Game #4
UTSA Roadrunners (1-2)
at
Colorado State (1-1)
8:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, Sept. 20
Canvas Stadium | Fort Collins, Colo.
Series History: CSU leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: CSU 23, UTSA 14 (9/10/16 • Fort Collins, Colo.)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and Colorado State will meet for the third time and first since 2016 on Saturday night in Fort Collins.
- The Rams won both previous meetings by a combined 11 points.
- The Roadrunners own a 7-7 record when playing in the Mountain time zone.
- UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos is a Colorado State graduate.
- The Roadrunners are 47-22 (.681) 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 has recorded both a sack and a takeaway in 25 of the past 26 games.
- The Roadrunners have registered double-digit TFLs in six of their past 12 games.
- UTSA has scored 20-plus points in 13 straight contests and 40-plus points in six of the last nine games.
- The Roadrunners have logged 400-plus yards of offense in eight of their last 10 games dating back to last October.
- Senior RB Robert Henry Jr. leads the FBS in rushing yards (480), rushing yards per game (160.0), rushing yards per carry (10.21), total touchdowns (7) and total points scored (42). He is riding a stretch of five straight games with at least 144 rushing yards, two rushing TDs and a run of 74-plus yards.
SETTING THE SCENE
Fresh off a 48-20 home victory over UIW last Saturday in the Hometown Showdown, UTSA (1-2) will close out the non-conference slate on Saturday, Sept. 20, when it faces Colorado State (1-1) in Fort Collins. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. CT at Canvas Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on FS1. This will mark the third overall meeting and first since 2016 between the Roadrunners and Rams. CSU won the previous two matchups by a combined 11 points.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will be televised nationally on FS1. Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (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.
LAST TIME OUT
Shad Banks Jr. came up with two of UTSA’s four takeaways and Robert Henry Jr. registered his fifth consecutive 100-yard rushing game to help the Roadrunners roll past No. 8 (FCS) UIW, 48-20, last Saturday at the Alamodome. Banks had his second interception of the season and recovered a fumble to go with five solo tackles to help the Roadrunners record their first win of the campaign and second in two all-time meetings with the Cardinals. Davin Martin logged his first career pick and Jimmy Wyrick had a fumble recovery on the game’s opening possession, as UTSA forced four turnovers on the day. Henry rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns — including a 74-yard dash on the third play from scrimmage of the third quarter — on only 14 attempts, good for an average of 10.3 yards per carry. UTSA piled up 442 yards of offense, 243 through the air and 199 on the ground. Owen McCown completed 11 straight pass attempts at one point during the first half and finished 30 of 36 (83.3%) for 243 yards and four touchdowns. Devin McCuin caught seven for 51 yards and two TDs, while AJ Wilson had a team-high 104 yards and a TD on five receptions. The Roadrunners held the Cardinals to 357 yards of offense, including only 33 rushing, the fewest allowed since limiting Rice to five rushing yards in 2022. Brandon Tucker paced the defense with eight tackles, including seven solo stops, while Martin had six tackles to go with his INT.
CELEBRATING CAMPAIGN NO. 15
The Roadrunners are celebrating their 15th season of football in 2025. 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.
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 47-22 (.681) 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 30-4 (.882) home record in the Traylor era, tied for the third most home wins since 2020 among FBS teams behind only Alabama (34) and Ohio State (33). 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.
SCOUTING COLORADO STATE
The Rams are coming off an idle week and will enter Saturday’s matchup with a 1-1 record. Following a 38-21 loss at Washington in the season opener, Colorado State picked up its first win of the year with a 21-17 home victory over Northern Colorado. The Rams are averaging 21.0 points and 318.0 yards per game while allowing 27.5 points and 366.0 yards per contest. Brayden Fowler-Nocolosi has completed 30 of 57 passes for 312 yards and a touchdown. The leading rusher is Jalen Dupree with 150 yards and a TD on 28 carries. Jaxxon Warren has a team-high seven receptions for 99 yards and a score. Defensively, Owen Long paces the Rams with 24 total tackles, while Lemondre Joe has a team-best 1.5 sacks. Jay Norvell is 17-22 in his fourth season at Colorado State and 50-48 in nine seasons as a head coach.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the third meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Colorado State. The Rams won both previous matchups by a combined 11 points, 33-31, on Sept. 26, 2015, in San Antonio and 23-14 on Sept. 10, 2016, in Fort Collins.
UTSA/Colorado State All-Time Series
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
9/26/15 |
CSU 33, UTSA 31 |
San Antonio |
|
9/10/16 |
CSU 23, UTSA 14 |
Fort Collins |
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 15th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 176th game in program history on Saturday when they face Colorado State. UTSA is 92-83 (.526) all-time and 35-49 (.417) on the road. By comparison, Colorado State first played a football game in 1893 and owns an all-time record of 549-622-33.
COLORADO STATE CONNECTIONS
UTSA has several connections to Colorado State University and the current coaching staff. UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos, a native of Las Animas, Colorado, earned both her bachelor’s (1999) and master’s (2001) degrees from Colorado State. Colorado State’s special teams coordinator Tommy Perry served in the same role at UTSA in 2020 and 2021. CSU assistant outside linebackers coach Roosevelt Maggitt Jr. was UTSA’s assistant director of player personnel in 2022. CSU head coach Jay Norvell was the wide receivers coach at Texas in 2015 on the same staff as UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor, who was UT’s tight ends coach and special teams coordinator that year, as well as offensive coordinator Justin Burke (offensive assistant), running backs coach Tommie Robinson, pass game specialist/quarterbacks coach Pavit Patel (student assistant) and general manager Mike Giglio (director of player personnel/pro liaison). Additionally, UTSA offensive assistant Jacorey Warrick was a wide receiver for the Longhorns during Norvell’s time in Austin.
LAST MEETING
Colorado State rushed for 220 yards and held UTSA to minus-one yard on the ground en route to a 23-14 victory on Sept. 10, 2016, at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins. Dalyn Dawkins led the Rams' ground attack with 68 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while Izzy Matthews added 49 and a score. The Roadrunners threw for 236 yards using two quarterbacks. Dalton Sturm completed 15-of-23 passes for 176 yards and a pair of TDs, while Jared Johnson added 60 yards on 5-of-7 passing. Jalen Rhodes hauled in a career-high five catches for 54 yards, while Kerry Thomas Jr. added four for 41 and a 10-yard touchdown on UTSA's opening possession.
ON MOUNTAIN TIME
Saturday will mark UTSA’s 15th game played in the Mountain time zone and the first since a 44-23 road triumph over UTEP on Nov. 6, 2021, in El Paso, Texas. The Roadrunners own a 7-7 record in games played on Mountain time.
UTSA in the Mountain time zone (7-7)
|
Date |
Location |
Result |
|
9/17/11 |
Cedar City, Utah |
Southern Utah 45, UTSA 22 |
|
9/29/12 |
Las Cruces, N.M. |
UTSA 35, New Mexico State 14 |
|
8/31/13 |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
UTSA 21, New Mexico 13 |
|
9/14/13 |
Tucson, Ariz. |
Arizona 38, UTSA 13 |
|
9/21/13 |
El Paso, Texas |
UTSA 32, UTEP 13 |
|
9/3/15 |
Tucson, Ariz. |
Arizona 42, UTSA 32 |
|
10/3/15 |
El Paso, Texas |
UTSA 25, UTEP 6 |
|
9/10/16 |
Fort Collins, Colo. |
Colorado State 23, UTSA 14 |
|
12/17/16 |
Albuquerque, N.M. |
New Mexico 23, UTSA 20 |
|
10/28/17 |
El Paso, Texas |
UTSA 31, UTEP 14 |
|
9/1/18 |
Tempe, Ariz. |
Arizona State 49, UTSA 7 |
|
10/5/19 |
El Paso, Texas |
UTSA 26, UTEP 16 |
|
10/10/20 |
Provo, Utah |
BYU 27, UTSA 20 |
|
11/6/21 |
El Paso, Texas |
UTSA 44, UTEP 23 |
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. So far this season, Texas A&M is 3-0 and ranked 10th in both major polls, Texas State is 2-1, UIW was ranked No. 8 in last week’s FCS Coaches Poll and Colorado State is 1-1.
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 69 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 48 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
Following their first of two idle weeks, the Roadrunners will open American Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 4, against Temple at Lincoln Financial field in Philadelphia.
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