Game #9
UTSA Roadrunners (4-4, 2-2)
at
South Florida Bulls (6-2, 3-1)
6:30 p.m. CT | Thursday, Nov. 6
Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, Fla.
Series History: UTSA leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UTSA 49, USF 21 (11/17/23 • San Antonio, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and South Florida will meet for the second time on the gridiron on Thursday night.
- The Roadrunners registered a 49-21 home triumph in the only previous meeting on Nov. 17, 2023.
- USF marks the second straight UTSA opponent that is receiving votes in both national polls.
- UTSA has won its last five non-Saturday games after the 48-26 victory over Tulane last Thursday night and is 13-7 all-time in games played on a weekday, including 2-2 on Thursdays.
- Dating back to 2020 in the Jeff Traylor era, the Roadrunners are 16-3 (.842) in November, including 6-2 in American Conference games.
- UTSA is 8-11 all-time and 0-1 this season when playing games in the Eastern time zone.
- Raymond James Stadium will mark the second NFL stadium in which UTSA has played this season (Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia).
- Jeff Traylor logged his 50th win at UTSA last week, as the Roadrunners are now 50-24 (.676) since 2020, tied for the 12th-most wins in the FBS and deadlocked with Memphis for the most among current American Conference teams during that span.
- The Roadrunners remained perfect at home against conference opponents in the Jeff Traylor era, improving to 24-0 since 2020 with the 48-26 victory over Tulane last Thursday night.
- In the Jeff Traylor era, UTSA is 33-10 (.767) in conference games, including 13-7 (.650) in the American.
- The Roadrunners boast a 100-yard rusher in six of the eight games this season including five by senior RB Robert Henry Jr.
- UTSA has recorded a sack in 30 of the past 31 games.
- The Roadrunners registered three interceptions and a fumble recovery against Tulane, the 13th game in the Jeff Traylor era with three-plus takeaways.
SETTING THE SCENE
Fresh off a 48-26 home victory over Tulane, UTSA will head to Tampa to take on South Florida on Thursday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Raymond James Stadium in what will be the Roadrunners’ second straight ESPN Thursday night broadcast. UTSA won the only previous meeting between the two teams on the gridiron, racing past the Bulls, 49-21, on Nov. 17, 2023, at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners evened their records at 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the American Conference with the 22-point decision that handed the Green Wave their first league loss. The Bulls, who are receiving votes in both national polls, were off last week and enter Thursday’s contest at 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the American.
TUNING IN
Thursday night’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN and available on the ESPN app. Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Harry Lyles Jr. (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.
LAST TIME OUT
Led by four takeaways from the defense and Owen McCown’s school record-setting night, UTSA raced past Tulane, 48-26, in American Conference action on Oct. 30 at the Alamodome. With the win, the Roadrunners evened their record to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the league while handing the Green Wave (6-2, 3-1) their first conference loss of the season. UTSA also remained perfect at home against conference opponents in the Jeff Traylor era, improving to 24-0 dating back to the 2020 season. UTSA came away with three interceptions, the most in a game since also picking off three passes against Louisiana Tech in 2022, and recovered a fumble to match the season high in takeaways. Ahamad Chapman, Jermarius Lewis and Tyan Milton each had an interception, and Jimmy Wyrick registered the fumble recovery to go with a game-high seven tackles. Meanwhile, McCown completed his first 16 passes to break the school record for consecutive completions and finished 31 of 33 for a program-record .939 completion percentage. The redshirt junior piled up 370 yards and tossed four touchdown passes for his fifth 300-yard game as a Roadrunner. David Amador II led all pass-catchers with 10 receptions for 113 yards and a pair of TDs. The redshirt sophomore wide receiver also threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Devin McCuin, who ended with eight grabs for 96 yards and two scores.
MCCOWN REELS IN WEEKLY HONORS
UTSA quarterback Owen McCown has been named American Conference Offensive Player of the Week and to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 and Manning Award’s “Stars of the Week” lists following his record-setting performance in the win over Tulane. The redshirt junior set school records for consecutive completions (16) and completion percentage (.939), throwing for 370 yards and four touchdowns on 31-of-33 passing.
REMEMBER NOVEMBER
With the calendar now turned to November, the Roadrunners will look to continue their success in the 11th month of the year under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. Since he took over in 2020, UTSA boasts a 16-3 (.842) record in November, including a 6-2 mark in the American Conference.
UTSA’s November Games under Jeff Traylor (16-3)
|
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 |
UTSA IN WEEKDAY GAMES
With the second of back-to-back Thursday night contests on the schedule this week, UTSA will play on a weekday for the 21st time overall and 15th time under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners have won their last five non-Saturday games and are 11-4 on weekdays in the Traylor era and 13-7 all-time.
UTSA’s Non-Saturday Games (13-7)
|
Day |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
Friday |
8/29/14 |
at Houston |
W, 27-7 |
|
Thursday |
9/4/14 |
Arizona |
L, 23-26 |
|
Thursday |
11/13/14 |
Southern Miss |
W, 12-10 |
|
Thursday |
9/3/15 |
at #22 Arizona |
L, 32-42 |
|
Friday |
9/16/16 |
Arizona State |
L, 28-32 |
|
Friday |
9/25/20 |
Middle Tennessee |
W, 37-35 |
|
Friday |
12/3/21 |
Western Kentucky |
W, 49-41 |
|
Tuesday* |
12/21/21 |
vs. #24 San Diego State |
L, 24-38 |
|
Friday |
9/30/22 |
at Middle Tennessee |
W, 45-30 |
|
Friday |
10/14/22 |
at FIU |
W, 30-10 |
|
Friday |
12/2/22 |
North Texas |
W, 48-27 |
|
Friday* |
12/16/22 |
vs. #23 Troy |
L, 12-18 |
|
Friday |
9/15/23 |
Army West Point |
L, 29-37 |
|
Friday |
11/17/23 |
South Florida |
W, 49-21 |
|
Friday |
11/24/23 |
at #18 Tulane |
L, 16-29 |
|
Tuesday* |
12/19/23 |
vs. Marshall |
W, 35-17 |
|
Friday |
11/15/24 |
North Texas |
W, 48-27 |
|
Friday |
11/22/24 |
Temple |
W, 51-27 |
|
Monday* |
12/23/24 |
at Coastal Carolina |
W, 44-15 |
|
Thursday |
10/30/25 |
Tulane |
W, 48-26 |
* bowl game
ON EASTERN TIME
The Roadrunners are set to play their second game of the season in the Eastern time zone when they face South Florida in Tampa on Thursday. UTSA is 8-11 all-time and 5-6 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 (8-11)
|
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. |
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 50-24 (.676) under his direction, tied for the 12th-most wins in the FBS, knotted with Memphis for the most among current American Conference teams and deadlocked with SMU for the second-most among teams from the state of Texas since 2020. UTSA boasts a 32-4 (.889) home record in the Traylor era, tied for the fifth-most home victories since 2020 and tied with Memphis for the most among current American Conference members during that span. 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 SOUTH FLORIDA
The Bulls will enter Thursday’s contest at 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the American Conference. South Florida opened the season with back-to-back wins over then-top-25 teams in Boise State and Florida. The Bulls started league play with wins over Charlotte (54-26), North Texas (63-36) and Florida Atlantic (48-13) before dropping a 34-31 decision at Memphis on Oct. 25. USF is averaging 40.4 points and 487.0 yards of offense per game while allowing 24.4 points and 387.3 yards per contest. Byrum Brown has completed 154 of 245 passes for 1,964 yards and 17 touchdowns, and he also is the Bulls’ leading rusher with 596 yards and eight TDs on 120 attempts. Keshaun Singleton has a team-high 29 receptions for 451 yards and three scores. Defensively, Mac Harris paces the unit with 69 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Jarvis Less owns 7.5 TFLs and a pair of interceptions. Head coach Alex Golesh is 20-14 in his third season at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the second meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and South Florida. The Roadrunners registered a 49-21 home triumph on Nov. 17, 2023, in the only previous matchup during their first season in the American Conference.
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 15th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 181st game in program history on Thursday when they face South Florida in Tampa. UTSA is 95-85 (.528) all-time and 36-51 (.414) in road games. A similar modern startup program, USF played its first season of football in 1997 and owns an all-time record of 181-162.
UTSA/USF CONNECTIONS
Four members of the UTSA football staff have past connections to South Florida. UTSA offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Justin Burke was the Bulls’ special teams coordinator and tight ends coach from 2017 to 2019. UTSA assistant wide receivers coach Luke Turner was a graduate assistant at USF in 2017 and 2018. UTSA general manager Mike Giglio was director of player personnel/pro liaison in 2017-18 and then director of recruiting/pro liaison in 2019-22. UTSA assistant general manager/recruiting strategy Jenna Learn is a USF graduate (2022) and served as recruiting and event operations intern in 2021 before becoming the football operations and recruiting coordinator in 2022.
LAST MEETING
UTSA set a school record for total offense (since broken) behind Frank Harris’ record-setting night in a 49-21 win over South Florida on Nov. 17, 2023, at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners racked up 643 yards of offense on the shoulders of Harris’ 523-yard, six-touchdown output, as the quarterback threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 112 and three more TDs to break the individual single-game total offense standard he already owned. Joshua Cephus also joined in on the record-setting party, as the wide receiver became the program’s all-time leader in receiving yards after piling up 163 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. Defensively, Rashad Wisdom led the way with eight tackles and a pass breakup, while Owen Pewee added seven stops, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Nicktroy Fortune and Dywan Griffin also came up with interceptions.
HENRY HONORED BY THE ATHLETIC
UTSA senior Robert Henry Jr. has landed on The Athletic Midseason All-America Team, which was unveiled on Oct. 15. A native of Lumberton, Mississippi, he earned one of the two second-team spots at running back. He has emerged as one of the top rushers in the FBS this season. Through the first eight games, he has piled up 955 yards and nine touchdowns on 120 carries (8.0 ypc). He also has caught 15 passes for 109 yards and a pair of scores, giving him 1,064 all-purpose yards.
LAPEZE LANDS ON CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST LIST
UTSA redshirt junior Luke Lapeze has been chosen as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award. Celebrating its 36th year, the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The Humble, Texas, native is one of 177 semifinalists for the award, marking the ninth consecutive year that a Roadrunner has made the semifinalist list. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history in December 2024, graduating with a 3.36 GPA. A two-time American Conference All-Academic Team selection, he has made the UTSA Honor Roll three times and the Dean’s List once.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 41 of the 74 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 26-15 record (.634) in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 28 of the last 53 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Since 2020, the Roadrunners are 20-12 (.625) in games decided by eight points or less.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will fly back to the East Coast for a conference matchup with Charlotte on Saturday, Nov. 15. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and the game will air on ESPN+ and Sports Radio AM 760 the Ticket.
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