CONWAY, S.C. — Owen McCown accounted for 291 yards of offense and two touchdowns, while Brandon Brown registered a pair of sacks to help lead UTSA to a 44-15 victory over Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday at Brooks Stadium.
With their second straight bowl win and the largest margin of victory in Myrtle Beach Bowl history, the Roadrunners finished the 2024 campaign with a 7-6 overall record, their fifth consecutive winning ledger under head coach Jeff Traylor.
McCown completed 23 of 30 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown and he rushed for 37 and a score en route to earning Myrtle Beach Bowl MVP honors. The redshirt sophomore helped the Roadrunners rack up 513 yards of offense, 256 through the air and 257 on the ground.
Meanwhile, Brown led a dominating defensive effort with a career-high five tackles, including his two sacks, as UTSA tallied 10 tackles for loss and four sacks on the day.
Syrus Dumas and Elijah Newell led the defense with six stops apiece, while Martavius French had three TFLs, as the Roadrunners limited the Chanticleers (6-7) to 271 yards of offense, including just 98 rushing yards.
Will Henderson III paced UTSA’s ground attack with 81 yards on just five carries, including a 51-yard touchdown sprint in the fourth quarter that provided the final margin. Brandon High Jr. rushed for 76 yards and a TD on 11 totes, while Bryson Donnell added 35 yards on seven attempts.
David Amador II caught seven passes for 110 yards to lead the receiving corps, while Devin McCuin had five grabs for 63 yards.
Following a scoreless opening quarter, the Roadrunners opened up a 21-point lead with touchdowns on three consecutive possessions. UTSA piled up 210 yards of offense in the frame, averaging 10.5 yards per play.
High plowed through the Coastal Carolina defense for a 9-yard touchdown run just one minute into the second quarter to give UTSA the initial lead. That score was set up by an 18-yard reception from McCuin, while High totaled 29 yards on the ground during the drive.
On the next possession, McCown got loose down the right sideline on a 35-yard QB keeper to help push the advantage to two touchdowns. UTSA needed only four plays to cover 81 yards on the drive.
McCown then connected with Patrick Overmyer on a 6-yard touchdown pass to cap a quick, four-play, 57-yard scoring march. Tate Sandell’s extra point gave the Roadrunners a 21-0 edge with 7:12 left until halftime.
The defense came up with a key fourth-down stop to help keep the first-half shutout alive, as French forced Chanticleers running back Braydon Bennett out of bounds at the UTSA 5-yard line to turn it over on downs.
The Roadrunners opened the second half with another scoring drive, this one ending with a 38-yard field goal by Sandell.
After a three-and-out by the UTSA defense that included Brown’s second sack of the day, Sandell drilled another field goal, this time from 27 yards to push the lead to 27-0 midway through the third quarter.
The Chanticleers broke through for their first points of the day early in the fourth quarter when Tad Hudson connected with Bryson Graves on a 50-yard TD pass.
The Roadrunners responded immediately, as Chris Carpenter returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, his second of the season and third of his career.
Sandell nailed his third field goal of the day from 29 yards out to make it 37-7 with 8:07 left to play before Coastal Carolina reached the end zone on a 9-yard TD catch by Senika McKie at the 4:43 mark of the fourth.
Hudson passed for 173 yards and two TDs while Bennett led the Chanticleers on the ground with 54 yards.
The Roadrunners will open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 at Texas A&M.
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