Game #2
UTSA Roadrunners (1-0)
at
Texas State Bobcats (0-1)
2:30 p.m. | Saturday, Sept. 12
UFCU Stadium | San Marcos, Texas
Series History: UTSA leads, 5-2
Last Meeting: Texas State 43, UTSA 36 (9/6/25 • San Antonio, Texas)
OPENING DRIVE
- UTSA and Texas State will meet for the eighth time on Saturday in the Battle for I-35.
- The Roadrunners lead the series, 5-2, including a 2-1 edge in games played in San Marcos.
- The Bobcats have won the past two meetings, including a narrow 43-26 decision on Sept. 6, 2025, in San Antonio.
- UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor coached Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne during his senior year (2006) at Gilmer High School.
- UTSA improved to 11-5 in season openers and 10-6 in home openers with the 45-16 triumph over UTRGV last Saturday at the Alamodome, the program’s 99th all-time win.
- UTSA is 54-26 (.675) since 2020 under head coach Jeff Traylor, the most wins among current American Conference teams, the 11th-most among FBS programs and second-most among teams from the state of Texas during that timeframe.
- The Roadrunners are 40-26 (.606) versus teams from the state of Texas, including 20-10 (.667) under Jeff Traylor.
- UTSA is 7-8 all-time in road openers, including 3-3 under Jeff Traylor and 1-1 versus Texas State with a 51-48 double-overtime win in 2020 and a 49-10 setback in 2024.
SETTING THE SCENE
UTSA will make the short drive to San Marcos to face Texas State in the Battle for I-35 on Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on The CW Network. The Roadrunners rolled past UTRGV, 45-16, in their season opener last Saturday at the Alamodome, while the Bobcats fell at No. 4 Texas, 59-7, in their lid-lifter. UTSA leads the all-time series with Texas State, 5-2, including a 2-1 edge in games played in San Marcos. The Bobcats have won the past two meetings, including a narrow 43-26 decision on Sept. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor coached Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne during his senior year (2006) at Gilmer High School.
TUNING IN
Saturday’s game will be televised by The CW Network, and it also will air on ESPN+ and via the ESPN app. Rick Allen (play-by-play), Will Blackmon (analyst), Michael Bumpus (reporter) will call the action. UTSA Sports Media Network will air the game live in the San Antonio area on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket, online at ticket760.com and via the free iHeartRadio app. Andy Everett (play-by-play), Jay Riley (analyst) and Ed Suarez (reporter) have the call. There will be a two-hour pregame show hosted by Pat Evans and a 45-minute postgame show.
LAST TIME OUT
Keyed by big plays on both sides of the ball, UTSA rolled to a 45-16 win over UTRGV in its season opener last Saturday afternoon in front of 33,403 fans at the Alamodome. The Roadrunners racked up 527 yards of offense on the strength of five plays of 30-plus yards on offense and also had one on defense thanks to a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ahamad Chapman in running their record to 11-5 all-time in season openers. Owen McCown guided the way for a balanced offensive attack, completing 22 of 27 passes for 275 for three touchdowns. DJ Allen Jr. registered his first career 100-yard receiving game with 116 yards on four catches that included 62-yard TD reception in the fourth quarter. AJ Wilson Jr. piled up 42 yards on two grabs, including a 36-yard touchdown that started the scoring for the Roadrunners at the 6:51 mark of the first quarter. Will Henderson III paced the ground game with 101 yards and a TD on nine carries, charting his fourth career 100-yard game in the process. The third-year running back from Gilmer, Texas, broke loose for a 75-yard touchdown dash midway through the second stanza that helped give UTSA a 28-3 lead. A’Marion Peterson added 96 yards on only eight totes, reaching paydirt on a 53-yard rush down the left sideline late in the contest to provide a 45-9 cushion for the Roadrunners. Joel Rogers paced the UTSA defense with seven tackles, while James Walley Jr. added six tackles including a sack. Nate Robinson Jr. joined Chapman with an interception, his first as a Roadrunner.
SWEET SIXTEEN
The Roadrunners is in its 16th season of football this year. UTSA started its program from scratch and, following a practice year in 2010, played its 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. The Roadrunners made history in 2021 by 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. In 2023, the Roadrunners notched their first bowl victory with a 35-17 decision over Marshall in the Frisco Bowl to cap a 9-4 ledger that include a 7-1 mark in their debut in the American. The 2024 campaign saw UTSA win four of its last five games, starting with a 44-36 victory over No. 25 Memphis for the program’s first-ever top-25 win and ending with a second straight bowl victory, a 44-15 triumph over Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, to finish at 7-6 overall. The Roadrunners capped a seven-win season in 2025 with a 57-20 rout of FIU in the First Responder Bowl, and they now have registered at least six wins in 10 of the 15 seasons in program history and reached the seven-win plateau eight times, including in each of the first six years of the Jeff Traylor era.
APPROACHING THE CENTURY MARK
UTSA is sitting at 99 all-time victories through the first game of its 16th season of football. The Roadrunners own an all-time record of 99-87 (.532) with more than half (54) of the wins coming under the direction of seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor, the winningest and longest-tenured head coach in program history.
ROADRUNNERS IN ROAD OPENERS
The Roadrunners are 7-8 all-time in road openers, including a 2-1 mark against Texas State. UTSA is 3-3 in road debuts under head coach Jeff Traylor, who guided the Roadrunners to a 51-48 double-overtime victory over the Bobcats in San Marcos in his first game at the helm. He also led UTSA to road-opening triumphs over Illinois (37-30) in 2021 and Army (41-38 [OT]) in 2022.
UTSA’s Road Openers (7-8)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
|
9/17/11 |
Southern Utah |
L, 22-45 |
|
9/1/12 |
South Alabama |
W, 33-31 |
|
8/31/13 |
New Mexico |
W, 21-13 |
|
8/29/14 |
Houston |
W 27-7 |
|
9/3/15 |
#22 Arizona |
L, 32-42 |
|
9/10/16 |
Colorado State |
L, 14-23 |
|
9/9/17 |
Baylor |
W, 17-10 |
|
9/1/18 |
Arizona State |
L, 7-49 |
|
9/7/19 |
Baylor |
L, 14-63 |
|
9/12/20 |
Texas State |
W, 51-48 (2OT) |
|
9/4/21 |
Illinois |
W, 37-30 |
|
9/10/22 |
Army |
W, 41-38 (OT) |
|
9/2/23 |
Houston |
L, 14-17 |
|
9/7/24 |
Texas State |
10-49 |
|
8/30/25 |
#19 Texas A&M |
L, 24-42 |
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
UTSA improved to 11-5 all-time in season openers, including a 4-3 mark under seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor, with the 45-16 triumph over UTRGV last Saturday at the Alamodome. UTSA also ran its record to 4-0 in season openers played against an FCS opponent, including a 2-0 mark versus Southland Conference foes.
UTSA’s Season Openers (11-5)
|
Date |
Opponent |
Score |
|
9/3/11 |
Northeastern State |
W, 31-3 |
|
9/1/12 |
at South Alabama |
W, 33-31 |
|
8/31/13 |
at New Mexico |
W, 21-13 |
|
8/29/14 |
at Houston |
W, 27-7 |
|
9/3/15 |
at #22 Arizona |
L, 32-42 |
|
9/3/16 |
Alabama State |
W, 26-13 |
|
9/9/17 |
at Baylor |
W, 17-10 |
|
9/1/18 |
at Arizona State |
L, 7-49 |
|
8/31/19 |
UIW |
W, 35-7 |
|
9/12/20 |
at Texas State |
W, 51-48 (2OT) |
|
9/4/21 |
at Illinois |
W, 37-30 |
|
9/3/22 |
#24 Houston |
L, 35-37 (3OT) |
|
9/2/23 |
at Houston |
L, 14-17 |
|
8/31/24 |
Kennesaw State |
W, 28-16 |
|
8/30/25 |
at #19 Texas A&M |
L, 24-42 |
|
9/5/26 |
UTRGV |
W, 45-16 |
UTSA IN HOME DEBUTS
With the 45-16 triumph over UTRGV last Saturday at the Alamodome, UTSA improved to 10-6 all-time in home openers, including 5-2 under head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners now have won eight of their last 11 home debuts.
UTSA’s Home Openers
|
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
|
9/3/11 |
Northeastern State |
W, 31-3 |
|
9/8/12 |
East Texas A&M |
W, 27-16 |
|
9/7/13 |
#13 Oklahoma State |
L, 35-56 |
|
9/4/14 |
Arizona |
L, 23-26 |
|
9/12/15 |
Kansas State |
L, 3-30 |
|
9/3/16 |
Alabama State |
W, 26-13 |
|
9/16/17 |
Southern |
W, 51-17 |
|
9/8/18 |
Baylor |
L, 20-37 |
|
8/31/19 |
UIW |
W, 35-7 |
|
9/19/20 |
SFA |
W, 24-10 |
|
9/11/21 |
Lamar |
W, 54-0 |
|
9/3/22 |
#24 Houston |
L, 35-37 (3OT) |
|
9/9/23 |
Texas State |
W, 20-13 |
|
8/31/24 |
Kennesaw State |
W, 28-16 |
|
9/6/25 |
Texas State |
L, 36-43 |
|
9/5/26 |
UTRGV |
W, 45-16 |
UTSA IN FOURTH SEASON IN AMERICAN CONFERENCE
UTSA is in its fourth season as a member of the American Conference and seventh year under the direction of head coach Jeff Traylor. The Roadrunners welcome back 49 members of last year’s team that capped a second straight seven-win campaign with a 57-20 victory over FIU in the First Responder Bowl, their third consecutive bowl win. UTSA lists 10 returning starters with six on offense, two on defense and a pair of specialists.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
UTSA’s 12-game regular season schedule features four non-conference games and eight American Conference contests. The Roadrunners kicked off the campaign on Sept. 5 with a 45-16 home triumph over UTRGV, which played its inaugural season of football in 2025 as a member of the Southland Conference. UTSA now has back-to-back road games at Texas State (Sept. 12) and Texas (Sept. 19) before closing out the non-league slate at home against Colorado State on Sept. 26. The Roadrunners have home conference games scheduled against South Florida (Oct. 8), Navy (Oct. 17), North Texas (Nov. 14) and Tulsa (Nov. 27 or 28), while they will travel to Rice (Oct. 3), Tulane (Oct. 24), Florida Atlantic (Nov. 5) and UAB (Nov. 21). The American Conference Championship Game will be played Dec. 5.
STAYING IN STATE
The Roadrunners will be staying close to home for the majority of the 2026 schedule. UTSA is slated to play its first seven games in the state of Texas, not leaving the Lone Star State until the Oct. 24 contest at Tulane in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Roadrunners have two more home games after that, giving them nine total regular season matchups inside their home state. In addition to the game in New Orleans, UTSA also will visit the states of Alabama (UAB) and Florida (Florida Atlantic) this fall.
THE TRAYLOR ERA
Seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor has taken UTSA to new heights during his time in San Antonio. The Roadrunners are 54-26 (.675) under his direction, the most wins since 2020 among current American Conference teams and tied for both the 11th-most among FBS programs and second-most among teams from the state of Texas. Traylor also has helped turn the Alamodome into one of the toughest places for visiting teams to play, as the Roadrunners are 34-5 (.872) at the Alamodome since 2020. UTSA’s 34 home victories during that span are tied for the sixth-most among FBS programs and they are the most among both current American Conference members and state of Texas teams. Since Traylor took over the program, UTSA has captured a pair of conference championships, earned six straight bowl berths with three consecutive bowl wins and made a combined 23 appearances in the three major national polls. A 2025 inductee into both the Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, he has coached 10 All-Americans, three national award finalists, 97 all-conference selections and a trio of NFL Draft picks at UTSA.
SCOUTING TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats fell to No. 4 Texas, 59-7, in their season opener last Saturday afternoon in Austin. Texas State tallied 349 yards of offense, 188 rushing and 161 passing. Brad Jackson completed 15 of 23 passes for 150 yards with Chris Dawn Jr. catching four for 40 yards and Beau Sparks also grabbing four for 19 yards. Torrance Burgess Jr. and Jaylen Jenkins paced the ground game with 34 yards apiece. Defensively, Terrence Cooks II posted a team-high eight tackles including one for a loss, while Ryan Nolan came up with an interception and also broke up a pass. Head coach G.J. Kinne is 23-17 (.575) in his fourth season at Texas State following a 12-2 campaign at UIW in his head coaching debut in 2022.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will mark the eighth meeting on the gridiron between UTSA and Texas State. The Roadrunners lead the series, 5-2, including a 2-1 mark in San Marcos. The Bobcats have won the past two meetings, including a 43-36 decision on Sept. 6, 2025, in San Antonio. UTSA outlasted Texas State, 51-48, in two overtimes in head coach Jeff Traylor’s debut on Sept. 12, 2020, in San Marcos. Traylor also guided the Roadrunners to a 20-13 home triumph over the Bobcats in 2023.
UTSA/Texas State All-Time Series
|
Date |
Result |
Location |
|
11/24/12 |
UTSA 38, Texas State 31 |
San Antonio |
|
9/23/17 |
UTSA 44, Texas State 14 |
San Marcos |
|
9/22/18 |
UTSA 25, Texas State 21 |
San Antonio |
|
9/12/20 |
UTSA 51, Texas State 48 (2OT) |
San Marcos |
|
9/9/23 |
UTSA 20, Texas State 13 |
San Antonio |
|
9/7/24 |
Texas State 49, UTSA 10 |
San Marcos |
|
9/6/25 |
Texas State 43, UTSA 36 |
San Antonio |
LAST MEETING
Robert Henry Jr. registered his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game, but Texas State used a 65-yard touchdown reception by Beau Sparks with 10 minutes remaining to outlast UTSA, 43-36, on Sept. 6, 2025, in front of 45,778 fans at the Alamodome. Henry rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard sprint in the third quarter and a 30-yard dash in the fourth that pulled the Roadrunners within two. Owen McCown then completed a touchdown pass to Devin McCuin to knot the score at 36-all with 10:22 left to play. The Bobcats answered quickly on their next play from scrimmage, reclaiming the lead on a deep ball from Brad Jackson to Sparks, who finished the day with 155 receiving yards. Tyler Robles’s extra point gave the visitors a 43-36 cushion. UTSA had three more possessions down the stretch but turned the ball over on downs twice, including with 1:28 left, allowing Texas State to run out the clock and snap the Roadrunners’ 10-game home winning streak.
FAMILIAR FACE
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor will see a familiar face across the field on Saturday. Texas State head coach G.J. Kinne played quarterback under Traylor as a senior at Gilmer High School in 2006, helping lead the Buckeyes to a 10-0 record and the district title. The two also worked together on the same staffs in 2017 at SMU and in 2018 at Arkansas.
UTSA VERSUS IN-STATE FOES
The Roadrunners are 40-26 (.606) all-time against teams from the state of Texas including 20-10 (.667) under seventh-year head coach Jeff Traylor. Texas State is the second of three consecutive and five overall opponents from the Lone Star State on this year’s schedule.
WHO’S COUNTING?
Now in their 16th season of play, the Roadrunners will play the 187th game in program history on Saturday when they face Texas State in the road opener. UTSA is 99-87 (.532) all-time and 37-52 (.418) in road games. By comparison, Texas State has been playing football since 1904 and has an all-time record of 579-535-33).
UP NEXT
The Roadrunners will make another short trip north on I-35 to face No. 4 Texas next Saturday, Sept. 12. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.
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