UTSA Roadrunners (6-3, 5-0)
vs.
Rice Owls (4-5, 2-3)
6:30 p.m. | Saturday, Nov. 11
Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 7-3
Last Meeting: UTSA 41, Rice 7 (11/19/22 • Houston, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
• UTSA and Rice will meet for the 11th time on Saturday, which will make this tied for the second most-played series in program history.
• The Roadrunners have won the last seven meetings and lead the series, 7-3
• UTSA owns a 4-1 advantage over the Owls in games played in San Antonio.
• UTSA is tied with SMU and Tulane at 5-0 atop the American Athletic Conference standings.
• The Roadrunners have won 13 straight regular season conference games and 15 consecutive contests against conference foes when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games.
• UTSA has won 19 of its last 21 home games and is 21-3 (.875) at the Alamodome under head coach Jeff Traylor.
• The Roadrunners are 16-0 versus league foes at home under Jeff Traylor.
• Under Jeff Traylor, UTSA boasts a 25-3 (.893) record in regular season conference games and a 27-3 (.900) mark versus league competition when including the two C-USA Championship Games.
• The Roadrunners are 11-1 in the month of November with Jeff Traylor at the helm.
• UTSA is 36-13 (.735) in the Jeff Traylor era, the most wins and best winning percentage by a UTSA head coach.
• Saturday will mark game No. 50 for Jeff Traylor as UTSA’s head coach.
SETTING THE SCENE
Winners of five straight games and bowl eligible for the fourth year in a row, UTSA (6-3, 5-0) will look to keep pace in the American Athletic Conference title race when it hosts Rice (4-5, 2-3) on Saturday, Nov. 11. Kickoff for the annual Military Appreciation Game is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The Roadrunners and Owls will meet for the 11th time, making this tied for the second most-played series in program history. UTSA has won the last seven meetings with Rice and leads the series, 7-3, including a 4-1 mark in games played in San Antonio.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will air on ESPNU, on WatchESPN and via the ESPN mobile app. Drew Carter (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst) will call the action. The game will air live in the San Antonio area on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket, online at Ticket760.com, via the free iHeartRadio app and on SiriusXM 384. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Pat Evans (reporter) have the call. There will be a two-hour pregame and 45-minute postgame show.
REMEMBER NOVEMBER
UTSA owns an 11-1 record in games played in the month of November under head coach Jeff Traylor following last Saturday’s 37-29 road triumph over North Texas. The Roadrunners went 3-0 in his debut campaign in 2020, 3-1 in 2021, and 4-0 a year ago.
UTSA in November (Jeff Traylor era)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Location |
|
11/14/20 |
UTEP |
W, 52-21 |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
11/21/20 |
Southern Miss |
W, 23-20 |
Hattiesburg, Miss. |
|
11/28/20 |
North Texas |
W, 49-17 |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
11/6/21 |
UTEP |
W, 44-23 |
El Paso, Texas |
|
11/13/21 |
Southern Miss |
W, 27-17 |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
11/20/21 |
UAB |
W, 34-31 |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
11/27/21 |
North Texas |
L, 23-45 |
Denton, Texas |
|
11/5/22 |
UAB |
W, 44-38 (2OT) |
Birmingham, Ala. |
|
11/12/22 |
Louisiana Tech |
W, 51-7 |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
11/19/22 |
Rice |
W, 41-7 |
Houston, Texas |
|
11/26/22 |
UTEP |
W, 34-31 |
San Antonio, Texas |
|
11/4/23 |
North Texas |
W, 37-29 |
Denton, Texas |
LAST TIME OUT
UTSA forced three turnovers and Kevorian Barnes rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns to help the Roadrunners become bowl eligible for the fourth straight season with a 37-29 victory over North Texas in American Athletic Conference action last Saturday afternoon in Denton. UTSA came up with three takeaways, including key second-half interceptions by Trey Moore and Donyai Taylor that helped thwart Mean Green drives deep into Roadrunners territory. Armed with a 27-13 halftime advantage, UTSA withstood a rally to win its third straight against North Texas. Moore came up with his first interception of the season on a pass that was deflected by Nick Booker-Brown at the line of scrimmage in plus territory. Chase Allen then knocked through his third field goal of the afternoon from 28 yards to push the lead to 30-13 with 4:03 left in the third quarter. The Mean Green opened the final frame by pulling to within 30-21 after Blair Conwright hauled in a 20-yard TD pass followed by a two-point conversion reception by Trey Cleveland with 14:01 left to play. Later in the fourth, the defense again came up with an interception off a deflected pass, this time a batted ball by Martavius French that was collected in midair by Taylor and returned 78 yards to the Mean Green 9-yard line. Two plays later, Barnes bulled his way into the end zone for his second TD of the afternoon and Allen’s PAT made it 37-21 with 9:32 on the clock. Cleveland caught a touchdown pass with just under six minutes left to play and the two-point conversion attempt was good on a QB keeper by Rogers to cut the deficit to 37-29, but the Roadrunners ran out the clock on the ensuing possession to secure the win.
GOING BOWLING
UTSA is bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive year and sixth time in program history. The Roadrunners have played in a bowl game in each of the first three seasons under head coach Jeff Traylor. UTSA dropped a 31-24 decision to No. 16 Louisiana in the 2020 First Responder Bowl, a 38-24 contest to No. 24 San Diego State in the 2021 Frisco Bowl and an 18-12 matchup against No. 23 Troy in last year’s Cure Bowl. The Roadrunners made their first bowl appearance in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl, falling to New Mexico, 23-20. UTSA was bowl eligible in 2017 with a 6-5 regular season record but was left out of the postseason picture. Additionally, the Roadrunners were 7-5 in 2013 during their second year of reclassifying to FBS, but all bowl slots were filled by full-fledged FBS teams.
ROADRUNNERS RACING THROUGH CONFERENCE COMPETITION
The Roadrunners have won their last 15 games against conference opponents. The streak began with the 49-41 victory over Western Kentucky in the 2021 Conference USA Championship and continued with a perfect 8-0 regular season league slate in 2022 before extending the stretch to 10 with a 48-27 triumph over North Texas in the 2022 C-USA Championship Game. UTSA has kicked off its American Athletic Conference debut campaign with five wins in a row, including a 37-29 road triumph over North Texas last Saturday. The Roadrunners now have won 25 of their last 26 contests against conference competition dating back to a three-game win streak that closed out the 2020 C-USA schedule in Jeff Traylor’s first season. In fact, UTSA boasts a 25-3 (.893) record in regular season conference games and a 27-3 (.900) mark against league foes in the Traylor era. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 16-0 at home versus league foes in the Jeff Traylor era.
SCOUTING RICE
The Owls fell to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in the American Athletic Conference following a 36-31 home loss to SMU last Saturday night. Rice is averaging 33.0 points and 383.0 yards per game while allowing 28.7 points and 403.3 yards per contest. Transfer quarterback JT Daniels has completed 181 of 287 passes for 2,443 yards and 21 touchdowns against seven interceptions to lead the offense. Luke McCaffrey, younger brother of San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, leads the receiving corps with 45 catches for 700 yards and nine TDs, while Dean Connors is the top rusher with 414 yards and five scores on 65 attempts. Defensively, Plae Wyatt paces the team with 60 tackles, while Coleman Coco has 5.5 tackles for loss, including a team-high three sacks. Head coach Mike Bloomgren is 20-44 in his sixth season at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the 11th meeting between UTSA and Rice, making it tied with Louisiana Tech for the second most-played series in program history behind only North Texas (12). The Roadrunners have won the last seven matchups with the Owls and own a 4-1 advantage in games played in San Antonio. UTSA has outscored Rice by a combined total of 86-7 in the last two meetings. The 2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UTSA program. This will mark the third team with the nickname Owls that the Roadrunners have faced this season.
UTSA/Rice Series History
|
Date |
Location |
Score |
|
10/13/12 |
Houston |
L, 14-34 |
|
10/12/13 |
San Antonio |
L, 21-27 |
|
11/8/14 |
Houston |
L, 7-17 |
|
11/21/15 |
San Antonio |
W, 34-24 |
|
10/15/16 |
Houston |
W, 14-13 |
|
10/21/17 |
San Antonio |
W, 20-7 |
|
10/6/18 |
Houston |
W, 20-3 |
|
10/19/19 |
San Antonio |
W, 31-27 |
|
10/16/21 |
San Antonio |
W, 45-0 |
|
11/19/22 |
Houston |
W, 41-7 |
LAST MEETING
UTSA forced three turnovers and Frank Harris broke his own school record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback to lead the Roadrunners to a 41-7 victory over Rice on Nov. 19, 2022, capturing the Conference USA regular season title on a cold and rainy afternoon at Rice Stadium. The Roadrunners stormed out to a 21-0 lead through the first quarter and never looked back. Harris carried seven times for 124 yards and a program record-tying three touchdowns to eclipse his own school standard of 123 set in his UTSA debut against UIW in 2019. The Roadrunners came up with three takeaways on the day via fumble recoveries by the Taylor brothers, Dadrian and Donyai, as well as an interception by Clifford Chattman. Kelechi Nwachuku paced the defense with six tackles, a tackle for loss, one pass breakup and a forced fumble, while Trevor Harmanson had five stops, including a TFL, to help the Roadrunners hold the Owls to just 230 yards of offense, a season low for an opponent. UTSA racked up 10 tackles for loss and surrendered just five rushing yards.
WHO’S COUNTING
Now in their 13th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 156th game in program history on Saturday when they face Rice. UTSA is 81-74 all-time and 47-30 at home. By comparison, Rice has been playing football since 1912 and owns an all-time record of 478-617-31.
UTSA VERSUS IN-STATE FOES
The Roadrunners are 34-20 all-time against teams from the state of Texas including a 14-4 mark under fourth-year head coach Jeff Traylor. Rice will mark the final of four opponents from the Lone Star State on the 2023 regular season schedule, joining Houston (Sept. 2), Texas State (Sept. 9) and North Texas (Nov. 4).
HOME SWEET DOME
UTSA has been tough to beat at the Alamodome during the Jeff Traylor era. The Roadrunners have won 19 of their last 21 home contests and are 21-3 (.875) 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. The Roadrunners have won nine of the last 10 at home and are 47-30 (.610) all-time in the Alamodome. Additionally, UTSA is 16-0 at home versus conference opponents under head coach Jeff Traylor.
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. Two of the past five 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 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. The UTSA/Texas State crowd is the second-largest in the American Athletic Conference this season behind South Florida’s home game versus Alabama that drew 65,138. UTSA ranks fourth in The American, seventh among state of Texas FBS schools and 70th nationally in average home attendance (30,729). 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 511,837 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 |
AAC WEEKLY AWARD RECIPIENTS
UTSA has collected four American Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards this season. Outside linebacker Trey Moore has earned the honor three times, picking up the AAC Defensive Player of the Week certificate following wins against Texas State, UAB and East Carolina. Chase Allen garnered the AAC Special Teams Player of the Week accolade following the Texas State win.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
UTSA is no stranger to close contests in the Jeff Traylor era, as 30 of the 49 have been one-score ballgames in the fourth quarter. The Roadrunners own a 21-9 record in those games. Dating back to the 2021 campaign, UTSA has seen 17 of the last 28 contests decided in the fourth quarter or later. Additionally, the Roadrunners are 13-4 in games decided by eight points or less since 2021.
WORKING OVERTIME
The Roadrunners were working overtime in 2022, with a program-record three contests needing extra periods to determine the outcome. UTSA played the first back-to-back overtime games in program history to open the campaign. The Roadrunners dropped a 37-35 decision to No. 24 Houston in triple overtime in the opener. One week later, UTSA rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit to score a 41-38 road triumph over Army West Point in one extra period. On Nov. 5 in Birmingham, the Roadrunners outlasted UAB 44-38 in double overtime to improve to 2-1 last season and 5-3 overall in overtime games. UTSA played overtime, double-overtime and triple-overtime games last season and joined Houston, Navy and Texas Tech as the only FBS teams to have played three overtime contests last year.
UTSA’s All-Time Overtime Games (5-3)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
10/8/11 |
South Alabama |
L, 27-30 (2OT) |
|
10/29/11 |
Georgia State |
W, 17-14 (OT) |
|
11/14/15 |
at Charlotte |
W, 30-27 (OT) |
|
10/22/16 |
UTEP |
L, 49-52 (5OT) |
|
9/12/20 |
at Texas State |
W, 51-48 (2OT) |
|
9/3/22 |
Houston |
L, 35-37 (3OT) |
|
9/10/22 |
at Army West Point |
W, 41-38 (OT) |
|
11/5/22 |
at UAB |
W, 44-38 (2OT) |
UTSA PICKED SECOND IN AAC PRESEASON POLL
The Roadrunners have been picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll. UTSA received 440 total points and nine first-place votes ahead of its debut campaign in the AAC, good for second behind defending champion Tulane, which garnered 457 points and 20 first-place votes. SMU was projected to finish third, followed by Memphis, Florida Atlantic, East Carolina, North Texas, UAB, Navy, Temple, Tulsa, Rice, South Florida and Charlotte in the 14-team league.
American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll
|
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
|
1. Tulane (20) |
457 |
|
2. UTSA (9) |
440 |
|
3. SMU (3) |
397 |
|
4. Memphis (1) |
362 |
|
5. Florida Atlantic |
312 |
|
6. East Carolina |
303 |
|
7. North Texas |
261 |
|
8. UAB (1) |
209 |
|
9. Navy |
199 |
|
10. Temple |
182 |
|
11. Tulsa |
160 |
|
12. Rice |
138 |
|
13. South Florida |
86 |
|
14. Charlotte |
64 |
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 36-13 record through 49 games, the most wins all-time and best winning percentage (.735) by a UTSA head football coach. In the Jeff Traylor era, the Roadrunners own a 25-3 (.893) record in regular season conference games and are 27-3 (.900) against league competition when including the 2021 and 2022 Conference USA Championship Games. 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 is now bowl eligible for the fourth year in a row. 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 now has posted at least six wins in eight of the 13 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.
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will stay home to host South Florida for Senior Day on Friday, Nov. 17. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at the Alamodome and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
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