Game #13
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
UTSA Roadrunners (6-6)
vs.
FIU Panthers (7-5)
7 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 26
Gerald J. Ford Stadium | Dallas, Texas
Series History: Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting: UTSA 30, FIU 10 (10/14/22 • Miami, Fla.)
OPENING DRIVE
- The Roadrunners will make their sixth straight and seventh overall bowl appearance when they face FIU in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Friday night.
- This will mark UTSA’s second appearance in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (2020).
- The Roadrunners have won their last two bowl games and are 2-4 all-time in bowls, including 2-3 under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor.
- UTSA and FIU will meet for the fifth time on Friday and first at a neutral site.
- The series is tied at 2-2 with the Roadrunners registering a 30-10 road triumph on Oct. 14, 2022, in the last meeting.
- This will mark UTSA’s fifth bowl game that will be played on a weekday, and the Roadrunners own a 2-2 record in those contests.
- UTSA is 13-8 (.619) in weekday games including 9-4 (.692) on Fridays.
- Jeff Traylor has guided the Roadrunners to an 11-5 record on weekdays, including 8-3 on Fridays.
- UTSA is 52-26 (.667) in the Jeff Traylor era, the most wins among current American Conference teams since 2020 and tied with SMU for the second-most victories among teams from the state of Texas during that span.
- UTSA boasts a 100-yard rusher in eight of the 12 games this season.
- The Roadrunners have registered a sack in 34 of their last 35 games and a takeaway in 31 of their last 35 contests.
- UTSA is one of an American Conference-record nine teams playing in a bowl game this season, joining Army, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, South Florida and Tulane.
SETTING THE SCENE
Making its sixth straight and seventh overall bowl appearance, UTSA will travel to Dallas to face FIU in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Friday, Dec. 26. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN. The Roadrunners have won each of their last two bowl games and will enter the matchup with the Panthers with a 2-4 record in bowls. This will mark the fifth meeting between UTSA and FIU in a series that is even at 2-2. The Roadrunners have won two of their last three games and will enter Friday at 6-6 overall, while the Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak and own a 7-5 mark.
TUNING IN
Friday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN and it will be available via the ESPN app. Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (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. Bowl Season Radio will broadcast the game live on SiriusXM channel 84 and the SiriusXM app, network affiliates around the country and via Audacy, Varsity Network and TuneIn. Calling the action will be Brian Estridge (play-by-play), Marshall Newhouse (analyst) and Chris Mycoskie (reporter).
ROADRUNNERS GOING BOWLING
UTSA will play in a bowl game for the sixth year in a row under head coach Jeff Traylor and seventh time in program history. The Roadrunners have won each of their past two bowls, defeating Marshall, 35-17, in the 2023 Frisco Bowl and racing past Coastal Carolina, 44-15, in the 2024 Myrtle Beach Bowl. UTSA’s inaugural bowl appearance came in 2016, a 23-20 setback to New Mexico in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.
UTSA’s Bowl History (2-4)
|
Date |
Bowl |
Opponent |
Result |
|
12/17/16 |
New Mexico Bowl |
New Mexico |
L, 20-23 |
|
12/26/20 |
First Responder Bowl |
#16 Louisiana |
L, 24-31 |
|
12/21/21 |
Frisco Bowl |
#24 San Diego State |
L, 24-38 |
|
12/16/22 |
Cure Bowl |
#23 Troy |
L, 12-18 |
|
12/19/23 |
Frisco Bowl |
Marshall |
W, 35-17 |
|
12/23/24 |
Myrtle Beach Bowl |
Coastal Carolina |
W, 44-15 |
UTSA IN WEEKDAY GAMES
With the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl set for Friday, Dec. 26, UTSA will play on a weekday for the third time this season, fifth time in a bowl game, 22nd time overall and 16th time under sixth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners have won five of their last six non-Saturday games and are 11-5 on weekdays in the Traylor era and 13-8 all-time. UTSA owns a 9-4 record in games played on a Friday, including 8-3 with Traylor at the helm. In fact, the last meeting between the Roadrunners and FIU was a 30-10 road triumph on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.
UTSA’s Non-Saturday Games (13-8)
|
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 |
|
Thursday |
11/6/25 |
at South Florida |
L, 23-55 |
* bowl game
A METROPLEX HOMECOMING
The bowl trip to Dallas will mark a homecoming for several Roadrunners who hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Player (High School)
David Adedoyin (Mansfield Legacy)
Kendrick Blackshire (Duncanville)
Jamel Hardy Jr. (Lincoln)
Davion Hurth (Mesquite Horn)
Jon Jones (McKinney)
Zach Morris (Flower Mound Marcus)
Michael Petro (Flower Mound Marcus)
Donald Quaite Jr. (Bishop Dunne)
Mark Rayson III (First Baptist Academy)
Brandon Tucker (DeSoto)
Corey Walls (Rowlett)
Marcellus Wilkerson (Boswell)
Devron Williams Jr. (Aledo)
Jimmy Wyrick (South Oak Cliff)
SIX ROADRUNNERS LAND ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Led by first-team honorees Shad Banks Jr. at linebacker and Robert Henry Jr. at running back, a total of six UTSA Roadrunners landed on the All-American Conference Teams, as voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches. In addition to the two first-team selections, Caile Hogan made the second team at punter, while Devin McCuin (wide receiver), Houston Thomas (tight end) and Jimmy Wyrick (safety) all earned a spot on the third team. With the half dozen selections this year, UTSA has collected a total of 97 all-conference certificates in six seasons under head coach Jeff Traylor.
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 10 of its 15 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 52-26 (.667) under his direction, the most wins among current American Conference teams since 2020, tied for the 11th-most in the FBS and knotted with SMU for the second-most among teams from the state of Texas during that span. UTSA boasts a 33-5 (.868) home record in the Traylor era, the most among current American Conference members since 2020 and tied with Michigan, Missouri, NC State and Notre Dame for the sixth-most home victories in the FBS during that stretch. Additionally, UTSA is 23-1 in regular season conference home games and 25-1 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 six 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, 97 all-conference selections and a trio of NFL Draft picks at UTSA.
SCOUTING FIU
The Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak and will enter the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at 7-5 overall. FIU finished 5-3 in Conference USA and boasts a 27-21 victory over Jacksonville State, which played in the conference title game. FIU is averaging 29.3 points and 408.8 yards per game while allowing 27.8 points and 405.8 yards per contest. Keyone Jenkins has completed 157 of 249 passes for 1,693 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games. Kejon Owens is the top rusher with 1,298 yards and 11 TDs on 205 attempts (6.3 avg), while Alex Perry is the top receiver with 816 yards and nine scores on 53 catches. Defensively, Johnny Chaney Jr. paces the unit with 99 total tackles, Kenton Simmons has a team-high six sacks and Jessiah McGraw owns a team-best four interceptions. Head coach Willie Simmons is in his first season at the helm and owns a 72-29 (.713) career record in nine seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the fifth meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and FIU and the first at a neutral site. The series is tied at 2-2 with the previous four matchups all as league contests during UTSA’s tenure in Conference USA. The Roadrunners registered a 30-10 road triumph on Oct. 14, 2022, in the last meeting.
UTSA/FIU Series History
|
Date |
Location |
Score |
|
10/11/14 |
San Antonio, Texas |
W, 16-13 |
|
11/4/17 |
Miami, Fla. |
L, 7-14 |
|
11/10/18 |
San Antonio, Texas |
L, 7-45 |
|
10/14/22 |
Miami, Fla. |
W, 30-10 |
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now closing out their 15th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 185th game in program history on Friday when they face FIU in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. UTSA is 97-87 (.527) all-time and 1-3 (.250) in neutral-site contests. A similar startup program, FIU’s first season of football was in 2002. The Panthers are 99-183 all-time.
LAST MEETING
Frank Harris passed for 303 yards, Kevorian Barnes rushed for 128 and Corey Mayfield had an interception, as UTSA raced past FIU 30-10 on Oct. 14, 2022, in Miami, Fla. Harris completed 24 of 35 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns, while Barnes logged UTSA’s first 100-yard game of the season on the ground to help the Roadrunners tally 433 yards of offense and win their fourth straight game. Mayfield had his first pick of the campaign to go with five total tackles and Rashad Wisdom added five stops as the defense held the Panthers to 323 yards. UTSA built a 17-3 halftime lead and eventually led 30-3 before Kejon Owens TD in the final minute provided the final margin.
LAST TIME OUT
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 Nov. 29 at the Alamodome. Trailing by 10 points entering the fourth quarter, the Roadrunners 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 defense forced a turnover on downs on UTSA’s ensuing possession to hold on for the victory. 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. Overmyer tied his career high with six receptions, turning those into career bests of 73 yards and two touchdowns to help lead the offense. 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.
-UTSA-