AN ANTONIO — UTSA (3-5, 2-2 C-USA) will return from its lone open week of the season to face Conference USA West Division leader UAB (7-1, 5-0) on Saturday, Nov. 3. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the game will air on beIN SPORTS and on 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull in San Antonio. The Roadrunners and Blazers will meet for the third time in a series that is knotted at 1-1. UAB has won six straight games and is leading the West with a perfect 5-0 mark after shutting out UTEP, 19-0, on Saturday night.
UTSA Roadrunners (3-5, 2-2)
at
UAB Blazers (7-1, 5-0)
6:30 p.m. | Nov. 3, 2018
Legion Field (72,000) | Birmingham, Ala.
TV: beIN SPORTS
Radio: 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull
Opening drive
• Saturday's game will mark the third meeting between UTSA and UAB.
• The all-time series is tied at 1-1 and this will mark the first matchup in Birmingham.
• The Blazers won the last meeting, 24-19, on Nov. 11, 2017.
• The Roadrunners scored a 52-31 victory in the inaugural matchup on Oct. 26, 2013.
• UTSA is one of just three FBS teams who are perfect in the red zone this season.
• Saturday's game will air on beIN SPORTS, marking the 69th straight UTSA game to be broadcast.
Tuning in
The game will be televised nationally on beIN SPORTS (AT&T Uverse 1662, Comcast 726, Cox 727/1371/1727, DIRECTV 620, DISH 408, Spectrum 417, Verizon FIOS 598). Check local listings or contact your cable/satellite provider for availability in your area. Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (color analyst) have the call. The contest will air live on the Roadrunners Sports Network and can be heard in the San Antonio area on 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (sideline reporter) will call all the action. The pregame show will begin at 4:30 p.m. and there will be a 45-minute postgame show. The broadcast also can be heard live online at goUTSA.com and thebullcountry.iheart.com and via the free iHeartRadio app.
Game 91
Saturday's matchup with UAB will mark the 91st game in UTSA football history and its 46th road contest. Now in their eighth season of play, the Roadrunners are 41-49 overall and 17-28 away from home.
A look at UAB
The Blazers enter Saturday's game at 7-1 overall and on top of the Conference USA West Division with a 5-0 league mark. UAB is averaging 31.6 points and 420.1 yards of offense per game and allowing 13.2 points and 277.9 yards per outing. Sophomore running back Spencer Brown leads the ground game with 694 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Senior quarterback A.J. Erdely has completed 102-of-178 passes for 1,449 yards and seven TDs and he has rushed for 305 yards and five scores. His favorite target is senior wide receiver Collin Lisa, who has hauled in 22 passes for 295 yards. Senior linebacker Chris Woolbright leads the defense with 41 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, while sophomore cornerback Brontae Harris has a team-high two interceptions. Head coach Bill Clark is 21-12 in his third season at the helm.
Series history
UTSA and UAB will meet for the third time on Saturday and for the first time in Birmingham. The all-time series is tied at 1-1. The Blazers held off the Roadrunners, 24-19, in the last matchup on Nov. 11, 2017, at the Alamodome. UTSA scored a 52-31 victory on Oct. 26, 2013, in the inaugural meeting between the two teams.
Last meeting
UTSA outscored and outgained UAB in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome an early deficit as UAB held on for a 24-19 win in Conference USA action on Nov. 11, 2017, at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners scored 13 points and totaled 181 yards in the second half to rally from a 21-6 halftime deficit and cut the Blazers' lead to five late in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Dalton Sturm to Kerry Thomas Jr. However, UAB recovered the onside kick with 1:11 remaining on the clock to secure the game. Sturm totaled 162 yards in the air and a team-high 35 on the ground to lead the UTSA offense. UAB's attack was led by Spencer Brown's 129 rushing yards on 29 carries.
Last time out
Southern Miss used a balanced offensive attack and a stingy defense to down UTSA, 27-17, in Conference USA action on Oct. 20 at M.M. Roberts Stadium. The Golden Eagles tallied 487 yards of offense — 269 through the air and 218 on the ground — and held the Roadrunners to 174 yards in winning for the third time in five all-timemeetings. Jack Abraham completed 28-of-33 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown, while Trivenskey Mosley rushed for a game-high 142 yards on 26 carries and Tim Jones caught seven passes for 107 yards to lead SouthernMiss' offense, which finished with a 36:35-23:25 edge in time of possession. UTSA forced three turnovers and received career highs in tackles from Andrew Martel (14), C.J. Levine (12), Les Maruo (12) and Darryl Godfrey (11) to go along with a season high-tying 13 stops from Josiah Tauaefa. Offensively, Jordan Weeks passed for 117 yards and a touchdown in his first career start, while Greg Campbell hauled in a team-high five passes for 44 yards and a score.
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. There were 13 first-time starters (8 offense/5 defense), while 15 total freshmen (8 true/7 redshirt) saw action in the contest. UTSA has seen a total of 22 first-time starters and 28 debuts this season. Seventeen total freshmen have seen action this season, including nine true freshmen. Additionally, left guard Spencer Burford is one of just 16 true freshmen in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to have started on the offensive line this season.
The Power (5) open
UTSA opened the season with three consecutive games against Power 5 conference opponents. The Roadrunners debuted at Arizona State on Sept. 1 and hosted Baylor one week later before closing the stretch with a roadmatchup against Kansas State on Sept. 15. BYU is the only other non-Power 5 team that opened the season with three straight Power 5 opponents (at Arizona [Sept. 1], vs. California [Sept. 8], at Wisconsin [Sept. 15]). Additionally, this marks the second time in four seasons that UTSA faced three consecutive Power 5 teams to open the season, as the 2015 squad played No. 22 Arizona, Kansas State and No. 25 Oklahoma State during the first three weeks.
Tauaefa named Butkus Award semifinalist
UTSA junior Josiah Tauaefa was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award honoring the nation's best collegiate linebacker, the Butkus Foundation announced Monday. He leads the Roadrunners with 69 total tackles, 42 solo stops, 8.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles to go along with a pair of quarterback hurries this season. The Corinth, Texas, native has registered double-digit tackles in three games, including 26 combined in the last two contests. Finalists for the Butkus Award will be unveiled on Nov. 19 and the winner will be announced on or before Dec. 4.
Red zone perfection
The UTSA offense is perfect in the red zone this season. The Roadrunners have scored 12 touchdowns and five field goals in their 17 trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line through the first eight contests. UTSA is one of just three FBS teams to score in each visit to the red zone this fall, joining Maryland (17-17) and Navy (25-25).
Up next
UTSA will return home to host FIU on Saturday, Nov. 10. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will air on ESPN+ and 93.3/92.5 FM The Bull in San Antonio. Tickets are available by calling or texting 210-458-UTSA (8872) or visiting http://goUTSA.com/tickets.
-UTSA-