SAN ANTONIO — Shad Banks Jr. logged his third double-digit tackles game of the season and Patrick Overmyer had a career day receiving, but Army used a late touchdown pass to slip past UTSA, 27-24, in American Conference action on Saturday at the Alamodome.
Trailing by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners (6-6, 4-4) scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 24-20 lead with a little more than nine minutes left to play. However, Cale Hellums connected with Parker Poloskey on a 4-yard TD pass with 2:49 remaining and the Black Knights (6-5, 4-4) defense forced a turnover on downs on UTSA’s ensuing possession to hold on for the victory.
UTSA saw its 25-game win streak against conference opponents at home come to an end, a stretch that started in the 2020 campaign as a member of Conference USA.
Banks registered a game-high 10 tackles, including one for a loss, to pace a UTSA defense that limited Army to 303 yards of offense. Jimmy Wyrick added nine stops, while Tyan Milton and Marcellus Wilkerson made six apiece.
Overmyer tied his career high with six receptions, turning those into career bests of 73 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the offense.
Devin McCuin led all receivers with seven grabs for 86 yards, while David Amador II hauled in five passes for 44 yards.
Owen McCown threw for 266 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 27-of-40 passing, while Robert Henry Jr. rushed for 63 yards on 13 attempts and became the third Roadrunner to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground in a season, joining Jarveon Williams (2015) and Sincere McCormick (2020, 2021).
After forcing an Army punt on the game’s opening possession, UTSA scored its first time with the ball, marching 81 yards in nine plays. Amador caught a lateral pass to the right side and then tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Overmyer in the corner of the end zone to give the home team the early lead. Michael Petro’s extra point made it 7-0 at the 7:43 mark of the first quarter. A 36-yard pass from McCown to McCuin over the middle set up the score.
Petro pushed the lead to 10-0 with a 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
The Black Knights got on the board with a big play on the next possession, as Noah Short took an option pitch 81 yards down the left sideline to paydirt.
Dawson Jones knotted things up at 10-10 with a 27-yard field goal with just under three minutes left to play in the half. That kick capped a 14-play, 87-yard drive that chewed 8:02 off the clock.
Army grabbed its first lead of the afternoon late in the half, as Jaydan Mayes returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown with under a minute showing on the clock to help give the visitors a seven-point advantage at the break.
The Army lead grew to 20-10 when Jones drilled his second field goal of the day, this one from 37 yards at the 4:27 mark of the third quarter.
UTSA pulled within three points on the first play of the fourth quarter when Overmyer made an acrobatic catch over a defender in the back of the end zone on an 8-yard pass from McCown. Overmyer also had a 40-yard grab to set up the touchdown.
The Roadrunners reclaimed the lead on their next possession, marching 65 yards in seven plays, the last a 7-yard reception by Jamel Hardy. Petro’s PAT made it 24-20 with 9:10 remaining. Will Henderson III ripped off a 41-yard run up the middle to highlight the drive.
Army’s offense was guided by Short, who rushed for 127 yards and a TD on 14 receptions, and Hellums, who added 90 on the ground and 38 through the air, including the game-winning toss to Poloskey with fewer than three minutes to play.
With UTSA driving on its own side of the field, the Black Knights came up with a key sack at the 35-yard line. After a third-down completion to Overmyer brought the ball out to the 42, Army broke up a pass on fourth down and four to help seal the game.
The Roadrunners will await word of their sixth consecutive bowl game appearance. An announcement is expected by Sunday, Dec. 7.
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