UTSA Roadrunners (3-3, 2-0)
at
Florida Atlantic Owls (3-3, 2-0)
5 p.m. CT | Saturday, Oct. 21
FAU Stadium | Boca Raton, Fla.
Series History: Florida Atlantic leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: FAU 24, UTSA 3 • 10/31/20 (Boca Raton, Fla.)
OPENING DRIVE
• UTSA and Florida Atlantic will meet for the fourth time on Saturday and first as American Athletic Conference members.
• The Owls have won all three previous meetings, including both matchups held in Boca Raton.
• UTSA has won 10 straight regular season conference games and 12 consecutive contests against conference foes when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games.
• Under head coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA boasts a 22-3 (.880) record in regular season conference games and a 24-3 (.889) mark versus league competition when including the two C-USA Championship Games.
• The Roadrunners are 33-13 (.717) in the Jeff Traylor era, the most wins and best winning percentage by a UTSA head coach.
• UTSA redshirt sophomore OLB Trey Moore, the reigning American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, leads the league in sacks (1.25) and tackles for loss (1.7) per game, categories in which he ranks third and seventh, respectively, in the FBS. Additionally, he is the only FBS player to register three-plus sacks in multiple games this season.
• Saturday will mark the Roadrunners’ third game played in the Eastern time zone this season.
• Florida Atlantic is the second of three UTSA opponents this season with the nickname Owls (Temple, Rice).
SETTING THE SCENE
Coming off back-to-back victories to open American Athletic Conference play, UTSA (3-3, 2-0) will travel to the Sunshine State to face Florida Atlantic (3-3, 2-0) on Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff between the two league unbeatens is set for 5 p.m. CT at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM. The Roadrunners are riding a 10-game winning streak in regular season conference games after defeating UAB, 41-20, last Saturday night at the Alamodome. The Owls have won two straight games to open league play and have been victorious in all three previous meetings with UTSA.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+ and via the ESPN mobile app. Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst) will call the action. The game will air live in the San Antonio area on Ticket 760, online at Ticket760.com, via the free iHeartRadio app and on SiriusXM 380. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (reporter) have the call. There will be a two-hour pregame and 45-minute postgame show.
LAST TIME OUT
Trey Moore posted a career-high 3.5 sacks and Joshua Cephus became UTSA’s career receptions leader, as the Roadrunners ran away from UAB, 41-20, on Oct. 14 in American Athletic Conference action at the Alamodome. Moore totaled five tackles, including the 3.5 for a loss of 22 yards, and he had a forced fumble and recovery to go with a quarterback hurry. Donyai Taylor registered a team-high 10 stops with three behind the line of scrimmage to help the UTSA defense tally a season-high 12 tackles for loss, including six sacks. The Roadrunners forced a season-best three turnovers, as Kam Alexander and Elliott Davison each came up with interceptions to go with Moore’s fumble recovery. Davison returned his pick 76 yards, the third-longest interception return in school history. Meanwhile, Cephus moved to the top of the program’s career receptions chart with 269 after catching seven passes for 55 yards and two touchdowns to help spark a balanced offensive output. UTSA posted 177 yards through the air and ran for 183 more while topping the 40-point barrier for the second game in a row. Frank Harris completed 19 of 30 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns. Robert Henry ran for 99 yards and a score on only nine attempts to average 11.0 yards per carry, while Kevorian Barnes added 76 yards and a pair of TDs on 19 totes.
MOORE COLLECTS SECOND AAC WEEKLY AWARD
UTSA outside linebacker Trey Moore was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season following his performance in the 41-20 win against UAB last Saturday at the Alamodome. He registered a career-high 3.5 sacks as part of five total tackles to go with a forced fumble, fumble recovery and quarterback hurry. The Smithson Valley High School product’s strip-sack of Jacob Zeno early in the first quarter helped stake the Roadrunners to a 14-0 lead in a contest they never trailed. Moore's 3.5 sacks are tied for the third-most in a game by an AAC player in league history and it marks the second time the sophomore has posted three-or-more sacks in a game this fall. He now leads the conference in total sacks (7.5), sacks per game (1.25), tackles for loss (10.0) and tackles for loss per game (1.67). Nationally, he stands third in sacks and seventh in TFLs. Moore also earned the league’s weekly award on Sept. 11 after a three-sack effort in the 20-13 victory over Texas State. Chase Allen also was honored after the win against the Bobcats after he made field goals from 46 and 43 yards and both extra-point attempts.
ROADRUNNERS RACING THROUGH CONFERENCE COMPETITION
The Roadrunners have won their last dozen games against conference opponents. The streak began with the 49-41 victory over Western Kentucky in the 2021 Conference USA Championship and continued with a perfect 8-0 regular season league slate in 2022 before extending the stretch to 10 with a 48-27 triumph over North Texas in the 2022 C-USA Championship Game. UTSA made its American Athletic Conference debut a successful one, racing past Temple, 49-34, on Oct 7 before running away from UAB, 41-20, last Saturday night at the Alamodome to push the regular season conference winning streak to 10. The Roadrunners have won 22 of their last 23 contests against conference competition dating back to a three-game win streak that closed out the 2020 C-USA schedule in Jeff Traylor’s first season. In fact, UTSA boasts a 22-3 (.880) record in regular season conference games and a 24-3 (.889) mark against league foes in the Traylor era.
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
After a 1-3 start, the Owls have opened American Athletic Conference play with victories over Tulsa (20-17) and South Florida (56-14). Florida Atlantic is averaging 381.5 yards and 26.5 points per game while allowing 392.7 yards and 23.2 points per contest. Larry McCammon is the top rusher with 442 yards and four touchdowns on 81 attempts, while Lajohntay Wester has a team-high 62 receptions for 622 yards and three scores. Daniel Richardson has completed 97 of 149 passes for 902 yards and five TDs. Defensively, Jackson Ambush paces the Owls with 45 total tackles, including 3.5 for loss, while Jarron Morris has 32 stops and a pair of interceptions. Head coach Tom Herman is in his first season at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the fourth meeting between UTSA and Florida Atlantic. The Owls have won each of the previous three meetings, including a 24-3 decision on Oct. 31, 2020, in Boca Raton in the last matchup.
UTSA/FAU Series History
|
Date |
Location |
Score |
|
9/27/14 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
L, 37-41 |
|
11/23/19 |
San Antonio, Texas |
L, 26-40 |
|
10/31/20 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
L, 3-24 |
LAST MEETING
Rashad Wisdom posted 13 tackles and the UTSA defense tied a school record with 14 tackles for loss, but Florida Atlantic used a strong running game and a stingy defense in a 24-3 victory in Conference USA action on Oct. 31, 2020, at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. The Owls rushed for 196 yards on the strength of Malcolm Davidson, who tallied 115 yards on 14 carries, and held the Roadrunners to 230 yards of offense. FAU built a 17-3 halftime lead and tacked on a touchdown late thanks to a short field. The Owls limited the Roadrunners to just 104 yards on the ground and 83 total yards in the second half. Wisdom had nine solo stops and one tackle for loss as part of his team-high tackles total, while Charles Wiley logged eight tackles, including 3.5 behind the line of scrimmage to help UTSA match the program standard for single-game tackles for loss.
WHO’S COUNTING
Now in their 13th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 153rd game in program history on Saturday when they face Florida Atlantic. UTSA is 78-74 all-time and 32-41 on the road.
SIMILAR STARTUPS
Saturday’s matchup between UTSA and Florida Atlantic will feature a pair of similar startup programs. The Roadrunners started their program from scratch, opening play in 2011 under former Miami (Fla.) head coach Larry Coker. Florida Atlantic had a decade head start on UTSA, also starting its program from scratch under a former Miami head coach, doing so in 2001 under the late Howard Schnellenberger.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Roadrunners have experienced success on the road in conference play under fourth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. UTSA has won five straight league contests away from home and they have come out on top in nine of their last 10 conference road games dating back to the 2020 campaign. The Roadrunners are 9-3 (.750) in conference road games in the Jeff Traylor era.
ON EASTERN TIME
The Roadrunners will play their third game of the season in the Eastern time zone and 14th time in program history when they face Florida Atlantic on Saturday in Boca Raton, Florida. UTSA is 6-8 all-time in games played in the Eastern time zone with road wins against Georgia State in 2012, Charlotte in 2015, Old Dominion in 2019, Army West Point and FIU in 2022 and Temple on Oct. 7, 2023.
UTSA in the Eastern Time Zone (6-8)
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
9/15/12 |
UTSA 38, Georgia State 14 |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
10/5/13 |
Marshall 34, UTSA 10 |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
9/27/14 |
Florida Atlantic 41, UTSA 37 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
11/14/15 |
UTSA 30, Charlotte 27 (OT) |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
9/24/16 |
Old Dominion 33, UTSA 19 |
Norfolk, Va. |
|
11/4/17 |
FIU 14, UTSA 7 |
Miami, Fla. |
|
11/17/18 |
Marshall 23, UTSA 0 |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
11/9/19 |
UTSA 24, Old Dominion 23 |
Norfolk, Va. |
|
10/31/20 |
Florida Atlantic 24, UTSA 3 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
9/10/22 |
UTSA 41, Army 38 |
West Point, N.Y. |
|
10/14/22 |
UTSA 30, FIU 10 |
Miami, Fla. |
|
12/16/22 |
Troy 18, UTSA 12 |
Orlando, Fla. |
|
9/23/23 |
Tennessee 45, UTSA 14 |
Knoxville, Tenn. |
|
10/7/23 |
UTSA 49, Temple 34 |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 29 of the 46 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 20-9 record in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 16 of the last 25 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 12-4 in games decided by eight points or less since 2021.
TRAYLOR TAKING ROADRUNNERS TO NEW HEIGHTS
Head coach Jeff Traylor has taken UTSA to new heights since taking over the program prior to the 2020 campaign. The Gilmer, Texas, native has turned around the program by instilling his 210 Triangle of Toughness culture, producing results on and off the field. Taking over a team that won a combined seven games in the two seasons prior to his arrival, he has led the Roadrunners to a 33-13 record, the most wins all-time and best winning percentage (.717) by a UTSA head football coach. In the Jeff Traylor era, the Roadrunners own a 22-3 (.880) record in regular season conference games and are 24-3 (.889) against league competition when including the two Conference USA Championship Games. Under Traylor’s direction, UTSA has won back-to-back conference championships, been nationally ranked in all three major polls in 2021 and 2022 and made three straight bowl appearances. The two-time conference coach of the year has coached six All-Americans, three national award finalists, 12 national award semifinalists, six conference superlative award recipients, 67 all-conference selections, two academic All-Americans and a pair of NFL Draft picks during his UTSA tenure. He was the 2021 AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year twice in addition to being a finalist for the 2022 Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year, 2021 AFCA National Coach of the Year and the 2021 George Munger College Coach of the Year.
SEASON 13
One of the newest FBS programs and now in its first year as a member of the American Athletic Conference, UTSA is playing its 13th season of football in 2023. The Roadrunners started their program from scratch and, following a practice year in 2010, played their first season as an FCS Independent in 2011 before joining the Western Athletic Conference for the 2012 campaign. UTSA moved into Conference USA in 2013 and became a full-fledged FBS member starting with the 2014 season. The Roadrunners set NCAA modern startup program records in 2011 by drawing 56,743 fans to their inaugural game against Northeastern State and by averaging 35,521 fans for their six home contests that season. UTSA made its first postseason appearance at the 2016 New Mexico Bowl in its sixth season of play and registered its first win against a team from the Big 12 Conference the following season with a 17-10 victory over Baylor. The Roadrunners made history in 2021, opening the fall with a road win against Illinois of the Big Ten Conference, capturing their first conference championship with a 49-42 decision against WKU and capping a 12-2 ledger with their third bowl game. They repeated as league champions with a 48-27 win over North Texas in 2022 and made their third straight and fourth overall bowl appearance, ending the year with an 11-3 mark. UTSA has posted at least six wins in seven of the 12 complete seasons in program history and it has reached the seven-win plateau five times, including in each of the first three years of the Jeff Traylor era. The Roadrunners reached double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons (2021-22), joining Baylor and TCU as the only Texas-based FBS teams since 2012 to notch at least 10 wins in consecutive years.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will return home to host East Carolina for the annual Homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+ and Ticket 760.
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