Game #3
15th Season Celebration / Salute to Hometown Heroes
UTSA Roadrunners (0-2)
vs.
#8 (FCS) UIW Cardinals (1-1)
2:30 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 13
Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UTSA 35, UIW 7 (8/31/19 • San Antonio, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and UIW will meet for the second time in the Hometown Showdown on Saturday at the Alamodome.
- The Roadrunners registered a 35-7 home victory in the only previous meeting with the Cardinals on Aug. 31, 2019.
- Ranked eighth in the FCS Coaches Poll this week, UIW will mark the second top-25 FCS opponent UTSA has faced in its history. The Roadrunners dropped a 22-7 road decision to No. 16 Sam Houston during their inaugural season in 2011 in the only other game versus a nationally ranked FCS team.
- Since the start of their transition to FBS status in 2012, UTSA is a perfect 9-0 versus FCS opponents, including 4-0 under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor.
- The Roadrunners are 29-4 (.879) at home in the Jeff Traylor era, and the 29 wins since 2020 are tied for the sixth most in the FBS over that stretch.
- UTSA has won 17 of its last 19 home games.
- The Roadrunners are 46-22 (.676) overall in the Jeff Traylor era (since 2020), the most wins among current American Conference members and tied with Texas for the most wins among FBS teams from the state of Texas during that span.
- UTSA is 37-25 versus teams from the state of Texas, including 17-9 with Jeff Traylor at the helm.
- UTSA senior RB Robert Henry Jr. is the leading rusher in the FBS with 336 yards through the first two games. He also shares the lead with five total touchdowns and 30 points, while ranking second in rushing TDs (4) and third in average yards per rush (10.18).
SETTING THE SCENE
UTSA will look to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss in the home opener when it hosts UIW in the Hometown Showdown on Saturday, Sept. 13. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome for the second meeting on the gridiron between the Roadrunners (0-2) and Cardinals (1-1). UTSA scored a 35-7 home triumph in the only previous matchup on Aug. 31, 2019. Saturday will mark the official 15th Season Celebration and the annual Salute to Hometown Heroes game.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+ and via the ESPN app. Jack Benjamin (play-by-play) and Dave Steckel (analyst) 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.com and 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.
CELEBRATING CAMPAIGN NO. 15
The Roadrunners are celebrating their 15th season of football in 2025 with this Saturday’s UIW matchup serving as the official celebration. One of the newer FBS programs and now in its third year as a member of the American Conference, UTSA started its program from scratch and, following a practice year in 2010, played its 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 bowl appearance, ending the year with an 11-3 mark. The Roadrunners notched their first bowl victory with a 35-17 decision over Marshall in the 2023 Frisco Bowl to cap a 9-4 ledger that include a 7-1 mark in their debut in the American. UTSA collected its second straight bowl win with a 44-15 triumph over Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl to close out a seven-win campaign in 2024. UTSA now has posted at least six wins in nine of its 14 previous seasons, and it has reached the seven-win plateau seven times, including in each of the first five years of the Jeff Traylor era.
HOME SWEET DOME
UTSA has been tough to beat at the Alamodome during the Jeff Traylor era, boasting a 29-4 (.879) record at the facility dating back to the 2020 season. The 29 wins are tied for the sixth most among FBS teams over that span. The Roadrunners saw their school record-tying 10-game home winning streak snapped in a heartbreaking loss to Texas State last Saturday, but they still have won 17 of their last 19 home contests. UTSA also reeled off a 10-game home win streak that started with a 27-26 victory over Louisiana Tech on Oct. 24, 2020, and ran through the 49-41 win against WKU in the 2021 Conference USA Championship Game before it was snapped in triple overtime against No. 24 Houston in the 2022 season opener. The Roadrunners have been victorious in 27 of their last 30 home contests and are 55-31 (.640) all-time in the Alamodome.
UTSA’s Home Record Since 2020
|
Year |
W-L |
|
2020 |
5-1 |
|
2021 |
7-0 |
|
2022 |
6-1 |
|
2023 |
5-1 |
|
2024 |
6-0 |
|
2025 |
0-1 |
|
Totals |
29-4 |
PACKING THE DOME
UTSA fans have packed the Alamodome over the past four-plus seasons, as six of the program’s nine-largest home crowds have been recorded during that span. The Roadrunners drew 45,778 fans for the home opener last Saturday, marking the third-largest attendance for a UTSA game at the Alamodome. The last time those two teams met in San Antonio, 49,342 fans watched UTSA beat Texas State in the 2023 home opener to mark the second-largest crowd in program history. Since the return from COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 season, 734,311 fans have filed into the Alamodome to watch the Roadrunners, an average of 27,197 per contest. In the 2024 season opener against Kennesaw State, the program eclipsed the two-million fan mark, and now 2,160,564 spectators have watched the Roadrunners at the Alamodome, an average of 25,123 over 86 home contests. UTSA set NCAA modern startup program records in its first season by drawing 56,743 fans to the inaugural game against Northeastern State on Sept. 3, 2011, and by averaging 35,521 fans for six home contests.
UTSA’s Top 10 Home Crowds
|
Attendance |
Date |
Opponent |
|
56,743 |
9/3/11 |
Northeastern State |
|
49,342 |
9/9/23 |
Texas State |
|
45,778 |
9/6/25 |
Texas State |
|
42,071 |
9/8/18 |
Baylor |
|
41,412 |
12/2/22 |
North Texas |
|
41,148 |
12/3/21 |
Western Kentucky |
|
40,977 |
9/7/13 |
Oklahoma State |
|
39,032 |
11/24/12 |
Texas State |
|
37,526 |
9/3/22 |
Houston |
|
35,147 |
11/20/21 |
UAB |
TRAYLOR TAKING ROADRUNNERS TO NEW HEIGHTS
Sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor has taken UTSA to new heights during his time in San Antonio. The Roadrunners are 46-22 (.676) under his direction, the most wins since 2020 among current American Conference teams and tied with Texas for the most among Texas FBS programs. UTSA boasts a 29-4 (.879) home record in the Traylor era, tied for the sixth most home wins since 2020 among FBS teams. Since Traylor — the winningest coach in program history — arrived in San Antonio, UTSA has captured a pair of conference championships, earned five straight bowl berths with back-to-back bowl wins and made a combined 23 appearances in the three major national polls. He has coached nine All-Americans, three national award finalists, 91 all-conference selections and a trio of NFL Draft picks at UTSA.
LAST TIME OUT
Robert Henry Jr. registered his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game, but Texas State used a 65-yard touchdown reception by Beau Sparks with 10 minutes remaining to outlast UTSA, 43-36, on Saturday afternoon in front of 45,778 fans at the Alamodome. Henry rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard sprint in the third quarter and a 30-yard dash in the fourth that pulled the Roadrunners within two. Owen McCown then completed a pass to Devin McCuin to knot the score at 36-all with 10:22 left to play. The Bobcats answered quickly on their next play from scrimmage, reclaiming the lead on a deep ball from Brad Jackson to Sparks, who finished the day with 155 receiving yards. Tyler Robles’s extra point gave the visitors a 43-36 cushion. UTSA had three more possessions down the stretch but turned the ball over on downs twice, including with 1:28 left, allowing Texas State to run out the clock and snap the Roadrunners’ 10-game home winning streak.
SCOUTING UIW
After opening the season with a 20-6 road loss to Nicholls on Aug. 23, the Cardinals are coming off an idle week after picking up their first win of the season, a 31-21 home triumph over Eastern Washington on Aug. 30. Ranked eighth in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll, UIW is averaging 18.5 points and 333.5 yards per game while allowing 20.5 points and 288.5 yards per contest. Richard Torres has completed 50 of 73 passes for 507 yards and a touchdown. Chedon James paces the team with 13 receptions for 115 yards, while Harlan Dixon has a team-high 75 rushing yards and two TDs. Defensively, Kendrick Stone has posted a team-best 18 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Head coach Clint Killough is 21-6 in his third season at the helm after leading UIW to an 11-3 record and the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs in 2024.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the second meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and UIW. The Roadrunners registered a 35-7 home triumph in the only previous matchup on Aug. 31, 2019.
UTSA/UIW All-Time Series
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
8/31/19 |
UTSA 35, UIW 7 |
Alamodome |
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 15th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 175th game in program history on Saturday when they face UIW. UTSA is 91-83 (.523) all-time and 55-31 (.640) at the Alamodome, including 29-4 (.879) under head coach Jeff Traylor.
SIMILAR STARTUPS
UTSA and UIW share more in common than being located in San Antonio. Both football programs are modern startups, as UIW kicked off in 2009, while UTSA followed with its inaugural season two years later. The Cardinals have been members of the Southland Conference since 2013 when they began a four-year transition from NCAA Division II, and they played their first Southland schedule in football in 2014. The Roadrunners were part of the Southland from 1992 to 2012 except in football, as UTSA started as an FCS Independent in 2011 before making the moving to the Western Athletic Conference for the 2012 season, Conference USA in 2013 and the American Conference in 2023.
LAST MEETING
In his first career start, Frank Harris passed for 206 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 123 yards, while UTSA held UIW to 209 yards of offense in a 35-7 victory in the Hometown Showdown on Aug. 31, 2019, at the Alamodome. Harris completed his first 13 passes — a school record for a debut — and finished 28 of 36 through the air. UTSA piled up 284 rushing yards, led by Harris and Sincere McCormick, who dashed for 74 yards on just 12 carries in becoming the first freshman to start at tailback since Chris Johnson in the inaugural game. The ground game helped the Roadrunners run 84 plays and hold the ball for 40 minutes and two seconds. Meanwhile, the defense created havoc, as UIW was held to 28 rushing yards and did not convert a third down in 10 tries. Lorenzo Dantzler logged two sacks and SaVion Harris had four tackles and an interception to lead the way.
UTSA VERSUS IN-STATE FOES
The Roadrunners are 37-25 all-time against teams from the state of Texas including a 17-9 mark under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. UIW is the third of three consecutive opponents from the Lone Star State to open this season’s ledger, which also includes Rice and North Texas in October.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The Roadrunners’ four-game non-conference slate sets up to be one of the toughest in the FBS this season. Texas A&M, Texas State and Colorado State all won eight games in 2024, while UIW registered 11 wins and made a run to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs. That adds up to a combined 35 victories a year ago for UTSA’s four non-league foes.
FAMILIAR FOES
UTSA will face familiar foes in 2025, as the Roadrunners have previously faced all 12 teams on the regular season schedule. The most-played series in program history is with North Texas, and the two teams will meet for the 14th time in October with UTSA holding an 8-5 edge. The Roadrunners and Rice will play for the 13th time, also in October, with UTSA boasting an 8-4 advantage. UTSA and Texas State met for the seventh time in the home opener, while the regular season finale will mark the sixth meeting with Army.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 39 of the 68 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 25-14 record (.641) in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 26 of the last 47 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 14-8 (.636) in games decided by eight points or less since 2021.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will travel to Fort Collins, Colorado, to face Colorado State on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is slated for 8:30 p.m. CT and the game will air on FS1 and Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
-UTSA-