Game #3
UTSA Roadrunners (1-1)
at
#2/3 Texas Longhorns (2-0)
6 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 14
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | Austin, Texas
TV: ESPN
Radio: UTSA Sports Media Network / Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket
Live Stats: goUTSA.com/fbstats
Series History: Texas leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Texas 41, UTSA 20 (Sept. 17, 2022 • Austin, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
• UTSA and Texas will meet for the second time on Saturday night in Austin.
• The Longhorns pulled away for a 41-20 home victory in the first matchup on Sept. 17, 2022.
• Ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and third in the AFCA Coaches Poll this week, Texas will mark the highest-ranked opponent UTSA has faced in its 14-year history. The previous highest-ranked foe was No. 13 Oklahoma State in 2013.
• The Roadrunners are riding a streak of 12 consecutive games with a takeaway.
• Jeff Traylor is in his fifth season at UTSA and boasts a 40-15 overall record, the most wins and best winning percentage (.727) in program history.
• The Roadrunners are 35-21 all-time and 15-5 under Jeff Traylor against teams from the state of Texas.
• Jeff Traylor was on the coaching staff at Texas for the 2015 (special teams coordinator/tight ends) and 2016 (associate head coach, offense/receivers) seasons.
• UTSA will appear on an ESPN broadcast for the second time in the last four games (2023 Frisco Bowl) and sixth time overall.
• The Roadrunners have won nine of their last 11 games dating back to last October.
• UTSA has won nine or more games in each of the past three seasons.
SETTING THE SCENE
UTSA will travel to Austin to face No. 2/3 Texas on Saturday in an ESPN prime-time broadcast. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Roadrunners are 1-1 on the season after defeating Kennesaw State in the opener before falling to Texas State last Saturday in San Marcos. The Longhorns improved to 2-0 this year with a 31-12 win at defending national champion Michigan. This will mark the second meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Texas. The Longhorns pulled away for a 41-20 home victory in the first matchup on Sept. 17, 2022.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN and it also will be available via the ESPN mobile app. Mark Jones (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (reporter) will call the action. UTSA Sports Media Network will air the game live in the San Antonio area on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket, online at ticket760.comand via the free iHeartRadio app. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Ed Suarez (reporter) have the call. There will be a two-hour pregame show hosted by Pat Evans and a 45-minute postgame show.
LAST TIME OUT
UTSA dropped a 49-10 decision to Texas State in the I-35 Showdown last Saturday in San Marcos, marking the first win in the six-game series for the Bobcats. UTSA saw two different quarterbacks combine to pass for 252 yards, as Owen McCown completed 10 passes for 105 in the first half and Eddie Lee Marburger piled up 147 yards and a touchdown on 14 completions, all after halftime. Marburger also had a career-high 23 rushing yards on five attempts. Marburger connected with Willie McCoy on a 2-yard TD pass in the third quarter, and McCoy also had a 40-yard reception in the fourth, as the senior receiver racked up a team-high 59 receiving yards on three catches. Devin McCuin led all Roadrunners with six receptions for 29 yards, Patrick Overmyer had three grabs for 31 yards and Chris Carpenter hauled in two passes for 43 yards. Defensively, Ken Robinson paced UTSA with seven tackles including one for a loss. Martavius French and Jimmori Robinson made five stops with one TFL apiece, while Jermarius Lewis, Owen Pewee and Brevin Randle also recorded five tackles each.
UTSA/TEXAS CONNECTIONS
The UTSA staff has several connections to Texas. Head coach Jeff Traylor was on the Longhorns staff in 2015 as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach and again the following season when he was associate head coach for the offense and receivers coach. UTSA offensive coordinator Justin Burke was a special assistant for the Texas offense in 2014-15 before serving as a quality control assistant for the tight ends in 2016. UTSA quarterbacks coach Pavit Patel was a student assistant on the Texas staff in 2014-16 and also earned his degree from UT. UTSA assistant tight ends coach Tim Yoder played running back at Texas in 2016-18. UTSA offensive assistant Jacorey Warrick was a wide receiver at Texas who played in 34 career games in 2013-16. UTSA general manager Mike Giglio was the Longhorns’ director of player personnel and pro liaison in 2014-16.
SCOUTING TEXAS
The Longhorns improved to 2-0 on the season with a 31-12 road triumph over defending national champion Michigan last Saturday. Texas also registered a 52-0 home shutout of Colorado State in the opener on Aug. 31. The Longhorns, who are in their first season as a member of the SEC, are averaging 467.0 yards of offense, including 300.5 passing yards, and they have surrendered only 476 total yards (238.0 ypg) through two contests. Quinn Ewers has completed 44 of 63 passes for 506 yards and six touchdowns. Gunnar Helm has a team-high 140 receiving yards and a TD on nine receptions, while Matthew Golden has reached the end zone three times to go along with 91 receiving yards. The top rusher is Jerrick Gibson with 103 yards and a pair of scores on 20 attempts. Jaylon Guilbeau leads the defense with 13 total tackles, while David Gbenda and Anthony Hill Jr. have registered 11 stops and 1.5 tackles for loss apiece. Steve Sarkisian is 27-14 in his fourth season at Texas and 74-49 in his 11th year as a head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the second meeting between UTSA and Texas on the gridiron. The Longhorns pulled away for a 41-20 victory on Sept. 17, 2022, in Austin in the only previous matchup.
LAST MEETING
Brenden Brady rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown and also tossed a TD pass, but Bijan Robinson ran for 183 yards and three scores to lead No. 20 Texas to a 41-20 victory over UTSA on Sept. 17, 2022, before 102,520 fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Roadrunners led the Longhorns by 10 points in the first half in a contest that was tied at halftime before Texas pulled away for the 21-point victory. Brady carried 21 times for 70 yards to lead the UTSA ground game, while Frank Harris completed 24 of 35 passes for 222 yards and ran for 38 more to help the Roadrunners pile up 408 yards on the Texas defense. UTSA got on the board first, going 74 yards in 20 plays and taking 8:27 off the clock on a march that was capped by a 24-yard Jared Sackett field goal with 3:28 left in the opening quarter. Texas answered with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Hudson Card to Roschon Johnson early in the second stanza, putting an end to a 10-play, 75-yard drive. The Roadrunners reclaimed the lead on a 2-yard TD plunge by Brady that was set up by a pass interference penalty call in the end zone. UTSA then pulled out the trick plays, going with an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff that was recovered by Jimmori Robinson. After a 17-yard pass from Harris to Joshua Cephus, Brady took a lateral and then threw downfield to Zakhari Franklin for a 35-yard scoring connection to help give the visitors a 17-7 lead. Cephus finished with seven catches for 80 yards and Franklin caught six for 84 yards. The Longhorns cut the deficit to three on a 3-yard TD run by Robinson with 5:20 left until halftime and then knotted things up on a 44-yard field goal by Bert Auburn with 12 seconds on the clock. Texas took its first lead since early in the second half when Robinson got loose for a 78-yard dash on UT’s first possession of the second half. Sackett drilled his second field goal of the night, a 30-yarder that made it 24-20 with 3:21 remaining in the third quarter. The Longhorns took advantage of a tipped pass late in the third, as Jahdae Barron returned an interception 44 yards to increase the advantage to 31-20. Robinson found the end zone for a third time with a 41-yard dash with 9:36 left to play and then Auburn split the uprights from 26 yards to provide the final margin.
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 14th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 162nd game in program history on Saturday when they face Texas in Austin. UTSA is 85-76 all-time and 34-43 in true road games, including a 15-9 mark under fifth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. By comparison, Texas has been playing football since 1893 and owns an all-time record of 950-392-33.
ROADRUNNERS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
The Roadrunners will play their 15th game against a nationally ranked opponent when they face Texas on Saturday in Austin. The Longhorns are ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and third in the AFCA Coaches Poll this week, marking the highest-ranked opponent the Roadrunners will face in their 14-year history. The previous highest-ranked foe was No. 13 Oklahoma State on Sept. 7, 2013, in a 56-35 loss at the Alamodome. UTSA is 0-14 all-time against ranked foes, including 0-13 versus top-25 FBS teams.
UTSA vs. Ranked Teams (0-14)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
10/1/11 |
at #16 Sam Houston* |
L, 7-22 |
|
11/3/12 |
at #22 Louisiana Tech |
L, 27-51 |
|
9/7/13 |
#13 Oklahoma State |
L, 35-56 |
|
9/3/15 |
at #22 Arizona |
L, 32-42 |
|
9/19/15 |
at #25 Oklahoma State |
L, 14-69 |
|
11/19/16 |
at #22 Texas A&M |
L, 10-23 |
|
10/10/20 |
at #15 BYU |
L, 20-27 |
|
12/26/20 |
vs. #16 Louisiana |
L, 24-31 |
|
12/21/21 |
vs. #24 San Diego State |
L, 24-38 |
|
9/3/22 |
#24 Houston |
L, 35-37 (3OT) |
|
9/17/22 |
at #20 Texas |
L, 20-41 |
|
12/16/22 |
vs. #23 Troy |
L, 12-18 |
|
9/23/23 |
at #20 Tennessee |
L, 14-45 |
|
11/24/23 |
at #18 Tulane |
L, 16-29 |
* FCS
UTSA VERSUS IN-STATE FOES
The Roadrunners are 35-21 all-time against teams from the state of Texas including a 15-5 mark under fifth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. Texas is the second of three consecutive and five overall opponents from the Lone Star State on this season’s docket.
UTSA vs. Texas teams
1-2 vs. Baylor
1-3 vs. Houston
1-0 vs. Lamar
0-1 vs. McMurry
7-5 vs. North Texas
8-3 vs. Rice
0-1 vs. Sam Houston
1-0 vs. Stephen F. Austin
0-1 vs. Texas
0-2 vs. Texas A&M
1-0 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce
1-0 vs. Texas Southern
5-1 vs. Texas State
1-0 vs. UIW
8-2 vs. UTEP
35-21 overall
UTSA ON ESPN
The Roadrunners will appear on ESPN for the second time in the last four games and the sixth time overall. UTSA owns a 1-4 record in games televised on the network. ESPN carried a pair of UTSA games last season, the 35-17 victory over Marshall in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl on Dec. 19 and the 37-29 home setback to Army on Sept. 15.
UTSA’s ESPN Broadcasts
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
12/17/16 |
at New Mexico |
L, 20-23 |
|
12/21/21 |
vs. #24 San Diego State |
L, 24-38 |
|
12/16/22 |
vs. #23 Troy |
L, 12-18 |
|
9/15/23 |
Army |
L, 29-37 |
|
12/19/23 |
vs. Marshall |
W, 35-17 |
TRAYLOR TAKING ROADRUNNERS TO NEW HEIGHTS
Head coach Jeff Traylor has guided 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 40-15 record through 55 games, the most wins all-time and best winning percentage (.727) by a UTSA head football coach. In fact, he is approaching Larry Coker’s program standard for most games coached of 58. In the Jeff Traylor era, the Roadrunners are 24-3 (.889) at home, and they own a 27-4 (.871) record in regular season conference games and are 29-4 (.879) against league competition when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games. Under Traylor’s direction, UTSA has won back-to-back conference championships, has been nationally ranked in all three major polls in 2021 and 2022 and has played in a bowl game in each of his four seasons, including defeating Marshall, 35-17, in the 2023 Frisco Bowl for the program’s first bowl win. The two-time conference coach of the year has coached eight All-Americans, three national award finalists, 13 national award semifinalists, seven conference superlative award recipients, 83 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 14
One of the newest FBS programs and now in its second year as a member of the American Athletic Conference, UTSA is in its 14th season of football in 2024. 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. Last fall, the Roadrunners notched their first bowl victory with a 35-17 decision over Marshall in the Frisco Bowl to cap a 9-4 ledger that include a 7-1 mark in their debut in The American. UTSA now has posted at least six wins in eight of the 13 full seasons in program history and it has reached the seven-win plateau six times, including in each of the first four years of the Jeff Traylor era.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 31 of the 55 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 22-9 record in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 18 of the last 33 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 13-4 (.765) in games decided by eight points or less since 2021, the most wins and top winning percentage among FBS teams who have played 15 or more one-score games during that stretch.
Winning Percentage in One-Score Games Since 2021
|
Team |
Record |
Pct |
|
UTSA |
13-4 |
.765 |
|
Eastern Michigan |
10-6 |
.625 |
|
Old Dominion |
10-12 |
.455 |
|
Illinois |
10-11 |
.476 |
|
Navy |
7-10 |
.412 |
|
Iowa State |
6-14 |
.300 |
|
Nebraska |
4-17 |
.190 |
*minimum 15 games
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will return home to host Houston Christian on Saturday, Sept. 21. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+ and Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
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