UTSA Roadrunners (1-2)
at
#23/20 Tennessee Volunteers (2-1)
3 p.m. CT | Saturday, Sept. 23
Neyland Stadium | Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: UTSA Sports Media Network / Ticket 760 AM | SiriusXM 388
Live Stats: utsports.com
Series History: First meeting
OPENING DRIVE
• UTSA will face Tennessee for the first time on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.
• The Roadrunners are 3-0 in games played in the state of Tennessee, beating Middle Tennessee in 2016 (45-25) and 2022 (45-30) and rallying for a 31-28 victory at Memphis in 2021.
• This will mark UTSA’s third game against a team from the Southeastern Conference, as the Roadrunners previously have faced Texas A&M in 2016 and 2019.
• The Roadrunners will face a nationally ranked team for the 13th time on Saturday when they play No. 23/20 Tennessee. UTSA is 0-12 all-time against ranked squads, including 0-11 versus top-25 FBS teams.
• With a listed capacity of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium, UTSA could play in front of 100,000-plus fans for the fourth time in the program’s 13-year history.
• UTSA is 5-7 all-time in games played in the Eastern time zone.
• The Roadrunners are 31-12 under Jeff Traylor, including a 24-7 mark dating back to the 2021 season, tied with Cincinnati for the fifth-best win total among FBS teams during that span behind only Georgia (32), Michigan (28), Alabama (26) and Ohio State (25).
• UTSA President Taylor Eighmy previously served as Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement at Tennessee before being arriving in San Antonio in 2017.
SETTING THE SCENE
UTSA will close out the nonconference slate on Saturday, Sept. 23, against No. 23/20 Tennessee. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Central time at Neyland Stadium and the game will be televised on SEC Network. The Roadrunners dropped to 1-2 on the year following a 37-29 setback to Army West Point on Friday night at the Alamodome. The Volunteers fell to 2-1 after a 29-16 road loss at Florida on Saturday night. This will mark the first meeting between the two teams and UTSA’s fourth trip to the state of Tennessee, where they own a 3-0 record after wins at Memphis in 2021 and at Middle Tennessee in 2016 and last season. The Roadrunners will face a ranked team for the 13th time in program history on Saturday in Knoxville.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will be televised on SEC Network and it also will be available on Watch ESPN and the ESPN app. Dave Neal (play-by-play), Derek Mason (analysis) and Taylor Davis (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 388. 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.
TENNESSEE HOMECOMING
This weekend will be a homecoming for a pair of Roadrunners from the Volunteer State. Senior wide receiver Tykee Ogle-Kellogg hails from Alcoa, which is only 15 miles from Neyland Stadium. He was the 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards Class 3A Player of the Year and an all-state performer for Alcoa High School. Meanwhile, Martavius French started his collegiate career at Tennessee in 2020 but did not appear in any games for the Volunteers. The Memphis native was an all-state performer at Whitehaven High School.
ROADRUNNERS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
The Roadrunners will play their 13th game against a nationally ranked opponent when they face Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville. The Volunteers are ranked No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 and 20th in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. UTSA is 0-12 all-time against ranked foes, including 0-11 versus top 25 FBS teams.
UTSA vs. Ranked Teams (0-12)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
10/1/11 |
at #16 Sam Houston* |
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 |
* FCS
SCOUTING TENNESSEE
The Volunteers fell to 2-1 on the season with a 29-16 road setback to Florida. Tennessee opened the campaign with a 49-13 victory over Virginia and registered a 30-13 home triumph over Austin Peay on Sept. 9 before suffering its first loss of the season last Saturday in Gainesville. The Volunteers are averaging 31.7 points and 447.3 yards of offense per game while allowing 18.3 points and 296.3 yards per contest. Joe Milton III has completed 62 of 97 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns against only one interception. Jaylen Wright is the leading rusher with 296 yards on 41 attempts (7.2 ypc), while Squirrel White (13-143), Bru McCoy (12-166) and Ramel Keyton (11-157) are the top pass catchers. Defensively, Wesley Walker has 13 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while Tyler Barron has recorded 3.5 TFLs and three sacks. Head coach Josh Heupel is 20-9 in his third year at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the first meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Tennessee. The Roadrunners have faced one other team from the Southeastern Conference in Texas A&M, dropping both contests, 23-10, on Nov. 19, 2016, and 45-14, on Nov. 2, 2019, in College Station. UTSA is 3-0 all-time in games played in the state of Tennessee, winning both matchups with Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, 45-25 on Nov. 5, 2016, and 45-30, on Sept. 30, 2022, as well as rallying for a 31-28 victory at Memphis on Sept. 25, 2021.
WHO’S COUNTING
Now in their 13th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 150th game in program history on Saturday when they face Tennessee. UTSA is 76-73 all-time and 44-30 on the road. By comparison, Tennessee has been playing football since 1891 and owns six national championships and an all-time record of 869-410-53, tied with USC for the 10th-most wins in FBS history.
PLAYING IN FRONT OF 100K
Neyland Stadium has a listed capacity of 101,915, which means UTSA could play in front of 100,000-plus fans for the fourth time in the program’s 13-year history. Last September, the Roadrunners faced Texas with 102,520 fans in attendance at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. UTSA also has played in front of more than 100,000 in both previous meetings with Texas A&M on Nov. 19, 2016 (102,502) and on Nov. 2, 2019 (100,635) at Kyle Field.
ON EASTERN TIME
The Roadrunners will play a game in the Eastern time zone for the first time this season and 13th time in program history when they face Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville. UTSA is 5-7 all-time in games played in the Eastern time zone with road wins against Georgia State in 2012 in Atlanta, Charlotte in 2015, Old Dominion in 2019, Army West Point in 2022 and FIU in 2022.
UTSA in the Eastern Time Zone (5-7)
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
9/15/12 |
UTSA 38, Georgia State 14 |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
10/5/13 |
Marshall 34, UTSA 10 |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
9/27/14 |
Florida Atlantic 41, UTSA 37 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
11/14/15 |
UTSA 30, Charlotte 27 (OT) |
Charlotte, N.C. |
|
9/24/16 |
Old Dominion 33, UTSA 19 |
Norfolk, Va. |
|
11/4/17 |
FIU 14, UTSA 7 |
Miami, Fla. |
|
11/17/18 |
Marshall 23, UTSA 0 |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
11/9/19 |
UTSA 24, Old Dominion 23 |
Norfolk, Va. |
|
10/31/20 |
Florida Atlantic 24, UTSA 3 |
Boca Raton, Fla. |
|
9/10/22 |
UTSA 41, Army 38 |
West Point, N.Y. |
|
10/14/22 |
UTSA 30, FIU 10 |
Miami, Fla. |
|
12/16/22 |
Troy 18, UTSA 12 |
Orlando, Fla. |
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 28 of the 43 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 19-9 record in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 15 of the last 22 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 12-4 in games decided by eight points or less since 2021.
TRAYLOR TAKING ROADRUNNERS TO NEW HEIGHTS
Head coach Jeff Traylor has taken UTSA to new heights since taking over the program prior to the 2020 campaign. The Gilmer, Texas, native has turned around the program by instilling his 210 Triangle of Toughness culture, producing results on and off the field. Taking over a team that won a combined seven games in the two seasons prior to his arrival, he has led the Roadrunners to a 31-12 record, the most wins all-time and best winning percentage (.721) by a UTSA head football coach. Additionally, the Roadrunners own a 20-3 (.870) record in conference games in the Traylor era. In fact, UTSA is 24-7 dating back to 2021, tied with Cincinnati for the fifth-most wins in the FBS during that span behind only Georgia (32), Michigan (28), Alabama (26) and Ohio State (25). Under Traylor’s direction, UTSA has won back-to-back conference championships, been nationally ranked in all three major polls in 2021 and 2022 and made three straight bowl appearances. The two-time conference coach of the year has coached six All-Americans, three national award finalists, 12 national award semifinalists, six conference superlative award recipients, 67 all-conference selections, two academic All-Americans and a pair of NFL Draft picks during his UTSA tenure. He was the 2021 AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year twice in addition to being a finalist for the 2022 Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards Coach of the Year, 2021 AFCA National Coach of the Year and the 2021 George Munger College Coach of the Year.
SEASON 13
One of the newest FBS programs and now in its first year as a member of the American Athletic Conference, UTSA is playing its 13th season of football in 2023. The Roadrunners started their program from scratch and, following a practice year in 2010, played their 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 and registered its first win against a team from the Big 12 Conference the following season with a 17-10 victory over Baylor. The Roadrunners made history in 2021, opening the fall with a road win against Illinois of the Big Ten Conference, 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. UTSA has posted at least six wins in seven of the 12 complete seasons in program history and it has reached the seven-win plateau five times, including in each of the first three years of the Jeff Traylor era. The Roadrunners reached double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons (2021-22), joining Baylor and TCU as the only Texas-based FBS teams since 2012 to notch at least 10 wins in consecutive years.
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