UTSA Roadrunners (1-1)
vs.
Army West Point Black Knights (1-1)
6 p.m. | Friday, Sept. 15
Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas
TV: ESPN
Radio: UTSA Sports Media Network / Ticket 760 AM | SiriusXM 382
Series History: Army leads, 2-1
Last Meeting: UTSA 41, Army 38 (OT) | 9/10/22 • West Point, N.Y.
OPENING DRIVE
• UTSA will host Army for the third time since 2019.
• The game is UTSA’s annual Orange Out.
• The Black Knights lead the all-time series, 2-1, including a 2-0 record in San Antonio.
• UTSA won the last meeting, 41-38, in overtime on Sept. 10, 2022, in West Point, New York.
• The Roadrunners have won seven straight and 17 of their last 18 home games.
• UTSA drew 49,342 fans for the home-opening win over Texas State last Saturday, marking the second-largest home crowd in program history behind only the inaugural game attendance of 56,743 on Sept. 3, 2011.
• UTSA is 6-2 all-time in games played on a Friday.
• The Roadrunners are 31-11 under Jeff Traylor, including a 24-6 mark dating back to the 2021 season, tied with Cincinnati and Ohio State for the fourth-best win total among FBS teams during that span behind only Georgia (31), Michigan (27) and Alabama (25).
SETTING THE SCENE
Fresh off a 20-13 victory over Texas State in front of 49,342 fans — the second-largest home crowd in program history — UTSA will host Army West Point in a nationally televised ESPN broadcast on Friday, Sept. 15. Kickoff for the fourth meeting between the Roadrunners (1-1) and Black Knights (1-1) is set for 6 p.m. at the Alamodome. This will mark the third time since 2019 that the two teams have met in the Alamodome and Army has won both previous contests. UTSA secured its first victory in the series with a 41-38 overtime decision on Sept. 10, 2022, in West Point, New York. The Roadrunners are riding a seven-game home winning streak and have won 17 of their last 18 at the Alamodome.
TUNING IN
Friday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN, marking the second time in the last four games UTSA will appear on the network, and it also will be available on Watch ESPN and the ESPN app. Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analysis) and Paul Carcaterra (reporter) will call the action. The game will air live in the San Antonio area on Ticket 760, online at Ticket760.com, via the free iHeartRadio app and on SiriusXM 382. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analysis) and Pat Evans (reporter) have the call. There will be a two-hour pregame and 45-minute postgame show.
HOME SWEET DOME
UTSA has been tough to beat at the Alamodome during the Jeff Traylor era. The Roadrunners have won 17 of their last 18 home contests and are 19-2 at the facility since his arrival prior to the 2020 season. UTSA reeled off a school-record 10-game win streak at home that started with a 27-26 victory over Louisiana Tech on Oct. 24, 2020, and ran through the 49-41 win against WKU in the 2021 Conference USA Championship Game before it was snapped in triple overtime against No. 24 Houston in the 2022 season opener. In fact, this week’s opponent — Army — is one of only two teams to beat a Traylor-led UTSA squad at the Alamodome with a 28-16 decision on Oct. 17, 2020. The Roadrunners have won their last seven at home after last Saturday’s 20-13 triumph over Texas State, and they are 45-29 all-time in the Alamodome.
PACKING THE DOME
UTSA fans have packed the Alamodome over the past two-plus seasons, as five of the program’s nine-largest home crowds have been recorded during that span. The last two home games now rank second and fourth on the all-time chart, as 49,342 fans watched UTSA beat Texas State in the 2023 home opener last Saturday to mark the second-largest crowd in program history. In the final home contest last season, the Roadrunners raced past North Texas, 48-27, to capture their second straight Conference USA Championship in front of 41,412 fans, which now ranks fourth on the list of largest home crowds. That figure edged the 41,148 fans who watched UTSA outlast WKU, 49-41, in the 2021 C-USA Championship Game, now the fifth-largest home attendance. The 2022 season opener against 24th-ranked Houston drew 37,526 fans, which ranks eighth all-time, just ahead of the 34-31 thriller against UAB in front 35,147 fans in 2021. This past Saturday’s home-opening crowd is the largest in the American Athletic Conference this season and it currently places UTSA fourth among state of Texas FBS schools — behind only Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech — and 41st nationally in average home attendance. Additionally, UTSA led C-USA in average home attendance in each of the past two seasons, averaging 28,917 per game last fall and 26,643 in 2021. A total of 438,262 fans have filed into the Alamodome to watch the Roadrunners since the return from COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 season. UTSA set NCAA modern startup program records in its first season by drawing 56,743 fans to the inaugural game against Northeastern State on Sept. 3, 2011, and by averaging 35,521 fans for six home contests.
UTSA’s Top 10 Home Crowds
|
Attendance |
Date |
Opponent |
|
56,743 |
9/3/11 |
Northeastern State |
|
49,342 |
9/9/23 |
Texas State |
|
42,071 |
9/8/18 |
Baylor |
|
41,412 |
12/2/22 |
North Texas |
|
41,148 |
12/3/21 |
Western Kentucky |
|
40,977 |
9/7/13 |
Oklahoma State |
|
39,032 |
11/24/12 |
Texas State |
|
37,526 |
9/3/22 |
Houston |
|
35,147 |
11/20/21 |
UAB |
|
33,517 |
9/24/11 |
Bacone |
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
This week, UTSA will play on a Friday for the fifth time in the last 13 games dating back to last season. The Roadrunners appeared on Friday four times in 2022 and posted a 3-1 record in those contests. UTSA will enter this week’s matchup against Army with a 6-2 all-time record on Friday. Additionally, the Roadrunners have played 12 non-Saturday games in their 13-history and they tote a 7-5 mark in weekday games.
UTSA’s Non-Saturday Games (7-5)
|
Day |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
Friday |
8/29/14 |
at Houston |
W, 27-7 |
|
Thursday |
9/4/14 |
Arizona |
L, 23-26 |
|
Thursday |
11/13/14 |
Southern Miss |
W, 12-10 |
|
Thursday |
9/3/15 |
at Arizona |
L, 32-42 |
|
Friday |
9/16/16 |
Arizona State |
L, 28-32 |
|
Friday |
9/25/20 |
Middle Tennessee |
W, 37-35 |
|
Friday |
12/3/21 |
Western Kentucky |
W, 49-41 |
|
Tuesday |
12/21/21 |
vs. #24 San Diego State |
L, 24-38 |
|
Friday |
9/30/22 |
at Middle Tennessee |
W, 45-30 |
|
Friday |
10/14/22 |
at FIU |
W, 30-10 |
|
Friday |
12/2/22 |
North Texas |
W, 48-27 |
|
Friday |
12/16/22 |
vs. #23 Troy |
L, 12-18 |
SCOUTING ARMY WEST POINT
The Black Knights improved to 1-1 on the year with a 57-0 blanking of Delaware State last Saturday in West Point. Army dropped a 17-13 decision on the road to ULM to open the campaign. The Black Knights are averaging 229.5 rushing yards and 172.5 passing yards per game, and they have surrendered only 517 total yards (258.5 ypg). Bryson Daily is the leading rusher with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries, and he has completed 13 of 22 passes for 314 yards and three TDs. Isaiah Alston is the top receiver with six catches for 182 yards and a pair of scores. Leo Lowin leads the defense with 12 tackles, while Jimmy Ciarlo has a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss, including a sack. Head coach Jeff Monken is 65-50 at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will mark the fourth meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Army West Point. The Black Knights own a 2-1 advantage in the series and have won both previous matchups in the Alamodome. The Roadrunners rallied for a 41-38 overtime win in the last meeting on Sept. 10, 2022, in West Point, New York.
UTSA/Army All-Time Series
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
9/14/19 |
Army 31, UTSA 13 |
San Antonio |
|
10/17/20 |
Army 28, UTSA 16 |
San Antonio |
|
9/10/22 |
UTSA 41, Army 38 (OT) |
West Point |
LAST MEETING
Frank Harris passed for 359 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner to De’Corian Clark in overtime, to help UTSA rally from a 14-point deficit for a 41-38 road victory over Army West Point on Sept. 10, 2022, at Michie Stadium. Harris completed 32 of 45 passes to help lead a 512-yard output by the offense. For the second straight game, a pair of Roadrunners topped the century mark in receiving yards, as Zakhari Franklin caught 10 passes for 122 yards and two TDs while Joshua Cephus had 10 grabs for 112 yards. Clark added seven receptions for 90 yards and the game-winning score. After Army took a two-touchdown advantage following a drive of eight-plus minutes to open the second half, Franklin found paydirt for the second time on the afternoon on a 9-yard pass from Harris to help pull the visitors back to within a touchdown late in the third quarter. On the ensuing possession, the defense forced the first Army punt of the day. The Roadrunners then marched 74 yards on 11 plays, the last a 1-yard touchdown run by Brenden Brady, who rushed for 76 yards on the day, that helped tie the game at 28-28 with 9:49 remaining. After a three-and-out by the Army offense, UTSA took over near midfield with 8:23 on the clock. The Roadrunners covered 54 yards in only four plays, highlighted by 16- and 34-yard passes from Harris to Cephus and punctuated by another 1-yard TD plunge by Brady. The Black Knights managed to force an extra period with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Cade Ballard to Tyrell Robinson with just over a minute left in regulation. UTSA then drove within field goal range, but an attempt as time expired sailed wide right. Army got the ball first in overtime and had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Quinn Maretski. The Roadrunners needed only two plays to secure their first win of the season, as Harris hit Franklin for 18 yards over the middle to set up the game-winning toss to Clark on the left sideline.
WHO’S COUNTING
Now in their 13th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 149th game in program history on Saturday when they face Army. UTSA is 76-72 all-time and 45-29 at the Alamodome. By comparison, Army has been playing football since 1890 and owns three national championships, a trio of Heisman Trophy winners and an all-time record of 721-539-51.
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