SAN ANTONIO — In a tightly-contested matchup, the Blue (offense) held off a late charge from the Orange (defense) for a 7-6 win in the UTSA Football Fiesta Spring Game on Friday night in front of an estimated crowd of 7,000 fans at the Alamodome.
The Roadrunners used a modified scoring system in their annual spring game, awarding two points for both a touchdown and a takeaway and one point for a field goal and defensive stop.
The Blue took an early 2-0 lead after marching 75 yards on the game's opening drive. A 49-yard completion from Eddie Lee Marburger to Chris Carpenter helped set up a 10-yard touchdown connection for the same duo.
The Orange then registered three consecutive stops to claim a 3-2 advantage. Caleb Lewis recorded a sack to stop the second of three drives, while a missed field goal on the next possession resulted in the Orange's only lead of the night.
The Blue rode the legs of Justin Rodriguez on the next drive, as the San Antonio Johnson High School product reeled off four long runs, the last an 11-yard scamper up the middle that put the offense back on top, 4-3.
The Orange knotted the score just before halftime with a tackle by Devin Jones that stopped the Blue deep in their own territory.
Marburger showed a strong and accurate arm on the first possession of the second half, finding Willie McCoy down the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown pass.
The Blue then pushed their lead to 7-4 when Tate Sandell drilled a 23-yard field goal.
With two drives remaining in the game, the Orange came up with a pair of stops to pull to within 7-6, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.
The Roadrunners will kick off their 13th season of play and first as a member of the American Athletic Conference on Sept. 2 at Houston.
UTSA will host six regular season games at the Alamodome, beginning with back-to-back home contests against Texas State on Sept. 9 and Army on Friday, Sept. 15.
The Roadrunners also will host four AAC games at home, including UAB on Oct. 14, East Carolina on Oct. 28, Rice on Nov. 11 and South Florida on Friday, Nov. 17.
Under the direction of two-time conference coach of the year Jeff Traylor, the Roadrunners are coming off an 11-3 campaign that saw them capture their second straight Conference USA Championship and play in a bowl game for the third year in a row. UTSA has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons and boasts a combined 23 wins over that span, the fourth-best total among all FBS teams behind only Georgia (29), Michigan (25) and Alabama (24).
Season tickets for the 2023 UTSA football home schedule are on sale now. Fans can call 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visit goUTSA.com/tickets to purchase tickets. Season ticket prices start at $93 per seat. Payment plans for all season ticket packages are available.
Current UTSA students receive free admission to all home games by downloading tickets via their Account Manager.
-UTSA-
