SAN MARCOS, Texas — UTSA outscored Texas State, 24-9, in the second half, and used a Brandon High Jr. 25-yard touchdown run in the final seconds to rally for a 31-26 victory — the 100th in program history — in the Battle for I-35 on Saturday afternoon at UFCU Stadium.
Trailing 17-7 at halftime, the Roadrunners registered back-to-back scoring drives to start the second half and knot the score midway through the third quarter. The two teams traded leads before the Bobcats went up 26-24 with fewer than five minutes left to play, giving UTSA enough time to engineer the game-winning drive.
Starting at their own 18-yard line with 4:31 remaining, UTSA converted two fourth downs, the first an 8-yard pass from Owen McCown to David Amador II and the second a 6-yard quarterback keeper up the middle by McCown that pushed the ball out to the 42-yard line with just under two minutes on the clock. McCown then completed three consecutive passes, and Texas State was called for defensive holding, sending the Roadrunners into the brink of field goal range. Following a short rush by Will Henderson III and a completion to AJ Wilson Jr., High had a 3-yard carry before breaking loose off right tackle for his game-winning touchdown.
Texas State (0-2) got the ball back with 14 seconds left but fumbled the ball away on the final play, as Xavier Walton’s recovery secured the win for the visitors.
Six years to the day of head coach Jeff Traylor’s UTSA debut, which was a 51-48, double-overtime triumph over Texas State on this same field in 2020, the Roadrunners improved to 2-0 for the first time since 2021, when they reeled off 11 victories to start that campaign. UTSA also now leads the series with the Bobcats, 6-2, including a 3-1 mark in San Marcos.
McCown finished 28 of 42 passing for 214 yards and a touchdown. Henderson paced the ground game with 80 yards on 14 rushes, while High added 47 and his TD on eight totes. Wilson led the receivers with nine catches for 83 yards and Mekhi Anderson made five grabs for 83 yards and a score.
Defensively, Brandon Tucker posted a team-high 13 tackles, the most by a Roadrunner since Rashad Wisdom logged 13 against Western Kentucky on Oct. 9, 2021, while Elijah Newell and Darion White pitched in eight and seven, respectively. Zach Morris and Cameron Upshaw Jr. each came up with an interception, giving UTSA two picks in three consecutive games.
UTSA got on the board first on its second possession of the game. Morris intercepted a pass near midfield and set up the Roadrunners for a 48-yard march to the end zone. McCown hit Wilson on a 25-yard pass and then four straight rushes moved the ball to the 1-yard line for a fourth-and-goal situation. After a Texas State timeout, McCown found Brandon Young Jr. all alone in the end zone for a touchdown, his second straight game with a TD reception. Michael Petro’s extra point made it 7-0 at the 4:57 mark of the opening quarter.
The Bobcats knotted the score early in the second stanza on a 16-yard rush by Davian Jackson. That was set up by a 65-yard dash from Torrance Burgess, who rushed for 149 yards, on the first play of the drive.
Texas State then took the lead on Brad Jackson’s 6-yard quarterback keeper with 7:16 left until halftime.
The Bobcats got the ball back late in the opening half after stopping UTSA on fourth down in Texas State territory. Jacob Bonilla then split the uprights from 51 yards as time expired to give the home team a 17-7 advantage at the intermission.
The Roadrunners came out of the locker room on fire, marching 75 yards on plays to pull to within three points. McCown found DJ Allen Jr. open for a 12-yard completion near midfield to convert a fourth-down attempt and then David Amador II took a lateral and hit a wide-open Anderson for a 44-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline. Petro’s PAT made it 17-14.
Upshaw came up with his first interception as a Roadrunner on the ensuing Bobcats possession, giving the ball back to the Roadrunners inside Texas State territory. After a third-down pass attempt into the end zone fell incomplete, Petro drilled a 35-yard field goal at the 7:46 mark of the third quarter to tie things up at 17-all.
Texas State went back in front late in the third as Chris Dawn hauled in a 13-yard pass from Jackson for a touchdown. The extra point was wide left, leaving the score at 23-17.
UTSA took the lead on its next possession, covering 65 yards in seven plays, the last a 2-yard plunge by A’Marion Peterson at the 11:54 mark of the fourth. Petro made the extra point to give the visitors a 24-23 advantage.
The Bobcats answered with a 14-play, 67-yard drive that took 7:18 off the clock and was capped by a 26-yard field goal from Bonilla to retake the lead, 26-24, with 4:36 left to play.
Jackson threw for 192 yards and a TD on 17-of-30 passing, while Dawn had seven receptions for 54 yards.
The Roadrunners will return to action next Saturday, Sept. 19, when they travel to Austin to face No. 4 Texas. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the game will air on SEC Network+ and Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
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