SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (3-4, 2-1 C-USA) will hit the road for the fourth time this season when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Roberts Stadium and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM in San Antonio.
Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between the Roadrunners and Golden Eagles and the all-time series is tied at 2-2. Southern Miss won the last matchup, 31-29, on Oct. 7, 2017, at the Alamodome, and it also came out on top in the only previous meeting in Hattiesburg with a 32-10 triumph on Oct. 17, 2015. UTSA is looking for its second straight road win after scoring a 20-3 victory over Rice on Oct. 6 in Houston.
UTSA Roadrunners (3-4, 2-1)
at
Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2-3, 1-1)
6 p.m. | Oct. 20, 2018
Roberts Stadium (36,000) | Hattiesburg, Miss.
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Ticket 760 AM
Opening drive
• Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between UTSA and Southern Miss.
• The all-time series is tied at 2-2.
• The Golden Eagles scored a 32-10 victory in the only previous meeting in Hattiesburg.
• The Roadrunners are looking for their second straight road win.
• Saturday's game will air on ESPN+, marking the 68th straight UTSA game to be broadcast.
Setting the scene
UTSA (3-4, 2-1 C-USA) will hit the road for the fourth time this season when it travels to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Miss (2-3, 1-1) on Saturday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Roberts Stadium and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM in San Antonio. Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between the Roadrunners and Golden Eagles and the all-time series is tied at 2-2. Southern Miss won the last matchup, 31-29, on Oct. 7, 2017, at the Alamodome, and it also came out on top in the only previous meeting in Hattiesburg with a 32-10 triumph on Oct. 17, 2015. UTSA is looking for its second straight road win after scoring a 20-3 victory over Rice on Oct. 6 in Houston.
Tuning in
The game will air on ESPN+ (subscription required). Jason Baker (play-by-play), Jeff Posey (analyst) have the call. The contest will air live on the Roadrunners Sports Network and can be heard in the San Antonio area on Ticket 760 AM. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (sideline reporter) will call all the action. 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 and ticket760.com and via the free iHeartRadio app.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is a direct-to-consumer (no cable or satellite subscription needed) streaming service that will cost $4.99 per month. As part of the launch, ESPN+ was integrated as part of a completely redesigned ESPN app (and also via http://ESPN.com). Subscribers will receive thousands of additional live events, and original shows and films, and an on-demand library, which is not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks. ESPN+ is not included with your cable/satellite subscription, and ESPN+ does NOT include other ESPN content (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ESPN3, etc). It is a completely standalone subscription. For more information and to subscribe, please visit http://plus.espn.com.
Game 90
Saturday's matchup with Southern Miss will mark the 90th game in UTSA football history and its 45th road contest. Now in their eighth season of play, the Roadrunners are 41-48 overall and 17-27 away from home. By comparison, this will be the 1,041st game in the Golden Eagles' history, which dates back to 1912. Southern Miss owns a 590-423-27 all-time record.
A look at Southern Miss
Southern Miss fell to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in Conference USA after a 30-7 road loss to North Texas on Saturday. The Golden Eagles' two wins came against Jackson State (55-7) and Rice (40-22) and they also have fallen to ULM (21-20) and Auburn (24-13). Southern Miss is averaging 27.0 points and 417.2 yards per game and allowing 20.8 and 322.6, respectively. Sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham has completed 136-of-193 passes for 1,581 yards and 12 touchdowns, but he has thrown six interceptions. Freshman running back Trivenskey Mosley is the top rusher with 189 yards on 36 carries, while sophomore wide receiver Quez Watkins has hauled in a team-best 36 passes for 461 yards and seven TDs. Senior defensive back Picasso Nelson Jr. is the top tacklers with 29, while sophomore defensive lineman Jacques Turner has a team-best 4.5 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks. Junior defensive back Ky'el Hemby leads the Golden Eagles with two interceptions to go along with 18 stops. The game will feature two of Conference USA's top place-kickers, as Parker Shaunfield is 8-for-11 with a long of 51 this season. Head coach Jay Hopson is 17-14 in his third season at the helm.
Series history
UTSA and Southern Miss will meet for the fifth time on Saturday and the all-time series is tied at 2-2. The Golden Eagles won the last matchup, 31-29, on Oct. 7, 2017, at the Alamodome. Southern Miss also came out on top in the only previous meeting in Hattiesburg, a 32-10 triumph on Oct. 17, 2015. UTSA's two wins came in 2014 (12-10) and 2016 (55-32), both in San Antonio.
Last meeting
Greg Campbell Jr. and Josh Stewart each had 100-yard receiving games, but Ito Smith rushed for 178 to help lead Southern Miss to a 31-29 victory against UTSA on Oct. 7, 2017, at the Alamodome. Smith had 140 of his yards in the second half to help the Golden Eagles rally from a 13-7 halftime deficit and hand the Roadrunners their first loss of the season. The running back's 89-yard dash to paydirt early in the fourth quarter helped give the visitors a 28-13 lead before UTSA mounted a furious comeback. Dalton Sturm engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a 28-yard touchdown pass to Marquez McNair to make it a one-possession game with 9:48 left to play. Eric Banks then forced a fumble, which Baylen Baker recovered to give UTSA possession at the 32-yard line. Four plays later, Jared Sackett drilled his third field goal of the night from 44 yards out to pull the home team to within 28-23 with 7:33 remaining. Southern Miss answered with a 12-play, 69-yard drive that chewed 5:37 off the clock and was capped with a 24-yard field goal by Parker Shaunfield to make it 31-23 with just under two minutes to play. Sturm quickly led UTSA down the field and connected with McNair once again for a score, this time from 24 yards out with 48 seconds on the clock to make it a two-point game. However, the two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, forcing the Roadrunners to attempt an onside kick, which went out of bounds.
UTSA-Southern Miss connections
UTSA's coaching staff has a couple of connections to Southern Miss. Head coach Frank Wilson was the Golden Eagles' running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 2008. UTSA cornerbacks coach Deron Wilson was a standout corner at Southern Miss in 2010-12. He posted 171 tackles and eight interceptions, four of which he returned for touchdowns, for his career and helped lead the Golden Eagles to back-to-back bowl games.
Heading home to Mississippi
When UTSA heads to Mississippi for the Southern Miss game this weekend, it will mark a homecoming for six Roadrunners who hail from the Magnolia State. Sophomore defensive end Lorenzo Dantzler is from Starkville and actually used his redshirt season as a true freshman at Southern Miss before transferring to East Mississippi Community College in 2017. Senior wide receiver Marquez McNair is from Magee and played one season at Hinds Community College before coming to UTSA. Sophomore offensive lineman Josh Oatis is from Gulfport and played at West Harrison High School. Junior offensive lineman Treyvion Shannon is a Clarksdale product and also spent two the last seasons at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Junior offensive lineman Jalyn Galmore hails from Batesville and played two seasons at Itawamba Community College, while freshman defensive end Peter Gray is a Tupelo native. Additionally, UTSA Director of Football Operations Amanda Gilpin is a native of Hattiesburg.
Last time out
UTSA junior Josiah Tauaefa posted a game-high 13 tackles, but Louisiana Tech used a 300-yard passing night from J'Mar Smith in a 31-3 victory in Conference USA action on Saturday night at the Alamodome. Smith completed 25-of-36 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulldogs to their fifth straight win against the Roadrunners. Tauaefa registered seven solo tackles and added six assisted stops, including 1.5 for loss, in leading the UTSA defense, while C.J. Levine added nine tackles, including one of the Roadrunners' eight behind the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, Blaze Moorhead paced the UTSA offense with a career high six receptions for 87 yards, including a 52-yarder via a shovel pass from quarterback Cordale Grundy on the Roadrunners' first play from scrimmage. Grundy passed for 191 yards and rushed for a team-high 60 and Marquez McNair pitched in with four catches for 54 yards.
Wilson in third year at helm
Frank Wilson is in his third season as head coach of the Roadrunners. The New Orleans native has guided UTSA to back-to-back seasons of being bowl eligible, including leading the program to its first-ever postseason appearance at the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, as UTSA tied the NCAA modern startup program by reaching a bowl game in its sixth season of play. He has coached 13 All-Conference USA selections and a pair of Freshman All-Americans in his first two years at the helm. Wilson came to San Antonio after a six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU, where he also was the associate head coach in 2012-15. Armed with more than a decade of coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference, Wilson also has been an assistant coach at Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008) and Mississippi (2005-07). He has coached or recruited 36 individuals who have made it to the NFL, including 2018 NFL First Round Draft pick Marcus Davenport of the Saints.
Youth movement
UTSA boasts a youthful team in 2018 with 66 underclassmen, which equates to 60.6 percent of its roster. The Roadrunners have 38 freshmen (21 true/17 redshirt) and 28 sophomores on the 109-man squad list. In the season opener at Arizona State, 24 players made their UTSA debut, including eight who started. There were 13 first-time starters (8 offense/5 defense), while 15 total freshmen (8 true/7 redshirt) saw action in the contest. UTSA has seen a total of 20 first-time starters and 28 debuts this season. Seventeen total freshmen have seen action this season, including nine true freshmen. Additionally, left guard Spencer Burford is one of just 15 true freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to have started on the offensive line this season.
The Power (5) open
UTSA opened the season with three consecutive games against Power 5 conference opponents. The Roadrunners debuted at Arizona State on Sept. 1 and hosted Baylor one week later before closing the stretch with a road matchup against Kansas State on Sept. 15. BYU is the only other non-Power 5 team that opened the season with three straight Power 5 opponents (at Arizona [Sept. 1], vs. California [Sept. 8], at Wisconsin [Sept. 15]). Additionally, this marks the second time in four seasons that UTSA faced three consecutive Power 5 teams to open the season, as the 2015 squad played No. 22 Arizona, Kansas State and No. 25 Oklahoma State during the first three weeks.
Kickoff coverage unit shines
UTSA's kickoff coverage unit has shined during the first seven games of the season. The Roadrunners are allowing an average of just 16.94 yards per return, a figure that ranks third in Conference USA and 18th nationally. In 29 kickoffs this fall, UTSA has surrendered a total of 305 yards on 18 returns. The Roadrunners have yielded just five returns of more than 20 yards. Additionally, sophomore kickoff specialist Hunter Duplessis has four touchbacks and also executed a successful onside kick that was recovered by Dadrian Taylor in the win against Texas State.
Tackling machine
UTSA linebacker Josiah Tauaefa has been a tackling machine for the Roadrunners since bursting onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2016. The 6-2, 245-pound junior set a school record with 115 tackles en route to being tabbed a Freshman All-American, the 2016 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference performer. Despite missing nearly half of his sophomore season, the Lake Dallas High School product still registered 29 stops, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble return for a touchdown for a defense that led C-USA in seven statistical categories and ranked in the top five nationally in five. This season, the preseason all-conference pick leads UTSA with 56 tackles (37 solos), eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He has double-digit tackles in two games with 10 tackles (eight solos) in the opener at Arizona State and a season-best 13 stops against Louisiana Tech, the most by a Roadrunner since he registered a career-high 15 against Old Dominion in 2016. Tauaefa now has 200 tackles (96 solos), 19 tackles for loss (T-4th in UTSA history), 10.5 sacks (3rd/UTSA), four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one interception and a fumble recovery (returned for a TD) in 28 career contests.
Senior standout next in line
Despite its young history, UTSA has developed a long line of accomplished defensive linemen; four who moved on to the professional ranks, including 2018 NFL First Round Draft pick Marcus Davenport. UTSA senior Kevin Strong Jr. has his sights set on being the next on that list. The Cleveland, Texas, native collected second-team all-conference accolades in 2017 after posting 27 tackles (12 solos), seven tackles for loss, three sacks and four quarterback hurries. After posting a pair of tackles for loss in the 20-3 victory at Rice and two more stops versus Louisiana Tech, the preseason All-Conference USA selection now has 95 career tackles, including 25 for loss (2nd in UTSA history) and 7.5 sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, a school-record two blocked kicks, one fumble recovery and the third safety in program history when he dropped Texas State quarterback Tyler Vitt in the end zone on Sept. 22.
Senior safeties a steady hand in secondary
UTSA boasts a steady safety duo in seniors Darryl Godfrey and C.J. Levine. The pair has combined for 78 tackles, six tackles for loss, five pass breakups, a pair of quarterback hurries and a sack through the first seven contests. Godfrey, a San Antonio O'Connor High School product, ranks fourth on the team with 37 tackles, including a team-high eight stops — 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage and a sack — against Kansas State. Levine, who hails from Port Arthur, Texas, and is set to appear in his 44th career game this weekend, has 41 tackles, including 3.5 TFL, five PBUs and two QB pressures. He registered a game-high 10 tackles and three pass breakups in the 20-3 win at Rice and followed that with nine against Louisiana Tech. Levine now owns 128 tackles to go along with nine pass breakups and an interception for his career.
Rushing up the charts
Senior running back Jalen Rhodes is rushing his way up several of UTSA's career charts. The Rowlett, Texas, product ranks second in program annals with 1,918 career rushing yards and he is 475 shy of Jarveon Williams' school record of 2,393 yards. Rhodes, who set the program's single-season rushing touchdowns record with nine in 2016, also ranks third in UTSA history with 18 career rushing TDs, just two shy of Glasco's record of 20, and he is tied for second all-time with 20 total scores, a pair behind Glasco's 22. Rhodes also has 398 career carries, the third-highest total in school history. He owns three 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 174 on 15 totes in the 44-14 win against Texas State last fall.
Reliable receiver
Greg Campbell Jr. has emerged as a reliable receiver for the UTSA passing game this season. The senior leads the team with 26 catches and 269 yards, and he is averaging 10.3 yards per reception and 44.8 yards per game. Campbell opened his final campaign with four receptions for 34 yards at Arizona State and he followed that with 62 yards on four catches in the home opener versus Baylor. The Humble Atascocita High School product hauled in six passes for 41 yards, including his first career touchdown on a 10-yard catch in the fourth quarter at Kansas State, before producing season highs of seven receptions and 71 yards in the 25-21 win against Texas State and four catches for 61 yards in the UTEP victory. Campbell caught 27 passes for 300 yards (11.7 avg.) as a junior and he tied a school record with 10 receptions for 108 yards against Southern Miss on Oct. 7, 2017.
Up next
UTSA has an open week before traveling to Birmingham, Ala., to face UAB (5-1, 3-0 C-USA) on Saturday, Nov. 3. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. at Legion Field and the game will air on beIN Sports and 93.3/92.5 FM the Bull in San Antonio.
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