Game #5
American Conference Opener
(RV) UTSA Roadrunners (3-1)
at
Rice Owls (1-3)
6 p.m. | Saturday, Oct. 3
First Community Stadium | Houston, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 9-4
Last Meeting: UTSA 61, Rice 13 (10/11/25 • San Antonio, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and Rice will meet for the 14th time on Saturday, making the Owls tied with North Texas for the most-played opponent in program history.
- The Roadrunners lead the series, 9-4, and set a program record for points in the last meeting, a 61-13 home triumph on Oct. 10, 2025.
- The series is even at 3-3 in games played in Houston, with Rice pulling out a 29-27 win on Oct. 12, 2024.
- At 3-1, UTSA is off to its best four-game start since a 4-0 mark in 2021.
- The Roadrunners are 8-6 all-time in conference openers, including 4-2 under head coach Jeff Traylor.
- This will mark the fifth straight and 11th overall time that the Roadrunners have opened the league slate on the road.
- UTSA received two votes in this week’s AFCA Coaches Poll, marking the first time to receive votes in either major poll since collecting three votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and coaches poll on Sept. 3, 2024.
- UTSA is 56-27 (.675) in the Jeff Traylor era (since 2020), the most wins among current American Conference teams and tied with SMU for both the 11th most among FBS programs and second most among teams from the state of Texas during that timeframe.
- The Roadrunners are 41-27 (.603) versus teams from the state of Texas, including 21-11 (.656) under Jeff Traylor.
- The Roadrunners scored the second-most points in program history last Saturday in the 59-45 victory over Colorado State, which saw the most combined points (104) in a game in school annals.
- UTSA has scored 50-plus points in three of the past seven games and 10 times under Jeff Traylor.
- The Roadrunners have registered a sack in 38 of their last 40 contests.
- UTSA has recorded a takeaway in 34 of the last 40 games.
- Mekhi Anderson became the second Roadrunner to return a kickoff for a touchdown when he brought one back 100 yards in the third quarter of the win against Colorado State, joining Chris Carpenter, who had three kickoff return TDs during his career.
SETTING THE SCENE
Off to the best four-game start at 3-1 since 2021, UTSA will open American Conference play against Rice (1-3) on Saturday, Oct. 3, in Houston. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at First Community Stadium in what will be the 14th meeting between the Roadrunners and Owls. UTSA, which is receiving two votes in this week’s AFCA Coaches Poll, is coming off a 59-45 home triumph over Colorado State last Saturday that saw the Roadrunners register the second-most points in a game in school history, two shy of the record set in last year’s 61-13 Homecoming win against Rice. UTSA has a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series, which is knotted at 3-3 in games played in Houston.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will air on ESPN+ and via the ESPN app. David Saltzman (play-by-play), Patrick Murray (analyst) and Smacker Miles (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.
OFF TO A HOT START
UTSA is off to a 3-1 start through four games, the best record over that span since the 2021 squad started 4-0. This marks the fifth time in 16 seasons that the Roadrunners have won at least three of their first four contests, also accomplishing that feat in 2012 (4-0), 2017 (3-1), 2020 (3-1) and 2021 (4-0).
UTSA IN CONFERENCE OPENERS
UTSA is 8-6 all-time in conference openers, including 4-2 under head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners beat Middle Tennessee in three straight Conference USA lid-lifters before scoring a 49-34 road triumph over Temple in 2023 in their American Conference debut. UTSA has dropped its last two conference openers, 30-20, at East Carolina in 2024 and 27-21 at Temple last year. This will mark the fifth straight and 11th overall time that the Roadrunners have opened the league slate on the road.
UTSA’s Conference Openers (8-6)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
9/29/12 |
at New Mexico State |
W, 35-14 |
|
9/21/13 |
at UTEP |
W, 32-13 |
|
9/27/14 |
at Florida Atlantic |
L, 37-41 |
|
10/3/15 |
at UTEP |
W, 25-6 |
|
9/24/16 |
at Old Dominion |
L, 19-33 |
|
10/7/17 |
Southern Miss |
L, 29-31 |
|
9/29/18 |
UTEP |
W, 30-21 |
|
9/21/19 |
at North Texas |
L, 3-45 |
|
9/25/20 |
Middle Tennessee |
W, 37-35 |
|
9/18/21 |
Middle Tennessee |
W, 27-13 |
|
9/30/22 |
at Middle Tennessee |
W, 45-30 |
|
10/7/23 |
at Temple |
W, 49-34 |
|
9/28/24 |
at East Carolina |
L, 20-30 |
|
10/4/25 |
at Temple |
L, 21-27 |
LAST TIME OUT
UTSA registered 542 yards of offense and scored the second-most points in a game in program history, holding off Colorado State, 59-45, in the nonconference finale last Saturday at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners rallied from a 14-0 deficit early in the contest with 35 unanswered points to take the lead for good, keeping the Rams at bay while running their record to 3-1, their best four-game start since 2021. UTSA passed for a season-high 303 yards and rushed for 239 in coming up just two points shy of the school record of 61 points set last year against Rice. The two teams combined for 104 points, the most in any UTSA game, and both squads had a kickoff return for a touchdown, also a first in program history. Six different Roadrunners reached the end zone, paced by Mekhi Anderson and A’Marion Peterson with two apiece. Anderson became the first UTSA player not named Chris Carpenter — who had three — to return a kickoff for a touchdown with his 100-yard score in the third quarter, and he also had a 14-yard touchdown reception in the fourth. Peterson had a pair of scores on the ground, including a 47-yard dash with two minutes left to play that helped seal the win. Owen McCown completed 20 of 30 passes for 303 yards and three TDs, while all three running backs rushed for at least 60 yards and a score. Will Henderson III led the way with 89 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts, Brandon High Jr. added 76 and a TD on 14 carries and Peterson had 60 and two TDs on only six totes. DJ Allen Jr. paced the receivers with five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, AJ Wilson Jr. caught three passes for 62 yards, Anderson had three grabs for 51 yards and David Amador II hauled in three passes for 44 yards. Defensively, Darion White logged his first double-digit tackles game with 10 stops, including two tackles for loss. Owen Pewee posted eight tackles, including two TFLs and a sack, while Brandon Tucker pitched in with eight stops and a pass breakup.
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 played back-to-back road games at Texas State and Texas and closed 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 56-27 (.675) under his direction, the most wins since 2020 among current American Conference teams and tied with SMU 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 35-5 (.875) at the Alamodome since 2020. UTSA’s 35 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 RICE
The Owls fell to 1-3 on the year with a 38-24 road loss to Fresno State on Saturday night. Rice is averaging 19.0 points and 353.5 yards per game while allowing 30.3 points and 379.0 yards per contest. Jacurri Brown has completed 30 of 53 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns, and he also leads the ground attack with 399 yards and two TDs on 71 attempts. Jordan Clark is the top receiver with 76 yards on eight catches. Defensively, AJ Brown has a team-high 27 tackles, while Chibby Nwajuaku owns a team-best two sacks. Head coach Scott Abell is 6-11 in his second season at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the 14th meeting between UTSA and Rice, making it tied with North Texas for the most-played series in program history. The Roadrunners hold a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series, which is knotted at 3-3 in games played in Houston. UTSA saw a nine-game winning streak snapped against the Owls in a heartbreaking 29-27 road setback in 2024. The Roadrunners set a program record for points in a 61-13 home triumph in the last meeting on Oct. 11, 2025. The two schools have been scheduled to play each season dating back to 2012; however, the 2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UTSA program.
UTSA/Rice Series History
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
10/13/12 |
Rice 34, UTSA 14 |
Houston |
|
10/12/13 |
Rice 27, UTSA 21 |
San Antonio |
|
11/8/14 |
Rice 17, UTSA 7 |
Houston |
|
11/21/15 |
UTSA 34, Rice 24 |
San Antonio |
|
10/15/16 |
UTSA 14, Rice 13 |
Houston |
|
10/21/17 |
UTSA 20 Rice 7 |
San Antonio |
|
10/6/18 |
UTSA 20, Rice 3 |
Houston |
|
10/19/19 |
UTSA 31, Rice 27 |
San Antonio |
|
10/16/21 |
UTSA 45, Rice 0 |
San Antonio |
|
11/19/22 |
UTSA 41, Rice 7 |
Houston |
|
11/11/23 |
UTSA 34, Rice 14 |
San Antonio |
|
10/12/24 |
Rice 29, UTSA 27 |
Houston |
|
10/11/25 |
UTSA 61, Rice 13 |
San Antonio |
LAST MEETING
UTSA set school records for points scored, defensive scores and tackles for loss in a 61-13 Homecoming victory over Rice in American Conference action on Oct. 11, 2025, at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners registered three defensive scores with a Kendrick Blackshire interception return for a touchdown and a fumble return for a TD by Shad Banks Jr. on back-to-back Rice possessions to start the second half, and they added a safety by Jon Jones later in the third quarter as part of a dominant defensive performance. UTSA also tallied a program-record 17 tackles for loss paced by two apiece from Tai Leonard and James Walley Jr., The Roadrunners limited the Owls to just 269 yards of offense, including only 79 passing. Offensively, the Roadrunners piled up 437 yards, 191 on the ground and 246 through the air. Owen McCown completed 15 of 21 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while Will Henderson III rushed for 115 yards and two TDs on only five carries.
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 16th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 190th game in program history on Saturday when they face Rice. UTSA is 101-88 (.534) all-time and 38-53 (.418) in road games. By comparison, Rice has been playing football since 1912 and owns an all-time record of 502-670-32
UTSA VERSUS IN-STATE FOES
The Roadrunners are 41-27 (.603) all-time against teams from the state of Texas including 21-11 (.656) under seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor and 2-1 this season. Rice is the fourth of five opponents from the Lone Star State on this year’s schedule.
HOUSTON HOMECOMING
UTSA’s roster includes 23 players who hail from the Greater Houston Area:
|
Player |
High School |
|
North Shore |
|
|
Oak Ridge |
|
|
Dayton |
|
|
Bridgeland |
|
|
Wallis Brazos |
|
|
Galveston Ball |
|
|
Fort Bend Christian Academy |
|
|
Grand Oaks |
|
|
La Porte |
|
|
Summer Creek |
|
|
Kingwood |
|
|
North Shore |
|
|
Cypress Ranch |
|
|
Cypress Park |
|
|
Cypress Park |
|
|
Grand Oaks |
|
|
George Ranch |
|
|
Pearland Dawson |
|
|
C.E. King |
|
|
Katy |
|
|
Katy Paetow |
|
|
Ridge Point |
|
|
Humble |
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 44 of the 83 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 28-16 record (.636) in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 31 of the last 62 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 host South Florida on Thursday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
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