at home
Saturday will mark the first time UTSA has hosted its conference-opening game in six opportunities. The Roadrunners, who are 3-2 all-time in league lid-lifters, have opened their Conference USA slate on the road in each of the previous four seasons. In their first-ever C-USA tilt on Sept. 21, 2013, in El Paso, the Birds scored a 32-13 victory against UTEP. After a 41-37 setback at Florida Atlantic the following year, UTSA again downed UTEP in its league opener, this time in a 25-6 decision. Last season, the Roadrunners fell to Old Dominion, 33-19, on Sept. 24 in Norfolk, Va. In its one year as a member of the WAC, UTSA posted a 35-14 win at New Mexico State in its first-ever conference game on Sept. 29, 2012, in Las Cruces, N.M.
 
UTSA All-Time Conference Openers (3-2)

 
Home sweet home
Following the 51-17 victory over Southern in its home opener on Sept. 16, UTSA now has won five of its last seven home contests and is 20-17 all-time in the Alamodome. The Roadrunners opened the Frank Wilson era with a 26-13 win against Alabama State on Sept. 3 of last season, and they bounced back from a 32-28 setback to Arizona State with a convincing 55-32 decision over Southern Miss. After a 52-49 loss to UTEP in five overtimes — the longest game in Conference USA history — UTSA came out on top in its final two home contests last season against North Texas (31-17) and Charlotte (33-14).
 
Last time out
Jalen Rhodes rushed for a career-best 174 yards and UTSA registered a school-record 569 yards of offense and held Texas State to 198 in a 44-14 victory on Sept. 23 at Bobcat Stadium. The Roadrunners piled up a program-record 357 yards on the ground and possessed the ball for 35 minutes and 21 seconds. Meanwhile, the defense held its fifth straight opponent to less than 300 yards and its last two have gained less than 200.
 
Tauaefa honored by C-USA
UTSA linebacker Josiah Tauaefa became the first Roadrunner to collect Conference USA weekly honors this fall when he was named co-Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25 for his performance against Texas State. The sophomore all-conference performer registered five tackles, one quarterback pressure, one pass breakup and a fumble return for a touchdown to help lead UTSA to a convincing 44-14 victory at Texas State on Sept. 23. On the Bobcats' second offensive play of the game, the linebacker scooped up a fumble that was caused by Eric Banks and returned it 22 yards for the first TD of the night, marking UTSA's first fumble recovery for a score since the 2013 season. The Lake Dallas High School product helped guide a defense that held Texas State to just 198 yards of offense.
 
Among the unbeaten
At 3-0, UTSA is one of 17 undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams and the only Conference USA squad without a loss this season. Additionally, the Roadrunners and TCU are the only two unbeaten FBS teams from the state of Texas. The Birds are off to their first 3-0 start since the 2012 team won its first five games.  
 
Defensive dominance
The UTSA defense has been dominant in its first three outings this fall. The Roadrunners lead Conference USA in nine different defensive statistical categories, including owning the top mark in the FBS for passing yards allowed (121.0 ypg), team passing efficiency defense 73.87), first downs defense (41) and third-down conversion defense (0.17). Defensive coordinator Pete Golding's group is giving up just 207 yards per game — which ranks second behind Michigan (203.3 ypg) in the FBS — and is riding a streak of holding five straight opponents to less than 300 yards dating back to last season. Additionally, the last two foes have failed to manage even 200 yards of offense. The Roadrunners limited Southern to just 149 yards, breaking the school record for fewest yards allowed, and they yielded just 198 to Texas State a week later. In addition to the passing defense numbers, opponents have been able to rush for an average of just 86 yards per game, which leads C-USA and ranks ninth nationally. Baylor, Southern and Texas State have combined to post just 621 total yards against the Birds, the fewest yards allowed through the first three games in school history.
 
Dropped for a loss
Using an attacking style on defense, UTSA has registered 27 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 14 quarterback pressures and four interceptions through its first 12 quarters of the season. The Roadrunners lead Conference USA and rank second in the FBS behind Wake Forest with an average of 9.0 TFLs per game, and that statistic been the result of a team effort, as 16 different players have taken part in a stop behind the line of scrimmage that has added up to a total loss of 106 yards. Sophomore defensive end Eric Banks leads the way with four TFLs, while senior defensive end Marcus Davenport and junior defensive tackle Kevin Strong Jr. have posted 3.5 apiece.
 
Sack attack
Another reason for UTSA's success on the defensive side of the ball has been the ability to get to the quarterback. The Roadrunners have posted 10 sacks for an average of 3.33 per game, which ranks second in Conference USA and 10th in the FBS. Marcos Curry leads the way with 2.5 sacks, all of which came in the Southern victory on Sept. 16. Marcus Davenport is close behind his fellow senior with a pair of sacks for a total loss of 14 yards. Les Maruo has 1.5 sacks, while Eric Banks, Kevin Strong Jr. and Josiah Tauaefa have one apiece. Additionally, UTSA has turned in 14 QB pressures in the first three contests, led by Davenport's six.
 
Interception frenzy
When Nate Gaines picked off an Anu Solomon pass in the first quarter of the Baylor win on Sept. 9, the senior free safety ended an interception drought that dated back to Nov. 5 of last season when the Roadrunners posted three picks in a 45-25 road win against Middle Tennessee. UTSA picked off three more passes in the 51-17 win against Southern. Anthony Hickey, C.J. Levine and Andrew Martel had one each to give the Roadrunners four on the season, which ranks third in Conference USA.
 
No-fly zone
UTSA ranks as one of the top pass defenses in the FBS and one of the reasons is the play of the secondary. The senior cornerback duo of Devron Davis and Austin Jupe along with safeties Nate Gaines, Darryl Godfrey and C.J. Levine have helped lead the way for a group that leads the country in passing yards allowed per game (121.0) and in pass efficiency defense (73.87). In fact, UTSA has yielded just 363 total yards through the air in the first three games combined. Opponents have completed just 30-of-80 passes (37.5 percent) and have thrown four interceptions, while the Roadrunners have registered 14 additional pass breakups.
 
Offensive explosion
UTSA's offense exploded for 502 yards in the 51-17 win against Southern on Sept. 16. The Roadrunners racked up 335 yards through the air and added 167 more on the ground. UTSA scored on its first seven possessions — a program first — in rolling to a 48-0 halftime lead, the most points scored in a half in school annals. The Roadrunners provided quite the encore one week later with a school-record 569 yards of offense in the 44-14 win at Texas State. UTSA churned out a program-best 357 rushing yards and added 212 passing on its way to posting back-to-back 500-yard outputs for the first time in school annals. The Birds are averaging 482 yards of offense per game, which stands second in Conference USA and 21st in the FBS, and they lead the league with 248 rushing yards per contest (17th/FBS).
 
Rushing past the competition
The Roadrunners have displayed a potent ground game through the first three contests of the season. UTSA is turning in a conference-best 248 rushing yards per contest, which ranks 17th among FBS teams, and is averaging a league-best 5.8 yards per rush. In their last outing, the Roadrunners ran for a school-record 357 yards and averaged 7.9 yards per carry in the 44-14 win at Texas State on Sept. 23. UTSA opened the campaign with 220 rushing yards in the 17-10 victory at Baylor and followed with 167 in the 51-17 triumph over Southern. Leading the way is junior running back Jalen Rhodes, who has carried 45 times for 338 yards and three touchdowns. The Rowlett, Texas, native has registered a pair of 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 174 against Texas State, and is averaging 112.7 yards per outing, which ranks second in Conference USA and 17th nationally. Additionally, Rhodes's 7.5 yards-per-carry average leads the league and stands 11th among all FBS players.
 
Controlling the clock
UTSA has controlled the clock in each of its first three games this season. In the season-opening win at Baylor on Sept. 9, the Roadrunners possessed the ball for 38 minutes and 52 seconds, including 20:53 of a possible 30 minutes in the first half. UTSA held the ball for 31:45 in the 51-17 victory over Southern and 35:21 in the 44-14 triumph over Texas State. The Birds are averaging a league-leading 35:19 in time of possession per contest, a mark that ranks fourth among all FBS teams.
 
Red zone perfection
The Roadrunners are perfect in 11 red-zone opportunities this fall. UTSA is one of 12 FBS squads and two in Conference USA with a 100-percent conversion rate. The Roadrunners have made the most of their chances with eight touchdowns and three field goals on 11 total trips inside the 20-yard line.
 
Up next
The Roadrunners will travel to Denton, Texas, to face North Texas on Saturday, Oct. 14. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Apogee Stadium and the game will be televised on KCWX-TV in San Antonio and KDAF-CW 33 in the Dallas/Fort Worth viewing area.
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