SAN ANTONIO — The Orange (offense) rallied from a 9-2 halftime deficit for an 11-10 victory over the Blue (defense) in the annual UTSA Football Fiesta Spring Game on Saturday afternoon in front of 8,130 fans at the Alamodome.
An official Fiesta San Antonio event since its inception in 2011, the UTSA Football Fiesta Spring Game used a modified scoring system that awarded two points for both a touchdown and a takeaway and one point for each field goal and defensive stop.
The Blue controlled the opening half, building a 9-2 advantage behind eight defensive stops and a takeaway. The defense registered four three-and-outs and allowed only one score by the offense over the nine first-half drives.
Safety Elliott Davison had a pass breakup and linebacker Martavius French provided a key tackle on third down to halt the opening drive and make it 1-0 in favor of the Blue.
The Orange got on the board on the next possession when quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger found tight end Houston Thomas open over the middle for an 8-yard touchdown. That score was set up with a 38-yard, third-down reception by wide receiver JJ Sparkman that put the offense in the red zone.
The Blue then forced three consecutive three-and-outs, the last with the benefit of a Timothy Huff Jr. fumble recovery deep inside Orange territory that made it 5-2.
The Orange put together a drive that was keyed by a 32-yard pass from quarterback Jackson Gilkey to Sparkman, a senior transfer from Texas Tech, to help set up a 53-yard field goal attempt. However, the Blue added another point to the tally when the kick came up just short.
The Blue then put together three more stops to end the half, including one that was highlighted by a sack from defensive lineman Daemian Wimberly, a transfer from SMU.
The Orange came out blazing in the second half, scoring on the final five possessions.
Following a three-and-out that gave the Blue a 10-2 lead, running back Justin Rodriguez capped a drive with a 39-yard touchdown dash up the middle to paydirt.
Wide receiver Justice Hurt then hauled in a 22-yard TD pass from Gilkey over a Blue defender to pull the Orange to within 10-6.
Tate Sandell made it a three-point contest after the sophomore kicker split the uprights from 30 yards out on a drive that was headlined by a 29-yard catch by wide receiver Willie McCoy from quarterback Owen McCown.
Marburger captained the next drive, connecting with Jaren Randle on back-to-back plays to make it 10-9. Randle caught a 38-yard pass down the right sideline then hauled in a 29-yard TD pass on the next play to get the Orange to within one point.
Brandon Tennison was under center on the final possession of the day, helping complete the comeback. The former Gilmer High School star quarterback hit Elliott Brow on a 31-yard pass down to the 1-yard line to set up an acrobatic catch on the left sideline in the end zone by Jamel Hardy to give the Orange the lead, 11-10.
UTSA will kick off its 14th season of play and second as a member of the American Athletic Conference on Saturday, Aug. 31, against Kennesaw State at the Alamodome.
The Roadrunners also have home games scheduled against Houston Christian (Sept. 21), Florida Atlantic (Oct. 19), Memphis (Nov. 2), North Texas (Nov. 15) and Temple (Nov. 22 or 23).
UTSA will play road contests at Texas State (Sept. 7), Texas (Sept. 14), East Carolina (Sept. 28), Rice (Oct. 12), Tulsa (Oct. 26) and Army (Nov. 30).
Fans can purchase season tickets online or by calling the UTSA Ticket Office at 210-458-UTSA (8872) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Current UTSA football season-ticket holders may renew their tickets by logging into their UTSA Account Manager.
Fifth-year head coach Jeff Traylor welcomes back 51 lettermen, including 16 starters. The Roadrunners are coming off 9-4 campaign that saw them claim the first bowl win in program history with a 35-17 victory over Marshall in the 2023 Frisco Bowl. UTSA posted a 7-1 mark to finish third in The American in its debut season in the league.
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