Game #10
UTSA Roadrunners (4-5, 2-3)
at
Charlotte 49ers (1-8, 0-6)
11 a.m. CT | Saturday, Nov. 15
Jerry Richardson Stadium | Charlotte, N.C.
Series History: UTSA leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: UTSA 33, Charlotte 14 (11/26/16 • San Antonio, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and Charlotte will meet for the third time on Saturday.
- The Roadrunners won both previous meetings, 30-27 in overtime in 2015 in Charlotte and 33-14 the following year in San Antonio.
- UTSA is 16-4 (.750) in November in the Jeff Traylor era (since 2020).
- Saturday’s noon Eastern time kickoff will mark the earliest start time for UTSA since the 2024 Myrtle Beach Bowl victory over Coastal Carolina, which kicked off at 11 a.m. ET in Conway, South Carolina.
- The Roadrunners are 8-12 all-time and 0-2 this season when playing games in the Eastern time zone.
- UTSA is 50-24 (.676) under head coach Jeff Traylor, tied for the 14th-most wins in the FBS and deadlocked with Memphis for the most among current American Conference teams during that span.
- In the Jeff Traylor era, the Roadrunners are 33-11 (.750) in conference games, including 13-8 (.6519) in the American.
- UTSA quarterback Owen McCown attended Myers Park High School in Charlotte for his freshman and sophomore seasons.
- The Roadrunners have registered a sack in 31 of their last 32 games.
SETTING THE SCENE
UTSA will travel to the Queen City to face Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff for the American Conference matchup is set for 11 a.m. Central time at Jerry Richardson Stadium. The Roadrunners (4-5, 2-3) will look to bounce back from a road setback at South Florida last Thursday night in what will be their third all-time meeting with the 49ers (1-8, 0-6). UTSA won both previous meetings with Charlotte, 30-27 in overtime in 2015 in Charlotte and 33-14 in 2016 in San Antonio in a game that clinched the program’s first-ever bowl berth. The Roadrunners are seeking their first conference road win since a 37-29 victory over North Texas on Nov. 4, 2023, in Denton.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+ and via the ESPN app. Eric Rothman (play-by-play), Reggie Walker (analyst) and Maria Trivelpiece (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.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.
REMEMBER NOVEMBER
The Roadrunners have experienced much success in the 11th month of the calendar year under head coach Jeff Traylor era. Since he took over the program prior to the 2020 season, UTSA boasts a 16-4 (.750) record in November, including a 6-3 mark in the American Conference.
UTSA’s November Games under Jeff Traylor (16-4)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
11/14/20 |
UTEP |
W, 52-21 |
|
11/21/20 |
at Southern Miss |
W, 23-20 |
|
11/28/20 |
North Texas |
W, 49-17 |
|
11/6/21 |
at UTEP |
W, 44-23 |
|
11/13/21 |
Southern Miss |
W, 27-17 |
|
11/20/21 |
UAB |
W, 34-31 |
|
11/27/21 |
at North Texas |
L, 23-45 |
|
11/5/22 |
at UAB |
W, 44-38 (2OT) |
|
11/12/22 |
Louisiana Tech |
W, 51-7 |
|
11/19/22 |
at Rice |
W, 41-7 |
|
11/26/22 |
UTEP |
W, 34-31 |
|
11/4/23 |
at North Texas |
W, 37-29 |
|
11/11/23 |
Rice |
W, 34-14 |
|
11/17/23 |
South Florida |
W, 49-21 |
|
11/24/23 |
at Tulane |
L, 16-29 |
|
11/2/24 |
Memphis |
W, 44-36 |
|
11/15/24 |
North Texas |
W, 48-27 |
|
11/22/24 |
Temple |
W, 51-27 |
|
11/30/24 |
at Army |
L, 24-29 |
|
11/6/25 |
at South Florida |
L, 23-55 |
ON EASTERN TIME
The Roadrunners are set to play their second straight and third overall game of the season in the Eastern time zone when they face Charlotte at Jerry Richardson Stadium on Saturday. UTSA is 8-12 all-time and 5-7 in the Jeff Traylor era in games played in the Eastern time zone. The Roadrunners have registered Eastern time zone road wins against Georgia State in 2012, Charlotte in 2015, Old Dominion in 2019, Army West Point and FIU in 2022, Temple and Florida Atlantic in 2023 and Coastal Carolina in last year’s Myrtle Beach Bowl.
UTSA in the Eastern Time Zone (8-12)
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
9/15/12 |
UTSA 38, Georgia State 14 |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
10/5/13 |
Marshall 34, UTSA 10 |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
9/27/14 |
Florida Atlantic 41, UTSA 37 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
11/14/15 |
UTSA 30, Charlotte 27 (OT) |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
9/24/16 |
Old Dominion 33, UTSA 19 |
Norfolk, Va. |
|
11/4/17 |
FIU 14, UTSA 7 |
Miami, Fla. |
|
11/17/18 |
Marshall 23, UTSA 0 |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
11/9/19 |
UTSA 24, Old Dominion 23 |
Norfolk, Va. |
|
10/31/20 |
Florida Atlantic 24, UTSA 3 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
9/10/22 |
UTSA 41, Army 38 |
West Point, N.Y. |
|
10/14/22 |
UTSA 30, FIU 10 |
Miami, Fla. |
|
12/16/22 |
Troy 18, UTSA 12 |
Orlando, Fla. |
|
9/23/23 |
Tennessee 45, UTSA 14 |
Knoxville, Tenn. |
|
10/7/23 |
UTSA 49, Temple 34 |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
10/21/23 |
UTSA 36, Florida Atlantic 10 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
9/28/24 |
East Carolina 30, UTSA 20 |
Greenville, N.C. |
|
11/30/24 |
Army 29, UTSA 24 |
West Point, N.Y. |
|
12/23/24 |
UTSA 44, Coastal Carolina 15 |
Conway, S.C. |
|
10/4/25 |
Temple 27, UTSA 21 |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
11/6/25 |
South Florida 55, UTSA 23 |
Tampa, Fla. |
EARLY KICKS
With Saturday’s kickoff versus Charlotte scheduled for 12 p.m. Eastern time at Jerry Richardson Stadium, UTSA will be competing in a game that begins at noon or earlier local time for the first time this season. Last year, UTSA played three games that begin with a noon or earlier local start time. The Roadrunners defeated No. 25 Memphis 44-36 on Nov. 2 in a home contest that began at 11 a.m. CT at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners dropped a 29-24 heartbreaker to No. 22 Army on Nov. 30 in a game that kicked off at noon ET in West Point, New York, and then beat Coastal Carolina 44-15 in the 2024 Myrtle Beach Bowl with an 11 a.m. ET start time in Conway, South Carolina.
UTSA’s Earliest Kickoffs
11 a.m. (4-7)
|
9/8/13 |
vs. Oklahoma State |
L, 35-56 |
|
10/18/14 |
at Louisiana Tech |
L, 20-27 |
|
11/8/14 |
at Rice |
L, 7-17 |
|
11/22/14 |
at Western Kentucky |
L, 7-45 |
|
11/29/14 |
vs. North Texas |
W, 34-27 |
|
9/12/15 |
vs. Kansas State |
L, 3-30 |
|
10/8/16 |
vs. Southern Miss |
W, 55-32 |
|
11/19/16 |
at Texas A&M |
L, 10-23 |
|
11/2/19 |
at Texas A&M |
L, 14-45 |
|
11/2/24 |
vs. Memphis |
W, 44-36 |
|
12/23/24 |
at Coastal Carolina^~ |
W, 44-15 |
11:30 a.m. (0-1)
|
10/3/20 |
at UAB |
L, 13-21 |
12 p.m. (2-3)
|
12/17/16 |
at New Mexico* |
L, 20-23 |
|
10/31/20 |
at Florida Atlantic^ |
L, 3-24 |
|
9/10/22 |
at Army^ |
W, 41-38 (OT) |
|
11/19/22 |
at Rice |
W, 41-7 |
|
11/30/24 |
at Army^ |
L, 24-29 |
^ Eastern time
~ Myrtle Beach Bowl
* New Mexico Bowl
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 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 50-25 (.667) under his direction, tied with Memphis for the most among current American Conference teams and for the 14th-most wins in the FBS since 2020 and third most among teams from the state of Texas during that span. UTSA boasts a 32-4 (.889) home record in the Traylor era, tied for the fifth-most home victories since 2020 and deadlocked with Memphis for the most among current American Conference members during that stretch. Additionally, with the 48-26 victory over Tulane on Oct. 30, the Roadrunners ran their record under Traylor to a perfect 22-0 in regular season conference home games and 24-0 against league foes when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games at the Alamodome. 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 CHARLOTTE
The 49ers fell to 1-8 overall and 0-6 in the American Conference with a 48-22 road setback to East Carolina on Saturday. Charlotte is averaging 18.0 points and 324.8 yards per game while allowing 38.4 points and 470.0 yards per contest. Grayson Loftis has completed 83 of 156 passes for 1,045 yards and eight touchdowns with Javen Nicholas leading the team in receptions (44), receiving yards (631) and receiving TDs (5). Rod Gainey Jr. is the top rusher with 215 yards on 56 attempts. Defensively, Reid Williford paces the unit with 55 tackles and four sacks. Head coach Tim Albin is in his first season at the helm after posting a 33-19 record in four years at Ohio.
SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the third meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Charlotte. The Roadrunners won both previous meetings, 30-27 in overtime in 2015 in Charlotte and 33-14 the following year in San Antonio in a game that secured UTSA’s first-ever bowl berth.
UTSA/Charlotte Series History
|
Date |
Location |
Score |
|
11/14/15 |
Charlotte |
W, 30-27 (OT) |
|
11/26/15 |
San Antonio |
W, 33-14 |
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 15th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 182nd game in program history on Saturday when they face Charlotte on the road. UTSA is 95-86 (.525) all-time and 36-52 (.409) in road games. A similar modern startup program, Charlotte played its first season of football in 2013 and owns an all-time record of 48-98.
SIMILAR STARTUPS
UTSA and Charlotte are two of the more recent startup programs. The Roadrunners played their first season in 2011 as an FCS Independent, while the 49ers started play two years later, also as an FCS Independent for two seasons before joining Conference USA in 2015.
LAST MEETING
UTSA earned a bowl berth for the first time in program history after a 33-14 victory against Charlotte on Nov. 26, 2015, at the Alamodome. With the historic win, the Roadrunners ended the regular season at 6-6 and finished second in the Conference USA’s West Division with a 5-3 ledger. UTSA piled up 520 yards of offense and held the 49ers to just 237 yards in a game that saw the home team hold the ball for more than 38 minutes. Starting quarterback Dalton Sturm completed 18-of-33 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns, while senior signal-caller Jared Johnson came off the bench in the fourth quarter to throw for 128 yards and another score on 5-of-7 passing. Kerry Thomas Jr. set a then-program record with 145 receiving yards on five catches, including a 73-yard TD on the third play from scrimmage to help stake the Roadrunners to an early lead.
LAST TIME OUT
South Florida took advantage of two early takeaways to build a 14-0 lead and never looked back in a 55-23 victory over UTSA in American Conference action on Nov. 6 at Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls scored on an interception return for a touchdown and a fumble return for a score on the opening two possessions of the game. The Roadrunners tallied 381 yards of offense, including 309 through the air, as Owen McCown threw for 200 and a touchdown on 16-of-23 passing and Brandon Tennison added 109 yards and a score on 13-of-21 passing. Houston Thomas led the way with seven receptions for 77 yards, while David Amador II had 56 yards on three catches.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will return home to host East Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Alamodome. A kickoff time and network designation will be announced on Monday, Nov. 17.
-UTSA-