SAN ANTONIO — UTSA (0-1) will host Baylor (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the Alamodome. Kickoff in the Roadrunners' home opener is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will air on CBS Sports Network on Facebook.
UTSA toppled the Bears, 17-10, on Sept. 9, 2017, in Waco for the program's first win against a team from a Power 5 conference. The Roadrunners are 4-3 all-time in home openers and have won their last two Alamodome lid-lifters. UTSA has won five of its last seven home contests and is 22-19 all-time in home contests.
Baylor is coming off a 55-27 home victory against Abilene Christian on Saturday night, while the Roadrunners are looking to bounce back from a 49-7 setback at Arizona State on Sept. 1.
UTSA Roadrunners (0-1)
vs.
Baylor Bears (1-0)
6 p.m. | Sept. 8, 2018
Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas
TV: CBS Sports Network on Facebook | CBS Sports College Football Facebook
Radio: Ticket 760 AM San Antonio | Ticket760.com | iHeartRadio app
Opening drive
• UTSA and Baylor will meet for the second straight season.
• The Roadrunners downed the Bears, 17-10, last September in Waco for the program's first win against a team from a Power 5 conference.
• UTSA is 4-3 all-time in home openers.
• The Roadrunners have won their last two home openers, 51-17 against Southern last season and 26-13 over Alabama State two years ago.
• UTSA has won five of its last seven home contests.
• More than 15,000 tickets have been donated to San Antonio active-duty and veteran military members and their immediate family for Operation Defend The Dome this Saturday versus Baylor.
• The game will air on CBS Sports Network on Facebook, marking the 62nd straight UTSA game to be broadcast.
Tuning in
The game will air on CBS Sports Network on Facebook and the live stream can be found on CBS Sports' College Football Facebook page(a Facebook account is NOT required to watch the game). Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Corey Chavous (analyst) and Cassie McKinney (sideline reporter) have the call. The contest will air live on the Roadrunners Sports Network and can be heard in the San Antonio area on Ticket 760 AM. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (sideline reporter) will call all the action. The pregame show will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at goUTSA.com and Ticket760.com and via the free iHeartRadio app.
UTSA in home openers
The Roadrunners are 4-3 all-time in home openers and have won their last two Alamodome lid-lifters. UTSA thumped Southern, 51-17, in the 2017 home opener and downed Alabama State, 26-13, in third-year head coach Frank Wilson's debut on Sept. 3, 2016. The Roadrunners won their first two home openers in 2011 (31-3 vs. Northwestern State) and 2012 (27-16 vs. Texas A&M-Commerce) before dropping three straight in 2013-15. Saturday's meeting with Baylor will mark the third time UTSA has hosted a Big 12 Conference team in its home opener, joining Oklahoma State in 2013 and Kansas State in 2015.
Game 85
Saturday's matchup with Baylor will mark the 85th game in UTSA football history and its 42nd home contest. Now in their eighth season of play, the Roadrunners are 38-45 overall and 22-19 in the Alamodome. By comparison, this will be the 1,203rd game in the Bears' history, which dates back to 1899. Baylor owns a 589-568-44 all-time record.
Operation Defend The Dome
Last month, UTSA rolled out Operation Defend The Dome to recognize and show appreciation to those who defend our country. For every ticket purchased before this Friday, Sept. 7, UTSA Athletics will donate the same number of tickets to San Antonio active-duty and veteran military members and their immediate family members. As of Monday, Sept. 3, more than 15,000 tickets have been donated for Operation Defend The Dome.
Home sweet home
UTSA has won five of its last seven games at the Alamodome and boasts a 22-19 all-time record at home. The Roadrunners edged Marshall, 9-7, in their last home contest on Nov. 18, 2017, and they posted a 3-2 mark at the Dome last season. UTSA is 7-4 at home under the direction of third-year head coach Frank Wilson.
A look at Baylor
Baylor ran past Abilene Christian, 55-27, in its season opener on Saturday night in Waco. The Bears racked up 606 yards of offense, 311 through the air and 295 on the ground. Sophomore quarterback Charlie Brewer completed 8-of-15 passes for 138 yards, while senior signal-caller Jalan McClendon was 10-of-13 for 173 and two touchdowns. Sophomore running back John Lovett (115) and junior running back JaMycal Hasty (102) both topped the century mark in rushing yards and Hasty also hauled in four passes for 67 yards. Junior safety Chris Miller led the defense with seven tackles, while sophomore linebacker Chad Kelly added six stops, including one behind the line of scrimmage. Head coach Matt Rhule is 2-12 in his second season at the helm.
Series history
Saturday will mark the second all-time meeting between UTSA and Baylor. The Roadrunners downed the Bears, 17-10, on Sept. 9, 2017, in Waco for the program's first win against a team from a Power 5 conference.
Last meeting
UTSA quarterback Dalton Sturm piled up 253 yards of offense and the UTSA defense held Baylor to its lowest point total in seven years in a 17-10 victory, the program's first-ever against a team from a Power 5 Conference, on Sept. 9, 2017, at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. Sturm completed 15-of-20 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns and added a career-high 98 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Jalen Rhodes led the ground game with 103 yards on 20 carries, as UTSA tallied 375 yards of total offense and kept possession for 38 minutes and two seconds. The defense registered four sacks and 10 TFLs and held the Bears to 274 total yards and 10 points, their fewest point total since a 45-10 setback to TCU on Sept. 18, 2010.
Last time out
Arizona State stormed out to a 28-0 halftime lead and never looked back in a 49-7 victory against UTSA in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night in front of 50,188 fans at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils accumulated 503 yards of offense, including 266 on the ground, and held the Roadrunners to 220 total yards, 218 of which came through the air. Sophomore wide receiver Kirk Johnson Jr. paced the UTSA offense with five catches for 57 yards, while senior wide receiver Greg Campbell Jr. caught four passes for 34 yards and redshirt freshman wideout Tariq Woolen added 51 yards on three receptions. Junior quarterback Cordale Grundy completed 16 passes for 187 yards, while sophomore running back B.J. Daniels rushed for 24 yards on nine carries and the Roadrunners' only touchdown of the night when he found paydirt from four yards out with just over six minutes left to play in the game. Junior linebacker Josiah Tauaefaled UTSA's defense with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops and a tackle for loss. Senior safeties C.J. Levine and Darryl Godfrey added five tackles apiece.
The Power (5) open
UTSA will open its 2018 season with three consecutive games against Power 5 conference opponents. The Roadrunners opened the season at Arizona State (Sept. 1) and will host Baylor (Sept. 8) before closing the stretch at Kansas State (Sept. 5). BYU is the only other non-Power 5 team to open the season with three straight Power 5 opponents (at Arizona [Sept. 1], vs. California [Sept. 8], at Wisconsin [Sept. 15]).
Wilson in third year at helm
Frank Wilson is in his third season as head coach of the Roadrunners. The New Orleans native has guided UTSA to back-to-back seasons of being bowl eligible, including leading the program to its first-ever postseason appearance at the 2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, as UTSA tied the NCAA modern startup program by reaching a bowl game in its sixth season of play. He has coached 13 All-Conference USA selections and a pair of Freshman All-Americans in his first two years at the helm. Wilson came to San Antonio after a six-year stint as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at LSU, where he also was the associate head coach in 2012-15. Armed with more than a decade of coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference, Wilson also has been an assistant coach at Tennessee (2009), Southern Miss (2008) and Mississippi (2005-07). He has coached or recruited 36 individuals who have made it to the NFL, including 2018 NFL First Round Draft pick Marcus Davenport of the Saints.
Youth movement
UTSA boasts a youthful team in 2018 with 66 underclassmen, which equates to 60.6 percent of its roster. The Roadrunners have 38 freshmen (21 true/17 redshirt) and 28 sophomores on the 109-man squad list. In the season opener at Arizona State, 24 players made their UTSA debut, including eight who started. Additionally, there were 13 first-time starters (8 offense/5 defense) and 15 total freshmen (8 true/7 redshirt) saw action in the contest. Left guard Spencer Burford is one of just eight true freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision to have started on the offensive line this season.
Up next
UTSA will travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face Kansas State on Saturday, Sept. 15. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and the game will air on Fox Sports Networks (check local listings for availability in your area).
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