Game #3
UTSA Roadrunners (2-0)
at
No. 1 Texas Longhorns (2-0)
7 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 19
Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | Austin, Texas
Series History: Texas leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Texas 56, UTSA 7 (9/14/24 • Austin, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and Texas will meet for the third time on Saturday in Austin.
- The Longhorns won both previous meetings in 2022 (41-20) and 2024 (56-7).
- UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor was on the coaching staff at Texas for the 2015 (special teams coordinator/tight ends) and 2016 (associate head coach, offense/receivers) seasons.
- This will be UTSA’s first-ever time to face a team ranked No. 1 in both the AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Poll. The previous highest-ranked foe also was Texas, which was ranked No. 2 by the AP and third by the coaches for the 2024 meeting.
- Now in their 16th season of football, the Roadrunners registered the program’s 100th all-time win with the 31-26 road triumph over Texas State last Saturday.
- UTSA is 2-0 for the first time since 2021, when they reeled off 11 straight victories to start that campaign.
- The Roadrunners have won three straight and five of their last six contests dating back to last season.
- UTSA is 55-26 (.679) since 2020 under head coach Jeff Traylor, the most wins among current American Conference teams, the 11th-most among FBS programs and second-most among teams from the state of Texas during that timeframe.
- The Roadrunners are 41-26 (.612) versus teams from the state of Texas, including 21-10 (.677) under Jeff Traylor.
- UTSA has scored 20-plus points in 23 of the last 25 games.
- The Roadrunners have a takeaway in 33 of the past 38 contests and are riding a streak of three consecutive games with two interceptions.
- UTSA is one of only 20 turnover-free FBS teams.
SETTING THE SCENE
Winners of three straight and four of their last five games, UTSA will make the drive north along I-35 for the second week in a row to face No. 1 Texas on Saturday in Austin. Kickoff for the third meeting between the Roadrunners and Longhorns is set for 7 p.m. at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. UTSA is coming off a 31-26 road triumph over Texas State last Saturday in San Marcos that saw the Roadrunners erase a 17-7 halftime deficit, outscoring the Bobcats, 24-9, in the second half. Brandon High Jr.’s 25-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner. The Longhorns also rallied for a win last Saturday, overcoming a 23-3 deficit with a 21-point fourth quarter en route to a 24-23 victory.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will air on SEC Network+ and via the ESPN app. Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst) and Austyn Iven (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
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 Sept. 12 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 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.
WIN NO. 100
UTSA notched win No. 100 for the program with the 31-26 road triumph over Texas State on Sept. 12. Now in their 16th season of football, the Roadrunners own an all-time record of 100-87 (.535) with more than half (55) of the wins coming under the direction of seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor, the winningest and longest-tenured head coach in program history.
UTSA VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
UTSA is 1-16 versus ranked FBS opponents and 2-17 when including FCS teams in its 16-year history. The Roadrunners notched their first-ever ranked win on Nov. 2, 2024, with a 44-36 decision over Memphis, which was ranked 25th in the AFCA Coaches Poll at the time.
UTSA vs. Ranked Opponents
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
10/1/11 |
at #16* Sam Houston State |
L, 7-22 |
|
11/3/12 |
at #22 Louisiana Tech |
L, 27-51 |
|
9/7/13 |
#13 Oklahoma State |
L, 35-56 |
|
9/3/15 |
at #22 Arizona |
L, 32-42 |
|
9/19/15 |
at #25 Oklahoma State |
L, 14-69 |
|
11/19/16 |
at #22 Texas A&M |
L, 10-23 |
|
10/10/20 |
at #15 BYU |
L, 20-27 |
|
12/26/20 |
vs. #16 Louisiana |
L, 24-31 |
|
12/21/21 |
vs. #24 San Diego State |
L, 24-38 |
|
9/3/22 |
#24 Houston |
L, 35-37 (3OT) |
|
9/17/22 |
at #20 Texas |
L, 20-41 |
|
12/16/22 |
vs. #23 Troy |
L, 12-18 |
|
9/23/23 |
at #20 Tennessee |
L, 14-45 |
|
11/24/23 |
at #18 Tulane |
L, 16-29 |
|
9/14/24 |
at #2 Texas |
L, 7-56 |
|
11/2/24 |
vs. #25 Memphis |
W, 44-36 |
|
11/30/24 |
at #22 Army |
L, 24-29 |
|
8/30/25 |
at #19 Texas A&M |
L, 24-42 |
|
9/13/25 |
vs. #8* UIW |
W, 48-20 |
*FCS poll
SWEET SIXTEEN
The Roadrunners is in its 16th season of football this year. 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. The Roadrunners made history in 2021 by 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 and fourth overall bowl appearance, ending the year with an 11-3 mark. In 2023, the Roadrunners notched their first bowl victory with a 35-17 decision over Marshall in the Frisco Bowl to cap a 9-4 ledger that include a 7-1 mark in their debut in the American. The 2024 campaign saw UTSA win four of its last five games, starting with a 44-36 victory over No. 25 Memphis for the program’s first-ever top-25 win and ending with a second straight bowl victory, a 44-15 triumph over Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, to finish at 7-6 overall. The Roadrunners capped a seven-win season in 2025 with a 57-20 rout of FIU in the First Responder Bowl, and they now have registered at least six wins in 10 of the 15 seasons in program history and reached the seven-win plateau eight times, including in each of the first six years of the Jeff Traylor era.
UTSA IN FOURTH SEASON IN AMERICAN CONFERENCE
UTSA is in its fourth season as a member of the American Conference and seventh year under the direction of head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners welcome back 49 members of last year’s team that capped a second straight seven-win campaign with a 57-20 victory over FIU in the First Responder Bowl, their third consecutive bowl win. UTSA lists 10 returning starters with six on offense, two on defense and a pair of specialists.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
UTSA’s 12-game regular season schedule features four non-conference games and eight American Conference contests. The Roadrunners kicked off the campaign on Sept. 5 with a 45-16 home triumph over UTRGV, which played its inaugural season of football in 2025 as a member of the Southland Conference. UTSA is playing the second of back-to-back road games at Texas this Saturday after rallying for a 31-26 road victory against Texas State on Sept. 12. The Roadrunners will close out the non-league slate at home against Colorado State on Sept. 26. The Roadrunners have home conference games scheduled against South Florida (Oct. 8), Navy (Oct. 17), North Texas (Nov. 14) and Tulsa (Nov. 27 or 28), while they will travel to Rice (Oct. 3), Tulane (Oct. 24), Florida Atlantic (Nov. 5) and UAB (Nov. 21). The American Conference Championship Game will be played Dec. 5.
STAYING IN STATE
The Roadrunners will be staying close to home for the majority of the 2026 schedule. UTSA is slated to play its first seven games in the state of Texas, not leaving the Lone Star State until the Oct. 24 contest at Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Roadrunners have two more home games after that, giving them nine total regular season matchups inside their home state. In addition to the game in New Orleans, UTSA also will visit the states of Alabama (UAB) and Florida (Florida Atlantic) this fall.
THE TRAYLOR ERA
Seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor has taken UTSA to new heights during his time in San Antonio. The Roadrunners are 55-26 (.675) under his direction, the most wins since 2020 among current American Conference teams and tied for both the 11th-most among FBS programs and second-most among teams from the state of Texas. Traylor also has helped turn the Alamodome into one of the toughest places for visiting teams to play, as the Roadrunners are 34-5 (.872) at the Alamodome since 2020. UTSA’s 34 home victories during that span are tied for the seventh most among FBS programs and they are the most among both current American Conference members and state of Texas teams. Since Traylor took over the program, UTSA has captured a pair of conference championships, earned six straight bowl berths with three consecutive bowl wins and made a combined 23 appearances in the three major national polls. A 2025 inductee into both the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, he has coached 10 All-Americans, three national award finalists, 97 all-conference selections and a trio of NFL Draft picks at UTSA.
SCOUTING TEXAS
The Longhorns improved to 2-0 on the year with a 24-23 comeback victory over previously top-ranked Ohio State last Saturday night in Austin. Texas used a 21-point fourth quarter to rally from a 23-3 deficit for the win, which vaulted the Longhorns to the No. 1 spot in both major polls this week. Texas beat Texas State, 59-7, in the season opener on Sept. 5. The Longhorns are averaging 426.0 yards and 41.5 points per game while allowing 360.5 yards and 15.0 points per contest. Arch Manning has completed 43 of 64 passes for 500 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions. Hollywood Smothers is the top rusher with 144 yards and two TDs on 31 attempts, while Ryan Wingo leads the receivers with 11 catches for 143 yards and a pair of scores. Defensively, Jelani McDonald has a team-best 15 tackles, while Rasheem Biles has tallied 13 stops, one forced fumble and an interception. Head coach Steve Sarkisian is 50-20 in his sixth season at Texas.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the third meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Texas. The Longhorns won both previous matchups, 41-20 on Sept. 17, 2022, and 56-7 on Sept. 14, 2024.
UTSA/Texas All-Time Series
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
9/17/22 |
No. 20 Texas 41, UTSA 20 |
Austin |
|
9/14/24 |
No. 2 Texas 56, UTSA 7 |
Austin |
LAST MEETING
Robert Henry Jr. rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown and Martavius French had a team-high seven tackles, but it was not enough in a 56-7 setback to No. 2 Texas on Sept. 14, 2024, in front of 101,892 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Henry led the Roadrunners’ ground game and scored the lone TD of the day on a 53-yard dash in the second quarter, as UTSA rushed for 128 on the day. French paced a defense that came up with two takeaways, an interception by Owen Pewee and a fumble recovery by Tyan Milton. Jamal Ligon, Brevin Randle, Elliott Davison and Jimmy Wyrick registered five tackles apiece. Arch Manning came off the bench to throw for 223 yards and four touchdowns, rushing for another to help the Longhorns post 614 total yards, including 427 passing. Ryan Wingo had a game-high 127 receiving yards and Isaiah Bond added 103.
UTSA’S TEXAS CONNECTIONS
The UTSA staff has several connections to Texas. Head coach Jeff Traylor was on the Longhorns staff in 2015 as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach and again the following season when he was associate head coach for the offense and receivers coach. UTSA running backs coach Tommie Robinson served in the same role at Texas in 2014-15. UTSA pass game specialist/quarterbacks coach Pavit Patel was a student assistant on the Texas staff in 2014-16 and also earned his degree from UT. UTSA assistant tight ends and running backs coach/game management coordinator Tim Yoder played running back at Texas in 2016-18. UTSA defensive tackles coach Chris Nelson was a defensive lineman who played in 45 games with 29 career starts at Texas from 2014-18. UTSA general manager Mike Giglio was the Longhorns’ director of player personnel and pro liaison in 2014-16. UTSA specialists coach/assistant special teams coordinator John Cotton is a UT graduate who was president of the Silver Spurs, the honorary student organization entrusted to take care of BEVO. UTSA video production assistant Jeremiah Bledsoe, assistant sports performance coach Miguel Compean and equipment graduate assistant Derek Black all are UT graduates who worked with the Texas football program during their time as undergrads.
UTSA VERSUS IN-STATE FOES
The Roadrunners are 41-26 (.612) all-time against teams from the state of Texas including 21-10 (.677) under seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor. Texas is the third of three consecutive and five overall opponents from the Lone Star State on this year’s schedule.
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 16th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 188th game in program history on Saturday when they face Texas in Austin. UTSA is 100-87 (.535) all-time and 38-52 (.422) in road games. By comparison, Texas has been playing football since 1893 and has an all-time record of 973-398-33.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 43 of the 81 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 27-16 record (.628) in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 30 of the last 60 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Since 2020, the Roadrunners are 21-13 (.618) in games decided by eight points or less.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will return home to close out the nonconference slate against Colorado State on Saturday, Sept. 26. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at the Alamodome, and the game will air on ESPNU and Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
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